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The Secret Lives of Dentists

Play trailer Poster for The Secret Lives of Dentists R 2003 1h 41m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
84% Tomatometer 94 Reviews 58% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
David Hurst (Campbell Scott) is a mild-mannered dentist who shares a practice with his wife, Dana (Hope Davis). Concerned about Dana's recent sullen moods, David begins to suspect that she is cheating on him. As David becomes deeply unsettled by the possibility of Dana's infidelity, he begins having extended conversations with Slater (Denis Leary), a surly patient who dispenses plenty of blunt advice. Can Dana and David reconcile and save their marriage, or are they destined to separate?
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The Secret Lives of Dentists

The Secret Lives of Dentists

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Critics Consensus

A witty and honest look at marriage in decay.

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Critics Reviews

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Geoff Pevere Toronto Star Nov 14, 2003
4/5
Rudolph's fondness for angular, oblique characterization is ideally suited to the movie's incidental story of sublimated feelings and contradictory impulses. Go to Full Review
Rick Groen Globe and Mail Nov 14, 2003
3/4
Domestic scenes with the kids are drawn with letter-perfect naturalism. Go to Full Review
John Monaghan Detroit Free Press Sep 11, 2003
3/4
There are movies that have a way of hitting you at a certain time in your life, and this study of being married with young children speaks in satisfying ways. Go to Full Review
Andrea Beach Common Sense Media 5 days ago
2/5
Yes, the main characters are dentists, and yes, one of them thinks the other has a secret, but that's about as far as the title and the story are related. Go to Full Review
Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed Apr 29, 2009
A profound study of lack of communication in a marriage with some great performances from Scott, Davis, and Leary. Go to Full Review
Mark Halverson Sacramento News & Review Aug 7, 2008
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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cake T @Colkie Sep 12, 2026 I love this film. So well written, acted, and directed. I first saw it at the Lake Placid Film Festival, with Alan Rudolph and Campbell Scott in attendance. They just released it on Netflix, and I watched it again tonight. Highly recommend. See more pete B @RT93204000 Sep 8, 2026 Absolute trash. If the intent was to make me dyspeptic then he did a great job. Some movie directors and producers forget their job is to entertain. While I’m sure the goal was to produce dyspepsia in the audience and claim it’s artistic this was an epic fail. Do better. smh See more Dec 3, 2015 If you write a movie and would like to go in a crazy direction, DO go in a crazy direction! Don't just masturbate with the idea of going in a crazy direction! On the good side: Campbell Scott is such an underrated actor! Too bad something about this film is terribly off. It started in a terrific way but from a certain point it simply didn't dare to go further and it had to because it had promised us all exactly that! See more Jul 27, 2014 Really liked the husband and the kids....not so much the wife. See more Sep 25, 2012 Not too popular on the fan metre but I actually enjoyed this film.There is a nice natural feel to the characters brimming with honesty. See more Dec 31, 2010 1 star for having a plot that could actually happen and not unyielding the the strains of reality. -4 for being a cheezy Fight Club meets American Beauty knock off which is over lit and silly. Clashing of montage, Cinematography, acting and style, and general tone makes this a brutal and silly popcorn film with too much realism and lack of reality. Hmm, if that's confusing, then think of it as a Rococo painting of somebody doing the dishes (and then going crazy and add in some Dante Inferno style art). See more Read all reviews
The Secret Lives of Dentists

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Movie Info

Synopsis David Hurst (Campbell Scott) is a mild-mannered dentist who shares a practice with his wife, Dana (Hope Davis). Concerned about Dana's recent sullen moods, David begins to suspect that she is cheating on him. As David becomes deeply unsettled by the possibility of Dana's infidelity, he begins having extended conversations with Slater (Denis Leary), a surly patient who dispenses plenty of blunt advice. Can Dana and David reconcile and save their marriage, or are they destined to separate?
Director
Alan Rudolph
Producer
Campbell Scott, George VanBuskirk
Screenwriter
Craig Lucas
Distributor
Manhattan Pictures International
Production Co
Ready Made Film, Holedigger Films Inc.
Rating
R (Language|Sexuality)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 1, 2003, Wide
Release Date (DVD)
Dec 2, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$3.7M
Runtime
1h 41m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
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