The Secret Lives of Dentists

What stands out first about The Secret Lives of Dentists is the confidence with which Alan Rudolph establishes its comedy identity. Rather than relying on premise alone, The Secret Lives of Dentists asks Campbell Scott and Hope Davis to supply personality from the opening stretch. The premise of The Secret Lives of Dentists is established with useful clarity: An introspective dentist's suspicions about his wife's infidelity stresses his mental well being and family life to the breaking point. That direct approach lets The Secret Lives of Dentists use its 1h 44m running time for character, atmosphere and consequence.

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What keeps The Secret Lives of Dentists emotionally readable is Campbell Scott, whose choices establish a consistent point of view. In scenes with Hope Davis, The Secret Lives of Dentists gains tension from two performers refusing to produce the same kind of energy. Denis Leary contributes a separate rhythm to The Secret Lives of Dentists and helps the supporting material feel less purely functional. The direction by Alan Rudolph gives the cast of The Secret Lives of Dentists room to connect the quieter beats with the larger ones.

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The Secret Lives of Dentists finds additional purpose in its examination of embarrassment, status and the gap between confidence and reality. Through the performance of Campbell Scott, The Secret Lives of Dentists makes that examination feel personal before it becomes broadly symbolic. The idea of the central character repeatedly returns The Secret Lives of Dentists to the cost behind its more visible developments. Alan Rudolph is most persuasive when The Secret Lives of Dentists allows the theme to emerge from an uncomfortable choice rather than polished dialogue.

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The craft of The Secret Lives of Dentists is defined by comic timing built around character, supported by comic timing built around character rather than overwhelmed by decoration. Holedigger Films gives The Secret Lives of Dentists a production framework in which well judged reactions can remain connected to story. Made from a United States production context, The Secret Lives of Dentists uses setting and design to clarify mood before dialogue has to explain it. The technical finish of The Secret Lives of Dentists works because image, sound and editing appear to be serving the same immediate purpose.

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The plot of The Secret Lives of Dentists is built around the uneasy relationship between the central character and an important relationship. For Campbell Scott, that relationship gives The Secret Lives of Dentists an emotional objective stronger than simple forward motion. The screenplay associated with Jane Smiley lets a difficult choice reshape the direction of The Secret Lives of Dentists in stages. Although the treatment of the wider conflict could be sharper, The Secret Lives of Dentists never entirely loses the thread established at the beginning.

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Alan Rudolph gives The Secret Lives of Dentists a directorial line that is clear enough to keep the emotional line visible from its opening promise to its final movement. The staging of The Secret Lives of Dentists is strongest when Alan Rudolph allows motivation to determine pace instead of reversing that priority. Viewed as a complete piece, The Secret Lives of Dentists confirms that its modest pleasures remain genuine across most of the running time. A tighter version of The Secret Lives of Dentists would address how a few supporting ideas remain thinner than the central one, yet the surrounding work remains persuasive.

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The Secret Lives of Dentists ends as a solid choice for the right audience, especially for comedy fans who respond to personality and timing. What remains from The Secret Lives of Dentists is the relationship between Campbell Scott, comic timing built around character and Alan Rudolph's control of mood. The weakness that a few supporting ideas remain thinner than the central one narrows the impact of The Secret Lives of Dentists without cancelling its better work. On balance, The Secret Lives of Dentists gives its intended viewers a distinctive experience rather than a completely anonymous piece of content.