Don't let unpleasant personal dental associations stand in the way of seeing a luminous specimen of independent filmmaking.
90
L.A. WeeklyChuck Wilson
L.A. WeeklyChuck Wilson
While it's Dave's madly humming brain that propels the film, Davis, whose every glance is a short story in itself, makes Dana's internal crisis equally resonant.
90
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
This portrait of a failing marriage is one of the summer's great discoveries, and a marvel of mercurial intimacy.
A stylish work from an accomplished, sophisticated filmmaker that bristles with intelligence and gleams with Scott's and Davis' multifaceted, astutely judged portrayals.
88
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Boston GlobeTy Burr
May not be the best movie ever made about the perils of family life, but it is among the most ruthlessly comic.
75
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
A surprisingly insightful, non-judgmental meditation on a troubled marriage-with-kids.
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A melancholy, well-observed film.
75
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Campbell Scott creates a new movie anti-hero -- the weak silent type -- and goes all the way with it in The Secret Lives of Dentists.
70
VarietyTodd McCarthy
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Director Alan Rudolph achieves fresh as well as humorous insights into family life and strategies for keeping a damaged relationship from expiring. But a tiresome final act proves trying.
63
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Ultimately, it's a compassionate view of marriage and its stressors. But the filmmaker and actors do their jobs only too well. Watching "Secret Lives" can be as uncomfortable as sitting in the dentist's chair.