By Oscar Jubis

THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS centres on David Hurst(Campbell Scott), a dentist who shares a practice with his wife Dana(Hope Davis). They have three young daughters and live comfortably in Weschester County,NY. David muses via voice-over narration about teeth and dentistry before we are introduced to the rest of the family. The Hursts prepare to attend an opera performance in which Dana plays a minor part. The picture of idyllic family life is suddenly broken when David catches Dana sharing an intimate moment with a man backstage. This is the first of many situations that may indicate Dana is unhappy and possibly cheating on David. We meet Slater(Denis Leary), an obnoxious musician who is "the patient from hell", a demanding boor who penetrates David's psyche to provide needed comic relief. Otherwise, SLOD is about how David will approach and resolve the impending marital crisis.

THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS is an adaptation of The Age of Grief, an 80s novella by Jane Smiley consisting primarily of David's monologues. The script's main alteration is to expand the character of Slater to serve as David's fantasy projection, transforming the novella's monologues into dialogues. This adaptation was slated to be directed by Norman Rene, prior to his death in 1996. Rene had directed several plays written by Craig Lucas such as Reckless, Longtime Companion, and Prelude to a Kiss. I find that enjoyment of this film is largely predicated on the viewer's ability to develop some empathy or sympathy for David and his plight. I could not.

David Hurst is constantly bombarded by incidents that show that Dana is unhappy, no longer in love with her husband of 10 years, and leads a secret life elsewhere. David is attentive toward her and constantly tells Dana he loves her. She does not respond. She neglects their daughters-the youngest one shows a distinct antipathy towards her mother- who are practically being raised by David. He has to be one of the most repressed characters in cinema history. He decides not to confront Dana, to ignore the obvious for what felt to me like an eternity. I personally felt his behavior went beyond what a meek and repressed man would do (or not do). As the evidence piles up, David begins to look stupid, not introverted.

To be fair, I chuckled at a few comic lines about dentists and their trade, and up to a point, enjoyed Mr. Leary's boorish persona (he seems to be repeating his The Ref role). I also find a great deal of truth in the depiction of the spoiled Hurst children and the indignities of parenthood. But most of THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS hurt like a root canal.