This movie is better off a 'secret' to filmgoers

A common theme among family dramas in recent movie history is the breakup of a marriage under a supposedly idyllic scenario. These films have ranged from great (American Beauty) to so-so (Unfaithful) to brutally bad (The Story of Us).\nThere usually starts out with a beautiful husband, a beautiful wife and beautiful kids. Somebody succumbs to temptation, and the wronged spouse responds totally inappropriately. Then, the wronged spouse philosophizes over how life turned out unexpectedly.\nThe Secret Lives of Dentists is the latest to explore a surprisingly troubled marriage. Sadly, this one belongs somewhere between Unfaithful and The Story of Us.\nBased on Jane Smiley's novella The Age of Grief, Campbell Scott and Hope Davis star as Dave and Dana Hurst, husband-and-wife dentists who share an office. They have three little daughters. Dana also likes to sing opera during her free time, and early on, we see her performing in the chorus at a local production. Unexpectedly, when visiting backstage, Dave, watching from afar, catches Dana in a passionate embrace with another man. She doesn't see him.\nThe rest of the plot centers around when and if Dave will confront Dana with what he saw and work it out. Furthermore, Dave is the more nurturing of the two parents, often tucking the kids into bed and fixing dinner with Dana absent. This further complicates his thinking.\nMeanwhile, Denis Leary plays a jazz trumpeter who we find out is visible only to Dave and says only what Dave wishes he could say, and he does it all in the angry rogue style that's made Leary famous.\nObviously, with Leary involved, there's going to be an attempt at comic relief, but what Leary says is only marginally funny. The kids are annoying, and when they say things that are trying to be cutely funny, they fall flat. An uninvolving subplot involving the whole family getting the flu occupies way too much time. Scott and Davis are fine actors who hit some emotional high notes, but I struggled to care for them.\nAlan Rudolph's recent output has been inconsistent of late, and one has to wonder if he is starting to get lazy. The boom mic appears on screen several times, especially on pan-outs, and after the third time, the audience started to giggle, groan and chatter. The interjection of the boom mic proved horribly distracting to one wanting to follow the story.\nThis was not exactly an idyllic scenario.