(Reviewed at Loews Lincoln Square)

Where the film slides off track is in the far too extensive use of Denis Leary as a character who slithers into Dave's imagination and persists there as a challenging voice and provocateur. The concept gets too gimmicky and frankly, the character becomes a pain. Where is the Novocain when it's needed?

Leary plays Slater, a patient brimming with hostility and he handles the role very well. Subsequently, when Dave becomes convinced that his wife is having an affair, he imagines Slater as ever present and egging him on as to how he should respond to the infidelity. Slater becomes a physical presence for the audience as well as haunting Dave's mind. It is understandable that filmmakers search for something more tangible than a voiceover to express a protagonist's thoughts. But Scott is such a terrific actor and he has such a great voice, that in this case, his voiceover (used partially) would be preferable to the gimmick that becomes progressively more annoying as it persists.

Otherwise, the film is on target. Scott is consistently effective in portraying the angst that he finds in his marriage but fears to articulate because the result might require action that could break up his home. He really loves his wife. Davis is also moving as she rebels against her husband's malaise and tortures herself about what to do. We get a very close-up view of a marriage going through a crisis. The reality of dealing with demanding children adds to the convincing portrait of a family.