It might be popular with critics, but the new Woody Allen film ‘Blue Jasmine’ is not a hit with New York dentists, due to the unflattering depiction of their trade; something which many dental professionals are beginning to feel is all too common in the movie industry. Midtown dentist Lawrence Spindel spoke to The New York Daily News and admitted that this stereotype was ‘unfair’ and also ‘a little hurtful’.
Over the years, Hollywood screenwriters have not looked kindly on the profession, with the ‘crazy dentist’ role made famous by Lawrence Olivier in Marathon Man and Steven Martin in Little Shop of Horrors; this new offering from veteran director Woody Allen tells the story of a former socialite (played by Cate Blanchett) who has to take a job as a dental nurse and finds herself at the mercy of her sleazy boss.
Mark S. Wolff is another dentist who feels that this portrayal is somewhat unfounded, saying that ‘Onscreen, we [dentists] range from killers to buffoons to sexual harassers.’ Referring to the over-the-top dentists depicted in film and on television, Wolff adds ‘that sort of stuff doesn’t help the profession. [I hope] Woody Allen has a really great dentist. If he needs one, we’re happy to help with a referral.’