The screenplay was written by Craig Lucas, based on the novella The Age of Grief by Jane Smiley.

David and Dana Hurst are dentists who are married with three daughters and share a dental practice in Westchester County, New York.

Dana is in the chorus of a community opera production, and when David goes backstage to give her a good luck charm, he sees her in the arms of another man.

[3] In a three-star review, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "What you will find [here] is a film with an uncanny feeling for the rhythms of daily life, acted by Scott and Davis with attention to those small inflections of speech that can turn words into weapons", adding that "Scott is wonderful here in the way he shows his character caring for the family while coming apart inside.

"[4] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle gave a warm review, writing "Lucas' script captures the intimacy of marriage and the ways in which married couple can easily fall into a pattern of irritation and recrimination.