Sweet Home Alabama

Romantic comedies on DVD are often cash cows for studios, and with the all the enjoyable extras milked into Touchstone Home Entertainment's Sweet Home Alabama, this is one disc sure to rise to the top. Starring Reese Witherspoon, Patrick Dempsey, and Candice Bergen, Sweet Home Alabama is a charming film about a self-made New York designer who must rendezvous with her Southern roots before her new life can flourish. The movie, presented in anamorphic video, is shown in 2.35:1 widescreen with crisp colors and clear projection. The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound is decent, especially during the conversations and Civil War "battle" scenes. Not much in terms of groundbreaking surround sound, but this is a romantic comedy, not an apocalyptic war adventure. A French language track is also available. In terms of extras, Touchstone included those viewer-friendly options that many fans of this genre will enjoy. There's a SHeDAISY music video and 12 chapter selections. The director's screen-specific audio commentary is worth a watch, especially since Andy Tennant uses this platform to really discuss his passion for this film as well as what funny things happened during the shoot. The anecdotes alone are worth listening to. But by far, the best extra on the disc is "Off the Cutting Room Floor," a collection of eight deleted scenes with an introduction by Tennant. To top that off is the always-popular alternate ending feature, with commentary.