'I Love You, Man' - Los Angeles Times
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‘I Love You, Man’

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I Love You, Man

Paramount, $29.99; Blu-ray, $39.99

The usual criticisms apply to the shaggy, Apatow-esque “bromantic comedy” “I Love You, Man.” The movie’s story of an uptight nerd ( Paul Rudd) who learns to unwind with the help of a self-possessed slacker ( Jason Segel) oversells the glories of male immaturity at the expense of its female characters and at the expense of such niceties as emotional depth and narrative unpredictability. But the usual praise applies to the movie too. It’s very funny, and Rudd and Segel give strong performances as, respectively, a man so uncomfortable in his skin that he can’t even complete a coherent sentence and a man so settled in his routine that he’s become almost sociopathic. The DVD and Blu-ray add a commentary track, deleted scenes, a gag reel and a featurette.

Gigantic

Vivendi, $26.99

In writer-director Matt Aselton’s mega-twee indie comedy “Gigantic,” Paul Dano plays an emotionally distant New York bed salesman attempting to adopt a baby from China, while Zooey Deschanel plays a Zooey Deschanel type, adept at using her own damaged soul to heal other damaged souls. “Gigantic’s” parade of at once affectless and affected New Yorkers might hold some appeal to people who are wildly pro-quirk, but anyone not on the movie’s wavelength will likely find it insufferable. The DVD adds two short deleted scenes.

90210:

The First Season

Paramount, $49.99

Before the CW’s remake of “Beverly Hills, 90210” ever aired, it was subject to enough behind-the-scenes drama to fuel a dozen prime-time soaps -- including the loss of two show-running teams and rampant rumors about which old cast members would put aside long-running quarrels and pop up on the new show. Sadly, “90210” is nowhere near as interesting as its back story. It’s a rote teen drama about troubled rich kids, with little of the juice of “Gossip Girl” or “The O.C.” The first-season DVD set comes with chatty cast commentary on select episodes and a handful of peppy featurettes.

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Paris 36

Sony, $28.96

“The Chorus” writer-director Christophe Barratier follows up that Oscar-nominated art-house hit with the ambitious period musical “Paris 36,” about a down-on-his-luck stage manager who discovers a star in a bright young singer (played by Nora Arnezeder) and enjoys a rare moment of success in economically depressed pre- World War II France. “Paris 36” is handsomely shot and packed with catchy old tunes, but Barratier paints with such broad strokes that it all seems too much like something out of a storybook -- not a movie with any modern relevance. Still, there’s a lot to like about the DVD, which contains more than an hour of featurettes, 20 minutes of deleted scenes (including cut songs) and a commentary by Barratier.

17 Again

Warner, $28.98; Blu-ray, $35.99

“17 Again” stars Matthew Perry as a miserable middle-aged family man who’s magically de-aged to his high school self (as embodied by Zac Efron!) and given a chance to befriend his own kids and understand their problems. The “old guy becomes a young guy” routine has been done repeatedly in movies and for good reason: It’s a reliably entertaining plot, with built-in sentimental value. It’s too bad that “17 Again’s” creative team didn’t do more to contemporize this story, but it’s always nice to see Perry on screen, and with each new project Efron proves all over again why he’s a star. The DVD and Blu-ray include deleted scenes, outtakes, a trivia track and featurettes.

All titles available Tuesday.

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