'American Son,' 'How to Lose a Guy' on DVD

The bulk of these new DVD releases are straight-to-video titles, and there was a reason they didn't make it into theaters.

"American Son" (Miramax, 2008; R for language, sex, drugs; $29.99). Nick Cannon stars as a young Marine on Thanksgiving leave who doesn't want to tell his dysfunctional family about his upcoming deployment to Iraq, and he also finds himself drawn to a young woman he's just met on the bus ride home.

Cannon and the rest of the cast are very good, and when it's subtle this observant look at a teenager stepping into the responsibilities of adulthood and facing terrifying prospects in a war zone, is universal and quite moving. But too much time is wasted flailing about amid soap opera cliches.

Extras: widescreen, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurette, trailers

"How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" (Paramount, 2003, PG-13, $14.98). This was a theatrical film, of course, and this reissue is loaded with bonus features for fans.

Kate Hudson is a magazine columnist who decides to win a guy, then chase him away with ill-mannered behavior. Meanwhile, adman Matthew McConaughey bets that he can be so sensitive he'll make a woman fall in love with him within 10 days. But it's not funny or warm enough to overcome its contrivances.

Extras: widescreen, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurettes, music video, trailers (also in Blu-ray, $29.99)

"Nights and Weekends" (IFC, 2008, $24.98). Low-key independent romance about a relationship strained by his living in Chicago while she's in Brooklyn. Naturalistic style by writer-directors Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig, who also star, will either be off-putting or charming, depending on your tolerance for this sort of thing.

Extras: widescreen, audio commentary, test short, teasers, trailer

"Almost Heaven" (E1, 2006, $24.98). This comic romance has Donal Logue as a TV director who takes a job in Scotland only to find that he must work with his ex-wife. Bolstered by location photography and the presence of Tom Conti, but it never quite comes together. (The deleted scenes are surprisingly much more raunchy than the movie.)

Extras: widescreen, deleted scenes, audio commentary, featurette, trailers (also on Blu-ray, $34.95)