‘Sweet’ subplot cut out

“Sweet Home Alabama”

Reese Witherspoon, Patrick

Dempsey

Touchstone, $30

Director Andy Tennant reveals on the digital edition of this lamebrain romantic comedy -- which did boffo at the box office last fall -- that an entire subplot was removed after test screenings gave it thumbs down.

The subplot revolved around the assistant of Witherspoon’s perky fashion designer having a crush on her boss’ fiance (Dempsey). It was cut, Tennant explains, because one scene led audiences to think that the assistant had slept with Dempsey’s character.

The DVD features all of these scenes that ended up on the cutting-room floor, as well as the ghastly alternate ending that also was cut after test audiences didn’t find it romantic or funny.

*

“Igby Goes Down”

Kieran Culkin, Susan Sarandon

MGM, $27

Culkin received a Golden Globe nomination for his stirring performance as a rich, spoiled high school student trying to find meaning in his life in this overpraised, unsettling comedy.

Sarandon, also a Globe nominee, is his tyrant of a mother, who is dying of breast cancer. Bill Pullman is his schizophrenic father. Ryan Phillippe is his cold, calculating brother, and Claire Danes is the college student both boys love.

The standard DVD includes a pat “making of” featurette, a photo gallery, deleted scenes with commentary from writer-director Burr Steers -- an actor who appeared in “Pulp Fiction” -- and by-the-numbers audio commentary with Steers and Culkin.

-- Susan King