More slouching than swinging with ‘Starsky’

Starsky & Hutch

Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson

Warner Home Video, $28

The ABC buddy detective series from the 1970s wasn’t a very good show, but what it had going for it was the undeniable charm, chemistry and tight-fitting bluejeans of its two hunky stars, David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser. The two show up in cameos in this unmemorable but fittingly funny film, which stars Ben Stiller as Starsky and Owen Wilson as Hutch. Despite the passage of time, Glaser, who looks like Dorian Gray, and Soul, who resembles the portrait of Dorian Gray, still exude the zippy appeal they did in the TV series.

The DVD, though, is a rather ho-hum affair with requisite deleted scenes and outtakes, a lukewarm spoof of “making of” documentaries in which the cast and crew confess their dislike for each other, an equally pallid interview with Snoop Dogg about his outlandish outfits for his role as Huggy Bear and surprisingly dull commentary from director Todd Phillips.

*

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen

Disney, $30

Lindsay Lohan, Alison Pill

Lindsay Lohan may be one of the hottest teen stars thanks to “Freaky Friday” and “Mean Girls,” but she’s way over the top in this lightweight comedy about a daydreaming free spirit who moves with her mom and siblings from New York City to a New Jersey suburb. The movie’s best performance comes from Alison Pill as a rather geeky teen whom Lohan befriends at high school.

The too-cute-for-words “making of” documentary, a Lohan music video and a deleted scene are geared for tweens, but the loud, obnoxious audio commentary with director Sara Sugarman, writer Gail Parent and producers Robert Shapiro and Jerry Leider won’t appeal to anyone.

*

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights

Diego Luna, Romola Garai

Lions Gate, $27

This very loose sequel to the 1987 hit “Dirty Dancing” is about as exciting and inspired as a stale Cuban cigar. Set in 1958, “Havana Nights” revolves around a sweet, bookish teenager (Romola Garai) who moves with her family from New England to Cuba, where she meets a cute, opinionated busboy (Diego Luna). The two realize they have a common love for dance, much to the chagrin of her snooty mother (Sela Ward). Patrick Swayze from the original film has a cameo, but it’s all for naught.

The DVD includes multi-angle dance sequences, music videos, interviews, screen tests, dance auditions and commentary from producer Sarah Green and choreographer/co-producer JoAnn Jansen, on whose life the film is based.

*

Port of Shadows

Jean Gabin, Michele Morgan

Criterion, $30

By his early 30s, Jean Gabin had become an icon of French cinema thanks to his naturalistic, sexy and sympathetic performances as tragic heroes in such films as this 1938 poetic melodrama penned by writer Jacques Prevert and directed by Marcel Carne. The creative team was responsible for some of the greatest films of the golden age of French cinema, including “Children of Paradise.”

Gabin plays an AWOL soldier who meets and falls in love with a beautiful young woman (Michele Morgan) desperately trying to escape the clutches of her slimy godfather (Michel Simon). Pierre Brasseur, one of the stars of “Children of Paradise,” plays a cowardly gangster whom Gabin humiliates once too often.

“Port of Shadows” marks the first time Gabin collaborated with Prevert and Carne. They would team up several more times, including for 1939’s landmark drama “Le Jour se Leve.”

The extras are pretty skimpy for a Criterion DVD -- just the photo gallery and trailer.

-- Susan King