New on DVD: ‘Bridesmaids’

Bridesmaids

Universal, $29.98; Blu-ray, $34.98

One of the biggest comedy hits of the summer, “Bridesmaids” stars Kristen Wiig (who also co-wrote the film with Annie Mumolo) as a lifelong loser whose inability to do anything right threatens to ruin her best friend’s wedding. Much of the talk surrounding “Bridesmaids” has been about the movie’s raunchiness, and how it shows that women comedians can be as crude as their male counterparts. But what really makes the film so enjoyable is Wiig’s fearlessly goofy performance, and the way Wiig, Mumolo and director Paul Feig convey the nuances of female friendships rather than reducing the characters to chick-flick stereotypes. The DVD and Blu-ray are even funnier, thanks to copious amounts of deleted scenes and bloopers.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Paramount Blu-ray, $29.99

The 1961 adaptation of Truman Capote’s novella “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” softens and sanitizes Capote’s story of two upscale New York hustlers, but the movie’s still a classic. Director Blake Edwards captures the romance of a grand metropolis and shows how outsiders strive to be accepted in high society. Audrey Hepburn gives a career-defining performance as Holly Golightly, a former hick who remakes herself as the city’s premiere party girl but shelters her real feelings. The special edition “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” Blu-ray includes a warm commentary track with producer Richard Shepherd and featurettes that take a deeper look at Henry Mancini’s music, the movie’s famous party scene, the symbolism of Tiffany’s itself and Mickey Rooney’s controversial “yellowface” performance as Mr. Yunioshi.

The Kennedys

New Video, $39.95; Blu-ray, $39.95

Dogged by preproduction criticism and bounced from the History Channel for not being “a fit” with its brand, the eight-part miniseries “The Kennedys” ended up on the Reelz Channel and now is available on DVD and Blu-ray. “The Kennedys” is a mini in the old-fashioned ‘70s/’80s mold — sweeping, soapy and geared to entertain — and it features strong lead performances by Greg Kinnear as John F. Kennedy and Barry Pepper as Robert, almost making up for Katie Holmes’ awful turn as Jackie Kennedy. The biggest problem with the series is that even though it’s based on actual events (and stacks of scandal-mongering tell-all books, apparently) very little about it feels real. It’s a TV-ish version of history, populated by trumped-up “characters,” which just feels wrong, given the people involved and what they meant to so many.

Set Up

Lionsgate, $19.98; Blu-ray, $24.99

Originally intended for theatrical release, the Bruce Willis-50 Cent-Ryan Phillippe crime drama “Set Up” is being released straight to video, and with good reason: It’s so very, very bad. 50 Cent (a.k.a Curtis Jackson) plays a heist artist who gets double-crossed by his partner (Phillippe) and turns to a mob boss (Willis) for help. Writer-director Mike Gunther is clearly aiming for a cross between Guy Ritchie’s stylish gangland pictures and Ben Affleck’s local-color-filled urban noirs, but 50 Cent is a complete zero as an action lead, and all the tough-guy posturing comes off as an amateurish imitation of far more original movies. Say this for Gunther, though: He stands behind his film, in the DVD and Blu-ray’s commentary track and featurettes.

And…

Hawaii Five-0: The First Season

Paramount, $64.99

Law & Order — Los Angeles: The Complete Series

Universal, $59.98

Mike & Molly: The Complete First Season

Warner Bros., $44.98; Blu-ray, $59.98