DVDs: The Gifts that Keep on Giving

For Moms

The Devil Wears Prada (PG-13 for some sensuality)
Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) is the powerful editor of Runway, a famous fashion magazine in New York City. She also routinely throws things (i.e. her coats and purses) at her assistants, rattles off tasks to be done immediately, and demands "the new Harry Potter" in three hours. No, not the new book in bookstores-the unpublished manuscript of Rowling's next book. It's for her twins, so get two copies. And so it goes for stressed assistant Andrea "Andy" Sachs (Anne Hathaway). How fun watching Streep chew up the scenery and Hathaway being charming and lovely. Scene stealer Stanley Tucci plays Nigel, the mag's fashion editor who has a good heart and takes Andy under his impeccably dressed wing.

A Prairie Home Companion (PG-13 for risqué humor)
From director Robert Altman comes this quirky movie based on the real-life radio program of the same name, with a wry screenplay penned by the show's host, Garrison Keillor. Supported by a high-powered cast, including Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Lindsay Lohan, John C. Reilly, Tommy Lee Jones, and Kevin Kline, Keillor also stars in this behind-the-scenes look at the mayhem surrounding the folksy program's final show. It's a loving tribute to a world of church suppers, big families, and tales told on the porch - a world we hope isn't headed for extinction.

Failure To Launch (PG-13 for sexual content, partial nudity and language)
In a desperate attempt to push their thirty-something son Tripp (Matthew McConaughey) out of the nest, a frustrated mom and dad (Kathy Bates and Terry Bradshaw) hire a beautiful "relationship consultant" (Sarah Jessica Parker) to move him out of the house. But her tried-and-true tactics, which involve her posing as the girl of his dreams, don't always have the intended effect - especially not when she really does fall in love with him. Bates and Bradshaw are a hoot, and Zooey Deschanel, as Parker's roommate, steals the show with her deadpan humor.

The Lake House (PG for some language and a disturbing image)
Speed co-stars Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves reteam for romance in this movie about a mysterious mailbox that somehow bridges time. After moving away from her peaceful lakeside home, lonely physician (Bullock) begins writing letters to the frustrated architect (Reeves) who now occupies the building, only to discover that they're living two years apart. It's a slow, meandering tale of love, loss, and happiness.