Steel Magnonlia: Special Edition (2008)

First, the ladies get Lifetime ''television for women,'' then the Oxygen network, and now, amid the flurry of souped-up epics, actioners, and sci-fi flicks with explosively remastered sound and behind-the-scenes deconstructions, the fairer sex gets its DVD due with this three-hankie hit about Southern belles who are drawn closer together as one struggles with diabetes. But what makes this film so endearing — the sassy repartee between screen gems Shirley MacLaine, Sally Field, Olympia Dukakis, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah, and then-newcomer Julia Roberts — is absent from this disc's added features. Only MacLaine participates in a new 23-minute making-of featurette, which includes touching reminiscences from director Herbert Ross and writer Robert Harling, who penned the Off Broadway play after his sister died from diabetes. The deleted scenes don't add much, but Ross' commentary (detailing the highs and lows of filming in Natchitoches, La., as well as memories of a pre-Pretty Woman Roberts: ''Everybody was against my using [Julia] because they didn't think she was attractive enough'') helps make this a welcome addition to the pantheon of chick discs.

You Might Also Like

• DVD Commentary ''Steel Magnolias'' made our list of the best and worst movie weddings (2000)
• Movie Commentary Ensemble chick flicks: ''Steel Magnolias'' (1989)
• Features Cry Freedom
• Movie Commentary Julia Roberts on-screen (1991) | Michael Sauter
• News Summary Sharon Stone returns home after brain surgery (1995) | Gary Susman
• DVD Review The Apartment (Feb 05, 2008) | Ari Karpel