Dan in Real Life

Movie: * * * Extras:* * 1/2

(Buena Vista, $29.99)

It’s no shock that sad sack Steve Carell, a widower and father of three girls, falls for Juliette Binoche in this sweet, understated comedy. What is surprising is the passive-aggressive way he manages to wrest her from the arms of his empty-headed brother (a typecast Dane Cook). Director Peter Hedges, who made the lovely “Pieces of April” and wrote the underrated “About a Boy,” returns with another incisive look at family dynamics and the true nature of love. The extras include a nice look at singer Sondre Lerche’s soundtrack and an engaging commentary by Hedges.

South Park: Imaginationland

Movie: * * * ½ Extras: * * (Comedy Central, $19.99)

Working at the top of their game, the “South Park” crew issues this three-episode story arc as a single DVD. Imaginationland, it turns out, is where all of the characters we’ve ever invented – from Strawberry Shortcake to Santa Claus to the best from “Alien” and South Park’s own Woodland Critters – live. And they’re about to go to war, thanks in part to Cartman’s insistence that Stan honor a disgusting bet about leprechauns. As usual, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone offer brief extras, but wisely let the material speak for itself.