A fine acting out in the gritty ‘Thirteen’

Thirteen

Evan Rachel Wood, Holly Hunter

Fox, $28

Wood, 16, received Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for her performance and Hunter an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her role in this disturbing, gritty drama about a 13-year-old who rebels against her divorced parents when she begins to hang out with an old-beyond-her-years wild child (Nikki Reed). Director Catherine Hardwick and the teenage Reed wrote the screenplay based on Reed’s own experiences. The DVD includes a making-of featurette, 10 deleted scenes with commentary from Hardwicke, and rather giggly commentary with Hardwicke and her young cast.

*

The Secret Lives of Dentists

Campbell Scott, Hope Davis

Columbia TriStar, $27

Scott, Davis and co-star Denis Leary are pitch perfect in this offbeat comedy-drama sublimely directed by Alan Rudolph. Scott and Davis play married dentists who have three young daughters and a seemingly happy life. But when Scott realizes his wife is having an affair, his surly, angry inner voice (Leary) causes him to throw caution to the wind.

Craig Lucas wrote the smart screenplay based on a story by Jane Smiley.

Among the highlights of the disc are a Sundance Channel “Anatomy of Scene,” deleted scenes, a gag reel and amusing commentary from Rudolph and Scott, who is also a producer of the film.

*

Radio

Ed Harris, Cuba Gooding Jr.

Columbia TriStar, $29

One of those “heartwarming” inspired-by-a-true-story movies, “Radio” could have ended up being a sentimental wallow if not for the strong cast, script (by Mike Rich) and direction (Mike Tollin). Gooding Jr. plays a mentally challenged young man who is taken under the wing of a South Carolina high school football coach (Harris). Of course, the presence of Radio causes problems for the coach at home, school and with the townspeople. Based on a Sports Illustrated story about the friendship between the real Radio and coach Harold Jones.

The better-than-average DVD includes mini-documentaries on the making of the film, how Rich adapted Radio’s story, a look at the how the football scenes were accomplished, six deleted scenes and commentary from Tollin.

*

Capturing the Friedmans

Documentary

HBO, $30

“Capturing” started as a documentary on New York children’s birthday party clowns but evolved into this examination of a dysfunctional family after the No. 1 clown, David Friedman, told director Andrew Jarecki about his father, Arnold, a high school teacher in Long Island who was arrested as a pedophile and convicted of several counts of child abuse. David’s youngest brother, Jesse, then a teenager, was also convicted of abusing computer students in the basement of their house. Both men -- Arnold committed suicide in prison -- maintained their innocence; Jesse Friedman is seeking to overturn his conviction.

The Oscar nominee and Sundance Grand Jury winner is filled with clips of the Friedmans’ home movies, several of which were taped during their ordeal, plus interviews with the family, friends, police detectives and even the boys, now grown men, who said they were abused by the Friedmans. Extras on the two-disc set include unseen home movies of the Friedmans, a look at Jesse’s life today, Jarecki’s short film on the birthday clowns, footage of the New York premiere, Charlie Rose’s interview with Jarecki and commentary with Jarecki.

*

Also this week

Kate Hudson stars in the romantic comedy “Le Divorce,” based on Diane Johnson’s novel (Fox: $27.98); High school friends try to find the balance between dreams and reality in “Grind” (Warner: $27.95).

Top video rentals

1. Out of Time

2. Freddy vs. Jason

3. Underworld

4. American Wedding (unrated)

5. Uptown Girls

What’s coming

Tuesday: “Lost in Translation,” “Under the Tuscan Sun,” “Second Hand Lions,” “The Fighting Temptations,” “American Splendor,” “My Boss’s Daughter” and “Only the Strong Survive”

Feb. 10: “Intolerable Cruelty,” “In the Cut,” “Sylvia,” “Wonderland,” “Party Monster,” “The Heart of Me” and “Once Upon a Time in the Midlands”