Peep Show

I've no idea what Columbia TriStar is thinking of: first, they release the Oscar-winning four-minute short The ChubbChubbs all by itself on DVD, and now here comes the award-winning 1999 short Peep Show. Are there consumers out there happily paying $10 for 10 minutes or less of content? Beats me, but I know that some libraries are accustomed to paying $60 for a fine children's animated short, and libraries and video stores--not individuals--are the true market for Charlie Call's engaging (if one-note) satirical spoof in which a woman enters a peep show booth and finds herself whipped into an erotic frenzy as she deposits increasingly larger amounts of money (up to $50) to watch two guys…talking. Ah, but what talk: "Let's go shoe shopping," promises of Michael Bolton tickets, invitations to two noted c-words (cuddling and commitment), and lots of other female-friendly remarks (some of which are virtually identical to the phrases uttered by the commercially-sold "Mr. Wonderful" doll). More conducive to smiles than laughs, Peep Show is presented on a nearly extra-less DVD (well, there are three trailers--for Two Can Play That Game, America's Sweethearts, and Jerry Maguire--which is either very tongue-in-cheek or plain marketing; I'm inclined to suspect the latter). Recommended, overall. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)