"Beverly Hills. The most beautiful women in the world. Plastic surgery. What do these three things have in common?" Dr. Ben Stone (Michael J. Fox) asks, "Me, in less than a week!" It turns out to be an eye-opening week.

And Doc Hollywood turns out to be a witty charmer. Stone is a newly-minted M.D. whose medical fast lane cruise takes a small town detour. Grady, South Caroline, Squash Capital of the South, is home to salt-of-the-earth folks (Julie Warner, Woody Harrelson, Bridges Fonda, David Ogden Stiers, Bernard Hughes) who give the West Coast bound hotshot the seasoning he lacks.

Doc Hollywood is a surefire prescription for comedy cheer!

Yes, Doc Hollywood provides the absolute definition of a gently and mildly amusing film that largely entertains but never stands out in any way whatsoever. It's never less than competent and professional, but it's never more than that, either.

That said, Doc Hollywood certainly is an above-average film, especially for one that embraces so many cliches. Foremost, this is one of the eight bazillion "fish out of water" movies that are such a cinematic staple. Comedic filmmakers simply adore the notion of putting a person in an unfamiliar situation and watching the laughs accumulate as that person struggles to cope with this scenario. Even pseudo-highbrow fare such as Fargo uses a variation on this theme (they go for the person who gets in over their head).

Doc Hollywood also includes virtually every non-offensive cliche about Southerners that could be found. Most of the townspeople of little Grady, South Carolina - the place where city-boy doctor Michael J. Fox ends up stuck - come from the "Andy Griffith Show" school of content hicks who love their slow-paced countrified lifestyles. Of course, such a plot requires a few Barney Fifes; Doc Hollywood gives us Bridget Fonda, who aspires to bigger things than sleepy ol' Grady.

This film clearly has no political agenda of any sort. Grady's an integrated little burg, but absolutely no allusions to any kind of racial prejudices are made. There's nary a redneck in sight; these folks may be hicks, but they're happy, caring hicks who don't possess any bigoted bones in their hootin' and hollerin' bodies.

I might get myself a little worked up about how absurdly idealized this film's notion of the South and of small-town living is, but I just can't do it in this case. It's Doc Hollywood, for God's sake. This is a movie meant to calm and reassure, not to provoke, and after watching it, I'm just too damned sedate and drowsy to work myself into any sort of lather.

Maybe "drowsy" isn't a fair term, for the movie isn't dull. It's slow but it's sweet, and even a hard-edged cynic like myself falls for some of its romantic persuasions. As I mentioned at the start of the review, Doc Hollywood simply offers some innocent, non-offensive chuckles in a perfectly perfunctory manner. It's a likable but eminently forgettable little piece that's probably best suited for viewing by you and a significant other when you just want to relax in front of the TV and keep your blood pressure steady.

Doc Hollywood possesses a pretty decent cast, headlined by steady Michael J. Fox. The mid-80s period in which Fox displayed some promise of being a genuine movie star are long gone, but he's settled nicely into a career of competent work such as this. Woody Harrelson's amusing as a nastier Southern version of his Cheers character, and Bridget Fonda's perfectly adequate as well. Julie Warner satisfies but never scintillates as Fox's bemusedly suspicious love interest. Like the film in which they serve, the cast performs ably but without any real verve, and that's just fine.

Doc Hollywood came out on DVD as part of Warner Brothers bargain "no frills" line of movie-only discs. I've had a few experiences with DVDs from this program, and so far I am decidedly unimpressed. Doc Hollywood is presented full-frame; although I prefer to see films in their original theatrical presentations, the lack of letterboxing does not seem to harm this movie in any way.

However, the very flat and lackluster picture image of Doc Hollywood DOES detract from the experience. Speaking of definitions, this transfer perfectly defines the word "drab." It usually looks vaguely fuzzy and ill-defined, and colors seem distinctly undersaturated. It's not a horrible transfer, but it certainly isn't very good.

The same goes for the Dolby Pro Logic 2.0 mix. In general, it's pretty adequate, but dialogue seems too harsh and artificial for most of the film. Music sounds decent, and the front three channels are actually quite well-used; the movie presents a nicely-realized forward soundstage. Rear channels get occasional usage, mostly for music but with some surround effects tossed in at times. All in all it's a slightly-above average Pro Logic mix.

I can't say that I'm disappointed by the absolute lack of supplemental materials provided with the Doc Hollywood DVD, since the film's inclusion in the "bargain basement" program guaranteed that would be the case. It still sucks, though; I'd really rather spend a few more bucks and get a DVD that appears to have been mastered with more than just half-assed effort. These $14.98 MSRP Warner releases DEFINE "half-assed."

In the end, I feel I can give the DVD of Doc Hollywood a very low-key recommendation. It's a pleasant little film, the DVD's very inexpensive, and while picture and sound quality don't excel, they aren't so terrible that the experience becomes ruined. It's my favorite of the Warner bargain line, but that's not saying much. As long as you don't expect much from either the DVD or the film, you'll probably be reasonably satisfied with Doc Hollywood.