" Tending to the passengers are perky and adorable cruise director Julie McCoy (Lauren Tewes), Yeoman-Purser "Gopher" Smith (future congressman Fred Grandy), major operator Dr. Adam Bricker (Bernie Kopell), and bartender Isaac Washington (Ted Lange). Lesser hands would have been sunk by the terrible jokes, but this personable ensemble keep things afloat. As with Love American Style, this anthology series was truly buoyed by its guest stars, an irresistible mix of faded movie and TV legends (to the question, "Where are they now?" the answer during the show's run was invariably, "The Love Boat"), then-current big and small screen favorites, and future stars. Adding to the fun was that many were cast against type. Bonnie Franklin, who portrayed a nurturing single mom on One Day at a Time, shows up as Capt. Stubing's witchy ex-wife. Jim "Gomer Pyle" Nabors appears to be reprising his country bumpkin persona, but first appearances turn out to be deceiving. Loni Anderson has a bit part opposite Steve Allen as a blonde bimbo, a stereotype she would later explode on WKRP in Cincinnati. The stories range from silly (a wife, whose husband is planning a surprise party for her, thinks he is trying to kill her) to serious (a mother grieves over the loss of her young son). This being the late '70s (and a show produced by Aaron Spelling), there is much hanky-panky (Isaac has an onboard fling with an incognito jazz singer portrayed by Diahann Carroll), but traditional family values usually win out (though feminists may want to hurl themselves overboard after the episode in which successful advice columnist Eva Gabor agrees to take a break from her popular column to tend to neglected and straying husband Leslie Nielsen). But The Love Boat itself is still a great escape, so "come on board, we've been expecting you. " -Donald Liebenson.

Sure, high school can be bad sometimes, but it can be lots of fun too; this is a movie good-natured enough to take time out for an extended hip-hop dance number at the prom. Director Robert Iscove (who also headed the Brandy-starring TV adaptation of Cinderella) has also assembled a great young cast, including a scene-stealing Anna Paquin as Zach's no-nonsense sister, Kieran Culkin as Laney's geeky brother, and a stupidly goofy Matthew Lillard as a Real World cast member whose arrival shakes things up a little too much. And amidst all the comedy and prom drama, you'd be hard-pressed to find two teen stars as talented, attractive, and appealing as Prinze and Cook. Prinze is an approachable and sensitive jock, though it's Cook who's the true star, investing Laney with confidence, humour, and heart. Like Zach, you'll be hard-pressed not to fall in love with her. By the story's end, both Cook and the film will have charmed the socks off of you. -Mark Englehart, Amazon. comOn the DVD: While the cast and director interviews are enjoyable and quick-paced, they offer few behind-the-scenes revelations. The "Shooting the Movie" sequence can hardly be called a documentary as it's just a backstage amateur camera filming the crew in action (it doesn't even have a presenter), but at least it offers an idea of the day-to-day routine of filming. As for the yearbook photo library and the trailer, they are very middle-of-the-road fare. The only redeemable point in this package is the picture quality in an excellent 16:9 anamorphic format and the 5. 1 Dolby Digital soundtrack, although it is only offered in English with no subtitles. -Celine Martig.