Last week, Shelly and I watched "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!" on DVD. For the first time in my life, I have found a movie that would have been better had it included more material (as opposed to most movies, which could be better with a few more generous cuts).

For the uninitiated, here's a very brief plot summary. Rosalee wins a contest to go on a date with movie star Tad Hamilton. She starts falling for him, he starts falling for her, and left in the lurch is Rosalee's best friend Pete, who is also secretly in love with Rosalee. Of course we're supposed to be rooting for Pete. We know before the movie ever starts that he is going to get her in the end. It's inevitable. Yet, watching the movie--especially at the beginning--Pete is portrayed as a snide, wisecracking pessimist who does nothing but sarcastically criticize and get on the case of everyone around him--especially the girl he's supposedly in love with. There is nothing likable about Pete until about halfway through the movie when we start seeing him do things that actually indicate he cares for Rosalee. And even then I wasn't impressed. When Rosalee finally makes her fateful decision, you end up wondering why she chose the hometown jerk over the Hollywood jerk. At least the Hollywood jerk has money. And then you're supposed to be happy for Rosalee and Pete. I can't say I was.

But the glory of DVDs is that the actual movie isn't the whole story. Most DVDs these days have Deleted Scenes, and this one was no exception. Most of the time, though, when watching the deleted scenes, I can tell right away why this particular scene was deleted. It takes too much time, adds nothing to the plot, detracts from one of the characters, involves an unnecessary character, etc. Some people love Deleted Scenes, but usually I'm glad they're deleted.

Some of the Deleted Scenes in "Win a Date," however, were vitally important to making the movie better. In one scene, Pete takes an old lady home in his van, showing us that he is a nice guy who is kind to old ladies (OK, I could think of a better way to show he's a nice guy than have him be kind to old ladies--that's kind of hitting you over the head with it--but the point is made). In another, Pete actually flirts with Rosalee, and gives her $28 to use for the entrance fee for the date contest. Another nice gesture. Rosalee is so happy, she hugs him and says, "I love you, Pete." Then she kisses him on the cheek and he stands there bewildered as she runs off to enter the contest. I have no idea why this scene was deleted. It's important to believe that there was at least a flirty two-way relationship in existence before the movie started. It increases the romantic tension between our two leads. It shows Pete is likable and generous. It would have changed the movie entirely and only added a minute or two to its running time.

Why don't they let ME make the movies? I can obviously do it better than those Hollywood jerks.