VIDEO SOMETIMES, HUMOR IS ENOUGH.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

There were actually some critics who didn't like Mel Gibson's performance in ``What Women Want,'' out on video and DVD this week.

He plays Nick Marshall, a Chicago ad executive with a Rat Pack mentality, who after an accident suddenly finds himself able to read women's minds. As an unrepentant male chauvinist who, as his ex-wife describes him, ``doesn't get what women are all about,'' Nick finds his new talent both a blessing and a curse. First, he uses his ability to take advantage of situations, stealing the ideas of his new boss, Darcy Maguire (Helen Hunt), and maneuvering women in sexual situations.

But hearing what women really think of him (rather than his bloated fantasy) provides a series of shocking revelations - a bad lover, a bad father to his daughter, etc. And along the way, he develops something of an understanding for the opposite sex.

Now, let's face it, ``What Women Want,'' directed by Nancy Meyers, is - despite any other intentions - little more than a humorous conceit. (Yes, women think men are clueless, and they're probably right.) For the most part, though, the film is an enjoyable romp, thanks to Gibson, who raffishly grins and mugs his way through the proceedings until he gets sensitized (but we all knew that was going to happen).

There are no great insights in ``What Women Want'' - it's just an amusing and diverting romantic comedy. As for Gibson, they weren't asking him to play Hamlet - oops, he's already done that. But I bet more people prefer him as a smirking lothario than a melancholy Dane.

SPEAK! SPEAK!: Coming out Tuesday is ``Best in Show,'' another surreal, funny satire from Christopher Guest (``Waiting for Guffman''). This time he zeros in on the world of competitive dog shows.

``Best in Show'' is set up as a quasi-documentary, with the cameras following five dogs (and their owners) around from the preparation through the event and a look at how their lives change afterward. Guest plays Harlan Pepper, the owner of a rural North Carolina fly-fishing shop as well as a bloodhound, Hubert. With droopy eyes and face and a hangdog expression, Harlan matches the features of Hubert. Guest uses the same ploy with the others:

There are Gerry and Cookie Fleck (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara) and their dog, Winky, a Norwich terrier. He's a mild-mannered salesman who literally has two left feet, and his wife is a woman with a past. (The couple keeps running into Cookie's ex-lovers, whom she can't remember but who insist on going into details about their nights together, much to Gerry's discomfort.)

Then there are Hamilton and Meg Swan (Michael Hitchcock and Parker Posey), a pair of neurotic yuppie lawyers and their high-strung, pure-bred Weimaraner, Beatrice.

John Michael Higgins and Michael McKean play a flamboyantly gay couple from New York City whose pampered shih tzu, Miss Agnes, is named after Agnes Moorehead.

Finally, there is Christy Cummings (Jane Lynch), an intense lesbian who handles the champion poodle Rhapsody in White for the buxom Jennifer Coolidge (Sherri Ann Cabot), who's married to an ancient millionaire (``We have a lot in common,'' she coos. ``We both like soft food.'' Does the name ``Anna Nicole Smith'' ring a bell?) The real relationship, however, is between Jennifer (the ``creative one'') and Christy (``the taskmaster'').

There are a lot of people who adore Guest's humor, and there is no doubt that his hip, deadpan approach produces a lot of laughs. For a 90-minute movie, though, this can be wearing. His characters are more caricature than real, and his setups can be obvious. But he hits the target in this dog-eat-dog-owner world much more often than not, and some of the sketches are absolute gems.

``Best in Show'' also benefits from Guest working with old pals - ``Spinal Tap'' alums McKean and Harry Shearer, who plays the show's director, and Levy, with whom he co-wrote both this and ``Guffman.''

As the Flecks leave their home for the dog show, they warn their neighbors, ``Don't water the plants; they're plastic!'' No one is going to mistake either ``What Women Want'' or ``Best in Show'' for Ingmar Bergman films, but sometimes plastic can be cool.

``What Women Want'' (Paramount) is priced for rental on VHS at $110.99 and $29.99 on DVD, which includes commentary by director Nancy Meyers and production designer Jon Hutman, cast and crew interview, and a behind-the-scenes featurette. ``Best in Show''(Warner) is priced for rental on VHS at $107.99 and $24.98 on DVD, which includes commentary by Guest and deleted scenes.

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Helen Hunt and Mel Gibson star in the comedy ``What Women Want,'' out on video and DVD.