CORNER GAS (Madman DVD): A whole lot of nothing

 |   |  2 min read

CORNER GAS (Madman DVD): A whole lot of nothing

It is a peculiar thing that Corner Gas -- a wry, understated and very droll Canadian comedy series -- isn't screened on New Zealand television. It has many similarities in its humour to that of Flight of the Conchords, not the least in its gentle wit, the slightly confused and often naive characters, and the similarity between what Canadians feel about America and New Zealanders feel towards Australia.

Corner Gas has a simple premise: a small cast in a small town somewhere in the vast flatness of Saskatchewan where life revolves around a diner -- The Ruby run by Lacey (Gabrielle Miller) from Toronto who has inherited it from her aunt -- and the gas station-cum-corner store run by Brent (comedian Brent Butt who conceived the series.)

As with smart and well written programmes such as Cheers and Taxi, the ensemble walk through misunderstandings and minor incidents which preoccupy the town's inhabitants: the big issues here are difference between a flinch and wince, and a local attraction is a pile of lumber.

hotel   The town of Dog River (the outdoor shots were filmed in Rouleau, which looks temptingly quiet) is also a character: the wide empty streets, the wide plains of grass reaching to the horizon, the wide blue sky, the tall narrow buildings which stand alone in the wide landscape . . .    Space is everywhere here, and sometimes between the ears of the characters.

   The ensemble is neatly balanced: sardonic and smart Wanda (Nancy Roberts) who assists in the gas station; Brent and Wanda's former school friend Hank (Fred Ewanuick) who appears unemployed and certainly unemployable; Brent's irascible parents; and two local cops who compete with each other for innocent stupidity.

A feature of the series is how some of the same lines are repeated from the mouths of different characters in different circumstances, the gentle humour in which no one is hurt but plenty of characters take offence, and casual observations of the kind which never concern us until someone raises it: Why doesn't anyone use metric when giving their height, why is "catsup" pronounced "ketchup" and so on.

Nice use of language too: quaint words like willy-nilly, somesuch, tomfoolery and jackass (the closest to profanity the show gets) are bandied about. 

There are occasional guest spots by famous Canadian names (the rock band Tragically Hip use Brent's garage to rehearse, an ice hockey player makes a low-key and self-deprecating appearances, actual Canadian prime ministers drop by), and plenty of in-jokes (Brent's band Thunderface only ever play Capital Cash, a song for the group Fast Exit which Butt played in before he got into comedy).

Corner Gas was huge in Canada but only has a cult following beyond there.

great_crowd_frontBut it is certainly worth discovering on DVD.

The six series of Corner Gas screened in Canada between January 2004 and April 2009, but they are now coming out on DVD. And are highly recommended.

Not a lot happens in Dog River -- just as not a lot happens in Flight of the Conchords -- but as theme song says: "You think there's not a lot going on, look closer baby, you're so wrong. That's why you can stay so long, where there's not a lot going on".

Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   Film at Elsewhere articles index

LE DONK AND SCOR-ZAY-ZEE, a film by SHANE MEADOWS (Madman DVD)

LE DONK AND SCOR-ZAY-ZEE, a film by SHANE MEADOWS (Madman DVD)

Many rock musicians don't need much help to appear stupid. (The court calls Nikki Sixx.) But there has been a long line of films and television shows which parody or poke fun at musicians and their... > Read more

NO DIRECTION HOME a film about Bob Dylan by MARTIN SCORSESE (2005)

NO DIRECTION HOME a film about Bob Dylan by MARTIN SCORSESE (2005)

Against expectation, 2005 was a rare year for 64-year old Bob Dylan, especially since he hadn’t had an album of new material out in four years. Yet Dylan seemed to be everywhere in... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

yeahyeahabsolutuelynoway! : Um . . (Rattle Jazz)

yeahyeahabsolutuelynoway! : Um . . (Rattle Jazz)

I'm sure I'll be forgiven if I don't repeatedly type out the name of this Australian trio who appear on New Zealand's Rattle Jazz imprint. For convenience and our sanity I'm going to refer to these... > Read more

THE BETHS, REVIEWED (2020): The sheer pleasures of certainties

THE BETHS, REVIEWED (2020): The sheer pleasures of certainties

The group of about 10 excitable teenage girls – probably age 15, dressed to party, one with a large love heart in lipstick on her cheek – were sitting on the ground outside the Auckland... > Read more