CP24 film critic Richard Crouse sits down with Nathan Downer to look at some of the new movies out this week, including “Wild,” “Serena” and “Corner Gas: the Movie.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
“Canada AM” film critic Richard Crouse reviews “Wild,” “Serena” and “Corner Gas: the Movie.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
“How long has it been since anything exciting happened around her?” asks Hank Yarbo (Fred Ewanuick) at the beginning of the big screen reboot of the one of the most successful Canada sitcom ever.
Seconds later some exciting, and unexpected stuff happens but not to worry, it doesn’t take long before “Corner Gas: The Movie” is back to doing what the television show so reliably delivered for the six seasons it was on the small screen—dishing up homespun, gentle small town humour. Not exactly exciting, but reliable.
Life is pretty much the same in Dog River, Saskatchewan as it has always been, but there is change around the corner. The town is almost bankrupt, with no money to pay the municipal power bill or fix the community water system. After a town meeting where the mayor Fitzy Fitzgerald (Cavan Cunningham) suggests scratching lottery tickets to raise the money to save the town, people leap into action. Hank looks for get rich schemes, Wanda (Nancy Robertson) opens a casino in Sergeant Davis Quinton’s (Lorne Cardinal) man cave while Brent (Brent Butt) invests in the town and buys the local bar. Others contemplate leaving until local café owner Lacey (Gabrielle Miller) comes up with an idea to “quaintify” the town and enter the National Star’s Quaintest Town in Canada contest. The large cash prize could get the town out of hock and maybe life can get back to normal. Or at least as normal as it ever gets in Dog River.
“Corner Gas: The Movie” feels like an old comfortable shoe. The jokes are well worn in and there’s no fear of rubbing or chafing of any sort. There’s loads of slapstick and sarcasm delivered by an ensemble cast who spent six years honing their chemistry.
Cutting edge it’s not, but there is something to be said for a comedy that focuses on Canadianisms like charging 5¢ for a plastic shopping bag. It’s a warm hug from the Prairies and a thank you to the fans that stood by the show.
By Richard Crouse – Metro Canada
Six years after Corner Gas called it quits on the small screen the citizens of Dog River are back, bigger than ever. Corner Gas: The Movie will play in theatres for five days before moving to television and then a DVD release, all in time for Christmas.
“It’s all very fast,” says star Brent Butt, “I don’t think it has ever been done before.”
The pace of the film’s release schedule may be accelerated but Butt and company took their time bringing the show from television to theatres.
“When we wrapped the series up the notion was, ‘It would be great if we could come back one more time to do a movie,’” says Butt. “We didn’t know if we could come up with a script that would justify doing the movie. It’s weird. If you are trying to convert a known twenty-two minute project that has a known rhythm and characters and try and make that live over ninety minutes it’s a trick. You can’t do that easily. You can do it poorly easily, but to do it well is tough.”
The film sees the good folks of Dog River try and save the town from bankruptcy by winning the Quaintest Town in Canada contest.
“One of my first thoughts was, ‘Will it just be like a really long episode?” says series star Fred Ewanuick, “because that would suck. When I first got the script, right away I thought, ‘It’s a feature script. That’s good.’ It’s still Corner Gas, we’re not going to knock your socks anybody’s off, and it is not this whole new thing, but it works as a film.”
“I agree with that,” chimes in Gabrielle Miller who played Lacey on the show, “except we are going to knock your socks off.”
The film comes almost six years after the one-hundred-and-seventh and final episode of the popular sitcom aired.
“It felt like we had just been on a really long hiatus,” said series regular Tara Spencer-Nairn. “We were all just a little bit older. All the men had to get their hair coloured. On the first day all the girls were in hair and make-up tests and the boys all went to get their hair coloured.”
The cast fell back into their roles despite the long break, but according to Butt this may be the last time they are all in Dog River together. “I’m a never say never kind of guy but the plan isn’t to do another one.”
But fans shouldn’t give up hope. When Ewanuick suggests another related project Butt’s eyes brighten. “Corner Gascapades? I could work with that.”
