Corner Gas: The Movie is a 2014 comedy film that is a follow-up to the popular Canadian Sitcom Corner Gas, which ended its original TV run in 2009.
In the film, Mayor Fitzy has blown the town's entire budget by investing in real estate in Detroit, leaving everyone without reliable electricity or running water. Brent attempts to remedy the situation and save the town from bankruptcy by buying up the hotel bar and entering Dog River into a "Quaintest Town in Canada" contest with a $75,000 grand prize. Meanwhile, a mysterious company called CN Holdings is attempting to buy up all the property in Dog River for unknown purposes.
The movie was co-written by the original series' creator and star Brent Butt and directed by David Storey, who had directed most episodes of the show. The entire main cast and several supporting actors returned to reprise their characters, alongside new characters played by Don Lake, Reagan Pasternak, Karen Holness, Will Sasso and Graham Greene. Like the original series, the movie was filmed entirely in Saskatchewan.
The film received a limited theatrical release in Canada over the 2014 Christmas season before airing and streaming on Bell Media's various TV and internet platforms. Though the film was intended as a Grand Finale for the Corner Gas franchise, it was later followed up with the cartoon series Corner Gas Animated, which ran on The Comedy Network from 2018 to 2021.
This film was Janet Wright's final acting role before her passing on November 14, 2016.
Tropes referenced:
- Bait-and-Switch: The "riot" that Hank and the judge see in the opening was actually caused by a couple of minor things almost completely unconnected to the rest of Hank's story, occurring moments before Hank returns from the airport.
- Big Damn Movie: Though downplayed due to the nature of the source material, this is the most commotion that the little town of Dog River has seen in quite some time. Bonus points for the plot involving greedy businessmen trying to take over the town and two of its main businesses being forced to shut down.
- Broke Episode: In the form of a movie; Dog River has to get back on its feet after Fitzy's blundering bankrupts the whole town.
- Call-Back: Hank's dream involves Wanda as a robot facing off against a gas station robber who's actually a werewolf. This Hypothetical Fight Debate was discussed more than once in the original series.
- The Cameo:
- Veteran Indigenous actor Graham Greene (Actor) plays Davis' fishing guide.
- Will Sasso plays Brent's first choice for a defense lawyer.
- Canadian sportscasters Jay Onrait, Dan O'Toole and Darren Dutchyshen play patrons at the bar.
- Leo Fafard, star of WolfCop (a comedy-horror film also made in Saskatchewan and released just a few months previously), plays the robber's werewolf form in Hank's dream sequence. Doubles as a Casting Gag.
- Continuity Nod: Karen is married after the Time Skip, as the epilogue of "You've Been Great, Goodnight" revealed.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Jerome turns out to be one, planning to use the town's current state to evict everyone and earn a profit.
- Creative Closing Credits: The ending theme is sung by fans of the show, first as a clip compilation of individuals singing lines, and then with a crowd shot singing the whole song.
- Curse Cut Short: When Emma learns that Brent doesn't want children, she says "Son of a—" right before a cut to credits.
- Darkest Hour: When Brent loses both Corner Gas and the bar, relying solely on the "Quaintest Town in Canada" contest to save Dog River.
- Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: The extended version of the show's opening theme "Not a Lot Goin' On" which plays over the opening credits is then shown to be playing on Hank's truck's stereo while he drives Tina Fuller into town.
- Disaster Dominoes: Most of the "riot" in Dog River started by Wanda getting a tad too trigger-happy with a T-Shirt Cannon, firing a shirt out of the Foo Mart's window, which hits the cop car's windshield right when Davis was lighting up a cigarette as part of his detective look, leading to an on-fire cop car to careen into some decorations and startling Oscar's horse, which starts running while Brent's hanging on with a rope he was going to use to make it pull a float...
- Dream Sequence: The movie's first scene is one for Hank, in which an average moment at Corner Gas gets progressively zanier.
- Fictional Counterpart: The "Quaintest Town in Canada" contest is put on by the National Star newspaper, likely named after Canada's real-life National Post and Toronto Star.
- Framing Device: After reporter Tina Fuller (and the audience) first sees Dog River in the middle of what looks like a full-on riot, the majority of the film is Hank's story to her about How We Got Here.
- Gilligan Cut: Wanda decides to defend Brent in the lawsuit, assuring him moments before the case begins that they're going to win. It cuts immediately to the judge banging his gavel and declaring them liable.
- Instantly Proven Wrong: Karen ends up busting Wanda before Davis figures it out, and mocks him for not realizing what was happening in his own house, saying there's nothing more idiotic. Cue Oscar, who thinks his currently-missing horse is being stowed there.
- I Want Grandkids: This is Emma's main motivation during the movie's events.
- Lampshade Hanging: During Hank's dream in the opening, he asks "How long has it been?", with Brent answering April 13, 2009, referencing the original air-date of the series finale.
- Predatory Business: CN Holdings, the parent company of Coff-Nuts that's trying to buy up all the property in Dog River to turn it into a distribution hub.
- Product Placement: The opening scene at the gas station shows several large displays of Valvoline products.
- Relationship Reveal: Brent and Lacey actually started dating during the Time Skip, but because they still treat each other exactly the same, nobody else realizes it until they kiss in the final scene.
- Reluctant Retiree: Davis, due to not reading his contract properly, is forced to retire from the police force. In the end, after his stint as a detective, he ends up just re-applying, though now he's the "Rookie" to Karen.
- Right Under Their Noses: Davis is completely oblivious to his own house being the target of his current investigation until he comes back at the wrong time.
- 10-Minute Retirement: Davis is forcibly retired from the DRPD at the beginning of the movie, and returns to it by the end.
- Time Skip: Five years have passed since the events of the series finale.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Hank's sincere attempt to save Dog River leads to a Corrupt Corporate Executive getting involved and almost succeeding at evicting the whole town.
- Written-In Absence: Presumably because creating yet another whole new character would have complicated the plot of the movie even further, Karen's husband is said to be a member of the military stationed on the Mediterranean coast during the events of the film; he isn't even given a name.
