"GAVIN & STACEY: SEASON ONE"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) STARRING Matthew Horne as GAVIN Joanna Page as STACEY James Corden as SMITHY Ruth Jones as NESSA Rob Brydon as BRYN Alison Steadman as PAM Larry Lamb as MICK Melanie Walters as GWEN Not Rated Available on DVD May 5 Official BBC America Shop site Studio: BBC America Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Gavin (Matthew Horne) is an average guy from England, and Stacey (Joanna Page) is a plucky girl from Wales. The two have talked on the phone for months and developed a long-distance attraction. One day, they plan to meet, and when they do, they fall in love. As Gavin and Stacey grow closer together and look to spend their life together, they deal with the challenges of quirky friends and family conflicts, trying to stay close and in love.
WHAT I LIKED
Speaking as an American watching this British romantic comedy series, I can say that this is not something that you would normally see on the television in the states. It has a different flavor – dare I say distinctly British flavor – that in some ways seems more real even though it’s not fodder for the American studios.
To many Americans, British humor has both a quality and a stigma attached to it, something that the old-school PBS crowd has adored for years but has never really broke into the American pop culture mainstream. However, that gives the show its charm, and if it were remade for the American audience, like “Coupling,” it would be an unmitigated disaster.
The charm of “Gavin & Stacey” is the characters, and the actors playing them. Gavin is likeable and relateable, and Stacey is just plain adorable. To help balance their personalities are Smitty and Nessa, played by series creators James Corden and Ruth Jones. They act as Gavin and Stacey’s off-kilter best friends who have their own relationship issues to sort out. The supporting cast, which mostly comprises the couple’s families, are excellent as well with top marks going to Rob Brydon as Stacey’s socially awkward uncle Bryn.
With an ever-shrinking world, “Gavin & Stacey” is oddly realistic today, even though the characters seem to ignore certain technology like web cams and virtual chat rooms, but with the family struggles and interpersonal drama, the show does present a mirror for the audience to look at themselves and their relationships.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Like “Skins,” “Gavin & Stacey” sometimes goes out of its way to be a bit edgy or relevant. It’s not an over-the-top show, but it does try to go over the top a bit too much at times. The other downside to this BBC America show is the not unexpected short season we see with many television shows from across the pond. Like “Coupling” from a few years back, “Gavin & Stacey” only has six episodes in this sadly short season.
DVD FEATURES
There’s a nice selection of special features on this disc, starting off with audio commentaries on select episodes with creators James Corden and Ruth Jones with director Christine Gernon. There’s also a set of outtakes, a behind-the-scenes featurette of a shoot at Leicester Square and a “How It Happens” featurette that includes interviews with the cast and crew about how the show came into being.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
BBC America fans (which includes the old PBS British comedy crowd).
"Jehovah"
"Behind the Scenes in Leicester"
