The Story:
Successful Damon (Flex Alexander) comes home to LA—for his father's funeral. Before long, he learns that he has inherited his dad's gas station. But there's a catch. He has to run the business with his brother Mookie (Khalil Kain) for one year before they are considered the official owners. It seems well-educated Damon and his misdirected, streetwise brother Mookie have issues with each other's lifestyles. But their mother knows why their father did it—to patch things up between the brothers. And also to keep the longstanding gas station from being sold to—get this—evil Korean entrepreneur Mr. Sang (Clyde Kusatsu) who wants to build a Korean mall in the area, and NEEDS that property to do so. But the brothers turn down his offer, determined to save their dad's business, with the help of their friends, including a comedy duo, mouthwatering stud Karl (Tyson Beckford) who pumps gas shirtless and makes lots of money for the brothers, a female reverend, Sheila (Gina Ravera), who wants to keep the community together, and with whom Damon is falling in love, and finally, with the help of Mr. Sang's daughter, with whom Mookie is falling in love, adding a bit of a "Romeo & Juliet" subplot to the mix, and I guess removing the rather racist plotline.

Of course, things go wrong, Mr. Sang becomes an arch nemesis, and the brothers fight ceaselessly as they move towards reconciling with each other. There are charity events to bring the community together, a little boy who raps thrown into the mix for the sake of the cutesy element, a close call for mom that brings everyone closer together for poignancy, a bunch of dreams being chased, including the comic duo's standup dream and Mookie's dream of being a singer, and a variety of simple romances. You can most likely guess the outcome of this movie—which even includes one of those outdoor scenes featuring a musical performance during the closing credits.

Sure there's absolutely nothing new here, but it still has some funny moments that will give you a laugh. I mean, I alone watched it just in hopes that Tyson would have his shirt off, so I got what I wanted out of the film (why is he so painfully gorgeous?). The humorous parts just added to the enjoyment. This was a well-sterilized, positive look at a black community, and is mostly a good film for the whole family. It's suggested that there are baddy thugs around, but it never delves into that. There's a hint of sexual innuendo, but nothing too suggestive. And the language is even tame—although the characters do make some colorful use of the "N" word. This movie could almost have been made for TV. With its simple storyline, it sort of played out like an episode of Soul Food instead of a feature film. Of course, what makes it a lighthearted film also makes it a bit unrealistic. First of all, the group of friends seems to live in a perfect little world—but that's also refreshing and positive, for a change. And then there's the whole Mr. Sang situation. I mean, realistically, if Mr. Sang pulled some of the stunts he does in this film, Mookie's pals would probably be treating Sang's daughter worse than the Jets did Anita in West Side Story. But none of that goes on in this movie. Instead, she works to help the brothers save their gas station from her dad. So this one is definitely meant to stay as upbeat as possible, which might possibly frustrate today's jaded audiences.

The DVD

Video:
The DVD is double-sided with full frame 1:33:1 on one side, and anamorphic 1:78:1 widescreen on the other. The color levels are oversaturated, and there's extreme haloing which leads to a rather blurry image. However, the darks are rich and deep and add nice depth to the image. Ironically, put this baby on in progressive scan and many of the negative issues are cleaned up considerably, offering a much sharper image. The color tint is a bit too orange, but the print itself is fairly clean, with just occasional dust specs.

Sound:
The 5.1 surround track works best when selections from the hip-hop soundtrack come on. The music has outstanding surround separation, although it leans towards more highs than lows, and the subwoofer needs to be cranked up to balance this issue. As for the standard audio track, dialogue and effects, it's front and center heavy, with modest left/right separation and only periodic surround nuances.

Extras:
Not much here. Simply 24 chapter breaks to select from, as well as English or Spanish subtitles.

Final Thoughts:
There's no groundbreaking plot to be found in Gas. It's just a simple, humor, hear and soul movie of African-American community and family, with some funny moments, and an attractive and talented cast. Rent it on a rainy day.