Very Small Business

Amongst all the terrible reality and lackluster drama shows of Australian television came a little gem called 'Very Small Business'. This should come as no surprise as Australia knows how to do comedy,(some other countries may not get it sometimes), but this show is strong evidence.

Don Angel likes to think he has the gift of the gab, the only problem is he can't sell ice to Eskimos and his business has so many loose ends that the loose ends have loose ends. This makes for one entertaining character who makes you constantly cringe as he digs himself deeper and deeper into a hole every episode.

Ray Leonard on the other hand is the polar opposite of Don (his Boss) as they share an office space that is home to some very funny scenes. Cleverly written, superbly acted and well filmed there has only been one series of this show filmed. Even though i thoroughly enjoyed the six episodes i saw and would be happy to leave it there, i can't help but itch for more.

I have to say that this undiscovered gem of a comedy is pretty much flawless throughout all 6 episodes. It's almost an Australian "Fawlty Towers" in that it probably shouldn't get a second season even though I'd be really keen to see one.

Don Angel and Ray Leonard Leonard are the perfect polar opposite match. A beautiful combination of sleazy, inept entrepreneur and jaded, world weary, intelligent but defeated writer makes for a perfect match in this exceptionally well written, but more so, brilliantly performed piece of comedy. Kim Gyngell and Wayne Hope shine, together with the supporting roles, with not a performance out of place.

I own this on DVD, watch it regularly, and quotes from it have become part of the regular banter/vocabulary in our household. Selfishly, I like the idea of not many people discovering this as it makes it all the more special. For those few of you in the world who happen upon this comment, do yourself a favour, grab a copy, sit back and watch how it's meant to be done.

I saw the first episode of Very Small Business on an airplane and after that i was hooked. The problem was that they only distribute this DVD in Australia so i had to order it from there.

The show features a type of humor not far from the British series The Office, which is definitely a good thing, but at the same time might not appeal to everyone. If you like The Office, you'll enjoy this series!

I personally loved all six episodes and would say this is one of the best comedy series i have seen this year.

The only downside is...where is season 2??

This is a show about a whiny annoying petty criminal, that for some reason completely seems to fail in making any point what so ever. Now don't get me wrong, it's a watchable show - well for what little there is of it. It's not really that funny but it's not boring either. But seriously, it is not good or clever.

I have to agree with the others here. I'm usually very very critical of Australian shows because, quite frankly, they bore the heck out of me and have a very bad habit of copying many ideas and scenarios from American shows (Farscape seemed to copy a few Battlestar Galactica episodes, and Hollowmen had very similar character's to West Wing.) But this? No, it's bloody fantastic.

The show's main strength is it's characters. You have Don Angel, a typical guy who obviously just wants to get ahead in his small business, but is floundering around, unable to catch a break. He's tripping himself up with what he thinks of as his clever little schemes and ends up in more trouble than he can usually handle on his own.

Along comes Ray, back on the job as his psychologist proscribed, bringing a very unique, charming and lovable character to the screen. His character is impressively well acted, giving off all the right emotions and facial expressions, especially where Ray's daughter, Leslie, is concerned.

Now, many shows can attest to good characters. But where most of those shows fall flat is in the dialogue department. Having a great character is all well and good, but it's when characters begin having witty conversations full of quotable one-liners and story development the entire way through an episode, that you know a show has done it right.

Very Small Business excels at this, the dialogue drives the episode forward, and the camera-work does an absolutely astounding job of setting the tone and scene. The first episode was what originally caught my attention, when I noticed that the position of the camera wasn't just used for practical reasons, it was also instrumental in keeping the story flowing and delivering punchlines. One particular scene has Ray asking if he should come in tomorrow and the camera cuts back out to the edge of the office room, the two actors standing silently, awkwardly, with the view of them at these two small desks in a very large open room to tell you exactly what they're thinking.

It's late at night here (or rather, early morning :P But I just watched the series for the millionth time since I bought it for $10 but at JB- Hi-Fi (not at Bunnings Warehouse or Harvey Norman, as I'm sure they hoped would be the case with those hilarious random mentions of the two companies.) In short, it's a fantastic, and sadly, very short lived show. But that is no excuse to let it slip by the wayside. It's shows like this that give me hope that one day Australia will realise it's potential to equal the amazing quality of British comedy.

Buy it now, please :)