Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Raunchy Spanish comedy has lots of sex, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
More the Merrier
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
MORE THE MERRIER presents five different stories that intersect and center on characters searching for new forms of sexual fulfillment. Two middle-aged best friends try to arrange a partner swap with their wives, only to discover that their wives have strong feelings for each other. A gay man finds a potential long-term boyfriend in the unlikeliest of situations, while striking up a conversation with the man who's performing oral sex on him through a gloryhole. A young woman who used to masturbate in the other room while her fast-living cousin was having sex takes her now-conservative businessman cousin to Club Paradiso, a "swingers club" where she hopes he'll return to his former self. A bored couple goes to Cafe Paradiso looking to swap partners, but the man is shocked to discover that the couple his wife wants to swap with includes his ex-girlfriend. A woman returns to Club Paradiso after blacking out the night before at her engagement party in search of the engagement ring she lost.
Is It Any Good?
This is a raunchy Spanish sex comedy with some messages on finding freedom and happiness through honest sexual fulfillment of one's fantasies. It almost seems inevitable that a movie like More the Merrier would emerge in the aftermath (or near aftermath) of Covid social distancing, isolation, and lockdowns. There are five intersecting stories with all the depth of softcore porn, with diverse characters (in terms of age and sexual orientation, anyway) looking for ways to spice up their stale love lives. And if you're not sure what the point of this movie is while watching it, don't worry, because the movie poster promises a "happy ending" for everyone, and if you're still not sure, each character is shown attaining orgasm in the movie's final montage.
Also at the end, the movie tries to tie in these five stories of wonton sexcapades with a voiceover editorial that champions consenting adults defining happiness and sexual gratification on their own terms rather than the restrictive dictates of society. As this is essentially a romcom for the polyamorous, it's a bit absurd to include such rhetoric. Regardless, this is obviously not a movie for the kids in the family.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the sexual content in More the Merrier. Where did it seem necessary to the stories and the overall message, and where did it seem gratuitous?
What is the movie trying to say about sex, love, relationships, and happiness? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
How do these five stories intersect, and how are they different from each other?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 30, 2021
- Cast : Ernesto Alterio , Raul Arévalo , Luis Callejo
- Director : Paco Caballero
- Inclusion Information : Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : November 30, 2021
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