One Too Many (2005) User Reviews

Is This Mother-In-Law Too Good To Be True?

[ccthemovieman-1 · 7/10 · 26 July 2007]

Two guys - a father and a son - are lost when the woman of the house disappears. Why the mother left isn't explained. However, one thing is for sure: these guys need to learn a few things. The husband doesn't even know where is socks are, so how is he or his son going to manage an apartment?

They quickly spring into action, going to a nursing home and looking up a long-lost relative: his mother-in-law. Hey, maybe she'd rather be in our place and can run it, they think.

To their surprise, the mother-in-law is almost "too good to be true." She is a great cook, never complains. Does everything for them. It's unbelievable. Something isn't right and one of the men is puzzled....but why rock the boat?

One day the husband calls his wife to tell her about how good her mother-in-law is acting, and how he's sorry he recommended she go into a nursing home. He winds up getting a big surprise. Another surprise is how he winds up handling the first surprise.

Overall, despite the twist at the end, it's nothing extraordinary, film-wise, to warrant an Academy Award nomination, but these days it doesn't take much.

Dark comedy

[st-shot · 8/10 · 21 July 2008]

In the early morning a woman fed up with her husband and son walks out on them. When we see why we can't blame her. They are both chauvinist slobs incapable of caring for themselves. Realizing this they retrieve the wife's mother from a nursing home and feigning love and concern soon have her assuming the same indentured status that caused her daughter to flee. It turns out however that they also may have been duped.

Eramous Pocos is a well acted little gem of a comedy told soberly in a low key manner. It's stark imagery bathed in ominous lighting drips with a casually foreboding ambiance and mystery that contributes to the film's ambiguous demeanor. Director Borgea Kobeaga puts great care and detail into every shot, creating an impressive visual suspense to advance the storey line and bring about its ironically comic conclusion. It's a masterwork of style in miniature.

Interesting details -- SPOILER ALERT -- meant for discussion

[nyc man · 6/10 · 11 May 2008]

Yes it was a cool film, if only for the woman who does what she must to survive.

--THE ENTIRE REST OF THIS IS A SPOILER --

I recall that Mario Puzo modeled the "Godfather" after his mom. Well, this woman is the positive version of such a Mom.

She was trapped in a nursing home, and when someone comes to get her, it doesn't take her long to pack. All she needs is her wits and a few essentials.

And she cooks for the men, and cleans, and life is good. In fact, when the father walks her to the room, she kisses him on the lips. He is startled. But then she says, "I'm sorry." Well, in retrospect, we know why: she will sleep with the man just to get out of the nursing home. She overplayed her situation, and need not have done that.

Basically, she is the maid / cook for the two hapless guys, and she gets free room and board. And the food can be as good as she can make it, which is quite good. And freedom, and TV.

By the way, the beginning of the movie was a bit contrived, since a "woman" would not be able to throw the TV from the window (I guess she could have moved it to the elevator, and then into the street.) But it is sort of like the TV commercial where the woman breaks up with the guy and dumps his clothes (etc) out the window.

Anyhow, a good short movie, funny, O'Henry like, and still sad for what desperation that woman must have endured to go through a situation like this.

I am glad the ending was as it was.

Spanish man and his son retrieve mother-in-law.

[TxMike · 30 October 2007]

At barely 16 minutes, this short film tells a charming tale of family.

It seems that his wife has left him, and no matter how many phone calls he makes, no matter how he pleads and apologises, she will not listen to him.

So the man and his son visit his mother-in-law who is in a retirement home of sorts, maybe even a home for those not quite right in the head. As the visit progresses the woman convinces them to take her home with them. To the men, it seems like a good opportunity to get some quality cooking and house cleaning done in the absence of the wife.

All is well, the father and son have not eaten so well in a long time. The mother-in-law cooks, cleans, goes shopping for groceries, things are perfect. Until the husband happens to be talking to his wife, finally and she says, "How can she be with you, she is with me?"

Out comes the picture album, they brought the wrong woman home! He considers briefly making things right, but things are working out so well, for all three of them, he says nothing to his son and keeps the status quo.

Not too much depth, but a bit of fun

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 29 October 2017]

"Éramos pocos" or "One Too Many" is a Spanish short film from 2005, so this one is already over a decade old and it runs for 16 minutes, one minute less without credits. The actors are probably only known to Spanish audiences, but that's fine. Same can be said about director and co-writer Borja Cobeaga, who made this in the early, but not earliest stages of his career. He was still under 30 back then. And as it was nominated for an Oscar, losing to the more known West Bank Story, it is maybe Cobeaga's biggest success so far. The story is admittedly pretty light (although in theory it includes some dramatic references like a break-up with the film beginning with the end of a relationship, hoarding and unrequited feelings) and I felt that the older male actor had a lot more range to offer than he is allowed to show us here, which is a bit of a pity. But this as well as some slightly unrealistic moments don't keep this little brief film from being a good and entertaining watch. Seeing it once is enough though I guess. I give it a thumbs-up and recommend checking it out.

An exceptional film--I can see why this one was Oscar nominated!

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 26 February 2008]

The film begins with a man awakening to discover that his wife has left him. You are unsure exactly why, but judging how sloppy this man and his son were, you figure she probably just couldn't take this any more! These guys are really lost without a wife/house keeper and come up with the brilliant idea of taking the husband's mother-in-law out of the retirement home to care for them. Though they haven't seen each other in years, she agrees to come home and is immediately a hit. The house is cleaned, groceries are bought and she's a terrific hit--and then comes the wonderful punchline!

Well written, directed and produced--this Spanish short film is a lovely and funny film. It's really too bad that the 2006 Oscars were so competitive that year--else-wise, this one might have won. By the way, the winner was WEST BANK STORY--a film I absolutely adored.

These two films and many more are included on the DVD "A Collection of 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films" and is well worth buying because it is jam-packed full of 13 wonderful shorts.