Stream It Or Skip It: ‘More the Merrier’ On Netflix, A Raunchy Spanish Comedy That Takes Place At A Sex Club

Who doesn’t love a good comedy stocked with multiple storylines? More the Merrier, now streaming on Netflix, follows several people and couples as they embark on an evening of sexual escapades — sexcapades, if you will — with most activities landing them in a swinger bar called Club Paradiso. This steamy Spanish comedy doesn’t shy away from the sexy stuff, and by the end of the evening, many of these characters discover more about themselves (and their respective partners) than they may have wanted to. 

MORE THE MERRIER: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: There’s a moment that changes your life – a spark, a fire in your belly, that pushes you over the edge in pursuit of pleasure. That’s exactly what Anfitriona (Ana Milán) tries to capture at her swingers’ club, Club Paradiso. She tells her patrons to leave their feelings at the door and come in for pleasure, and on this night, quite the crew of people come through those doors. There’s Raúl (Álvaro Cervantes), unimpressed by the porn he’s watching at home and in search of a glory hole, Belén (Melina Matthews) and Jaime (Raúl Arévalo), a shy couple looking for something to spice things up who happen to bump into Ana (Verónica Echegui) and Miguel, a club regular couple who may have more in common with the aforementioned pair than they know.

There’s also Clara (Anna Castillo), a club employee who brings her hot, uptight cousin Pablo (Miki Esparbé) along for a steamy night, and Alba (María León), who takes her BFF to frantically search Club Paradiso for her missing engagement ring. Not at the club this evening? Older couples Paco (Luis Callejo) and Marta (Maria Morales) and Alberto (Ernesto Alterio) and Claudia (Pilar Castro), a foursome having a dinner party the husbands hope will turn into much, much more. Over the course of the chaotic evening, the respective couples and individuals find themselves coming to some pretty surprising conclusions. There are sexual awakenings between more than a few people, and taboo encounters some might consider better left in the dark. One thing’s for sure, though; More the Merrier is a shame-free zone, no matter how wild the desire.

 

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: More the Merrier and its multiple storylines might remind viewers a little bit of flicks like Crazy Stupid Love, Valentine’s Day, and Love, Actually, as well as various sex comedies.

Performance Worth Watching: Carlos Cuevas is an utter delight as flirtatious bartender Iván, playing a crucial role in some of the film’s best banter scenes. He doesn’t get as much to do as the rest of the film’s ensemble, but he’s a consistent presence, offering a much-needed deadpan or eye roll when entitled patrons confront him. He also gets his moment to get sexy, too, and boy, does he play it well; Cuevas offers us the platonic ideal of a scene stealer, memorable enough to leave an impression, but not so big that we forget about the film’s more important characters.

Memorable Dialogue: Oh, boy, is there some silly dialogue in More the Merrier, but this has gotta go to Alberto when he tries to soothe Paco about his sexual insecurities: “Does the size of the dick really matter? All that matters is the size of this thing here, your heart.”

Sex and Skin: More the Merrier is allll about the sexy stuff; from the very beginning, there’s wild fantasy sex, sex at Club Paradiso, use of glory holes, Strip Truth or Dare, steamy swimming pools, and rooms bathed in various colored lighting for various sexual activities. More the Merrier is decidedly not for those looking for a more buttoned-up cinematic experience.

Our Take: More the Merrier doesn’t seem to know what kind of movie it is; it alternates between sex comedy and sex-positive dramedy, veering into extremely corny territory when it gets too earnest and into X-rated territory when it leans hard into some of the steamier scenes. The message at the heart of the film about erasing sexual shame and stigmas is a good one, but More the Merrier seems to struggle with how to present this. With the help of a narrator? With dramatic confrontations? With dramatically-lit sex scenes? It’s not that the multiple storylines are difficult to follow, but that the entire thing feels like a chaotic mess rather than a cohesive whole.

The ensemble does a stellar job with the often-confused script, putting on their best O-faces for the cameras and delivering laughs and heat where needed. It feels like a true ensemble, too, which is rare, especially because the film kicks off with the misdirection that the club owner may be our leading lady. At the start, everyone in More the Merrier doesn’t quite seem to know what they’re looking for, but by the end of the evening, they all get what they need (even if those needs are unconventional). There is something to be said for everyone getting a happy ending (both literally and figuratively) here; More the Merrier almost plays as a raunchy farce, despite its tonal inconsistency. Moving from an outrageously hot or silly scene to closing narration like “sex and love are the most incredible gifts one can receive” is a perfect example of how bizarre a script More the Merrier really is, even with all the things it has going for it. With a few tweaks and trims, More the Merrier might very well have been a solid sex comedy. Unfortunately, as is, it doesn’t feel worth the time.

Our Call: SKIP IT. While the actors certainly bring their best to the script and the sex-positive message is a welcome one, More the Merrier doesn’t quite know what kind of movie it wants to be and fails to come together in the end.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.

Stream More the Merrier on Netflix