Four's a Crowd (5 Stars)

I don't hesitate to buy any film made by Alex de la Iglesia. He's a reliable director who can't do anything wrong. His films always start off quietly and escalate. "Four's a crowd" is no exception. Anyone who's flicking around a streaming service for a random film might watch the first five minutes and think "This is boring". Be patient. This is one of the funniest films I've ever seen. I was laughing out loud as the action turned from one ridiculous extreme to another.

The original Spanish title is "El cuarto pasajero", i.e. "The fourth passenger". In this case, the official English title is an improvement, because the third passenger is just as relevant as the fourth.

Julian is a middle-aged businessman who lives in Madrid and works in Bilbao. Every Friday he drives home, and he returns to Bilbao on Monday. To make some money, he offers his services on a car-sharing app, taking three people with him. Lorena, aged 29, is a regular who travels with him every week. The other two passengers are different every week.

Julian has fallen in love with Lorena, but he's too shy to admit it. He's afraid she'll reject him because he's 20 years older than her. This Friday he's finally plucked up the courage to tell her. He's rehearsed a speech. The problem is his extra passengers; the third and fourth. The third is an extroverted man who won't stop talking. Additionally, he says he gets carsick on the back seat, so Julian can't sit next to Lorena. The fourth is a tall handsome man with a guitar, and Lorena is obviously attracted to him.

That's the setting. A simple enough story, a romantic comedy road movie. In the hands of any other director it really would have been boring. Alex de la Iglesia never does what's expected. His films are totally unpredictable. Maybe the film poster I've included above is a spoiler. But the car crash isn't the end of the story, it's just one of the many amusing episodes.

The Blu-ray has only been released in Spain, but it has English subtitles. Click here to buy it.