One Week

Two newlyweds receive a wedding gift that sounds almost too good to be true a house that can be built in a week. The couple, buoyant but inexperienced, throws themselves into the project with a mix of stubborn optimism and practical nerves. As they lay out boards and measure walls, a sly ex suitor secretly relabels the packing crates, hoping to derail the plan. What begins as a straightforward construction job devolves into a carnival of misfits and misprints, with parts missing or swapped and rules changing on a whim. Keaton thrives on the chaos turning every screw into a gag and every mishap into a step toward progress. The result is brisk, inventive physical comedy that feels fresh.

Directed by Buster Keaton alongside Edward F. Cline, One Week is a 1920 silent comedy short built around a self assembled house. The piece grew from Keaton's own ideas and is not adapted from another work. It marks new ground.

One Week stands out for its bold physical humor and inventive stunts as a couple tries to assemble a home from a chaotic stack of parts. The gag rhythm and timing feel precise, turning everyday carpentry into pure visual comedy. The sequence builds momentum with escalating swaps and clever props.

Critically the film was praised for timing and originality, with audiences recognizing the way the building sequence doubles as visual storytelling. It also hints at married life under pressure while keeping the tone light and relentlessly energetic, making the humor feel relatable even as the chaos escalates and remains fresh.

Box office information for One Week from the silent era is not widely documented. The short was distributed by a major studio and is frequently cited as a highlight of Keaton's early screen work by film historians and studied today.