ONE WEEKBuster Keaton and his new bride labor to build a house from a kit. There's not much of a narrative arc to speak of, but the premise allows for some pretty funny physical gags. And inventive ones, too... such as when the entire cockeyed structure is rotating around on a giant lazy susan. Keaton is endearing and charming as ever, and although we don't get to see Sybil Seely do that much, she certainly is a cutie-pie. The ending makes a terrific capper to this fun little short with plenty of laughs.Rating: 8/10

Although usually credited as Buster Keaton's first film as an independent artist, following his successful partnership with Roscoe Arbuckle who by this time had moved into features, ONE WEEK was in fact the second to be shot. Keaton did not consider his first two-reeler THE HIGH SIGN to be quite sure-fire enough to let it serve as his first release. This may reveal more than a tiny bit of Keaton's discipline as a comedian, as THE HIGH SIGN by any standards is a very funny film. However, Keaton may have been wise in his decision after all, as ONE WEEK provides such an extraordinary sparkle of energy, one clearly sees through that the people behind this film had great fun doing it, which made it impossible to ignore even in the stream of comedy films that came to life through the first year of the Twenties.The premise is simple enough, but one with inevitable possibilities for comedy; and it gets even funnier if you know its initial source. With ONE WEEK, Keaton is reported to have done a parody on a commercial he had seen (in a movie theater, of course), where it was demonstrated how a cozy house easily could be built in just one week, if one follows the instructions of a "build-it-yourself"-set. So much for that: newlyweds Buster and Sybil Seely (beautiful leading lady who would only appear in two more of Keaton's shorts) received said set as a wedding gift, but things turn out differently than predicted when "the one she turned down," Buster's rival, changes the packing crates. Day by day we follow the couple's struggles throughout the week, who refuse to declare their house inappropriate for living even when it clearly is a mess; that is, until the brutal ending which takes place on peaceful Sunday, which I won't reveal here.With ONE WEEK, Buster Keaton made it to the top-ranks among comedians in two-reelers almost overnight, and predestined an extraordinary career in the years to come. The characters may barely be explored, and end up appearing quite one-dimensional in the midst of all mechanical objects and "trick-property," but for pure fun and laughter, the film must rank among the best of all silent comedies. As a final mention, note that this film marks the first appearance of Joe Roberts, whom Buster had known since his years in vaudeville; though given only a minor role here, he would soon function as a Goliath-like creature to Keaton in his films, much like Eric Campbell did to Chaplin in the Mutual-period of the latter.

Having read through every other comment, there's nothing much else to add as regards the plot. I came across this short on the 'college' special edition DVD which also contains 'The Blacksmith'. I'd seen both shorts previously on a cheap release. The superior quality of this release encouraged me to give a higher rating which isn't always the case.From start to finish, 'One Week' is a scream! The viewer never quite knows what will happen next, and generally is struck with the thought that "Well, I think I know what's going to happen, but surely it won't" - and it of course DOES happen !!! So many good gags, so many touching scenes that's it's difficult to pick one. If push comes to shove, I'll vote for the final one. 'One Week' always leaves me with the feeling that once is NOT enough; I just have to watch it again ...

Keaton was now out on his own, no longer working with Fatty Arbuckel. 'One Week'was his first independent film. Joseph Schneck produced the film, having done work on the Fatty and Keaton shorts. The team of Buster Keaton and Eddi Cline directed and did script work as would follow in most of Keaton's other shorts. 'One Week' is definitive of Buster Keaton's style. It is purely gag over narrative. Keaton's performance is more important than the story, and that was pretty much how all his later movies worked. Keaton also enjoyed capturing the world around him as it happened. His stunts in this movie did not rely on editing. The house really did turn, the train sequence was real. This was a good beginning to what followed.