ONE NIGHT ONLY Review

Imagine you live in a country where your government has banned premarital sex, except for one night of the year when everyone can go crazy. Well, One Night Only just hit theatres on Friday, and it is one of the wildest movie premises I’ve heard of in a long time. 

Starring Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro, I was personally excited for the film as it has been marketed as a classic romantic comedy. I am a sucker for romance, so I am always looking for one that brings me back to the prime 90s-early 2000s era of romcoms. 

Unfortunately, One Night Only is unbalanced. Mixing romance with politics can be interesting, but director Will Gluck never fully dives into the dystopian world our characters Owen (Turner) and Ally (Barbaro) live in. 

Directing Easy A, Friends With Benefits and Anyone But You, I assumed Gluck had this one in the bag. Having a strong history of comedic films, with a romantic undertone, Guck’s films have always approached the uncomfortable. However, One Night Only feels sanitised. 

Of course, everyone is talking about sex and excited to participate in the activity between 7 pm and 7 am on August 7th-8th, but we do not get to see many intimate scenes taking place. I would say the film is trying to cater to conservative audiences, as it really does push this abstinence rhetoric. But at the same time, they are preaching the use of condoms for protection, which is more of a liberal leaning policy. 

It seems the 2024 Black List script, written by Travis Braun, was more scandalous. Tackling more difficult topics when it comes to young adults in the modern world of dating. However, Gluck has stated he has rewritten the script, such as setting it in New York City and making changes for Turner and Barbaro. But it does seem Gluck may have opted out of using some of the more mature content.

Gluck said in an interview that he cut the majority of the sex content because he thought it would be too jarring for audiences. After test screenings, Gluck removed scenes of extras having sex in the street because there was pushback. Well, I ask why make a movie all about sex if you are not going to feature any sexual intercourse? 

I just find it a shame, as the film has really good bones. 

Turner and Barbao have great chemistry together. Repeatedly bumping into one another on the one night only. However, they start on the front foot as Owen throws up all over Ally’s shoes on their first meeting. This tension between the characters is played on superbly by Turner and Barbaro, leading to great charisma from them both. The whole film, you are thinking, will they or won’t they.

I think if the film tried to lean more into the romcom aspects and not so much the political reasoning for the premarital sex ban, the film would work more cohesively. There is no balance. One moment our characters are being cute, and then the next moment the characters are talking about the fascist government. A wild juxtaposition. 

The film has lots of funny moments that I laughed out loud at. One scene I think of is when the character Ezra Strong (Charlie Gillespie) is on top of a piano. The outcome of that scene is hilarious.

I appreciate that the film was shot on location, too. The New York City feel is definitely present with the brownstones and pizza shops. I think shooting on location often benefits your film in the long run, as there is an authenticity you can feel from it.

Now I do not think One Night Only is a completely bad film. As a mention, there is a lot to appreciate about the new film, but I do think it has some major weaknesses. I would still suggest people go and see the film if you like romcoms, but be prepared for some interesting political commentary.

There are lots of fun cameos, cool costumes, and a great soundtrack. There is a lot to make this film an enjoyable summer flick. I just wish it pushed the boundaries a bit more to be a truly good film.

🍿 SCORE = 65/100