Director Will Gluck has made a name for himself within the romantic comedy genre delivering “Easy A,” “Friends with Benefits,” and the extraordinary Box Office success story of “Anyone but You.” Therefore, it felt almost inevitable that he would return to the genre that has brought him so much personal success. Three years later, here we are with Gluck delivering a “The Purge” style movie, only this one is about sex, in his latest release “One Night Only,” which, for the most part, delivers another enjoyable, albeit cheesy, time.
“One Night Only” follows two strangers in Owen (Callum Turner) and Allie (Monica Barbaro) on the one night of the year where pre-marital sex is legal. Their lives are polar opposites. On the surface, Owen has it made. He’s a successful pizza shop owner with a girlfriend (Maya Hawke) who he plans to marry, so this crazy night is something he wouldn’t dream of partaking in. That is until his girlfriend says she wants to sleep with their downstairs neighbour during a romantic dinner before the night begins.
The Film Suffers From Tonal Whiplash
Allie, on the other hand, doesn’t resemble having her life together in any way. Despite being a romantic, her love life is practically non-existent outside of flings on the one night of the year, with her closest friend more than happy to ditch her for the first man she lays eyes on. Her day job isn’t much better. Dreaming of becoming a singer on stage, she has instead had to settle for singing rather humorous jingles for various disease pills.
With both of them now down in the dumps, they each set out to embrace the rollercoaster of a night enforced by a strict Government mandate. That leads to more than its fair share of twists and turns, as well as chance encounters between the two that is far from your conventional romantic comedy. The film tries to keep viewers invested in the will-they-won’t-they relationship that unfolds throughout.
In trying to avoid the cliched and predictable nature of many romantic comedies, Gluck — alongside screenwriter Travis Braun — have created a movie that suffers from tonal whiplash. The first half is distinctly comedic, centred around Owen and Allie’s search for an elusive condom. The pair are very rarely seen together outside of a couple of fleeting encounters where they bump into each other while trying to score with someone else. It’s during this opening stretch where the movie struggles to grab hold and lingers a little too long before getting into the more romantic elements between them.
The Film’s Strength is its Romance
In fact, it’s almost exactly at the halfway point, the tone entirely shifts to a much more romantic movie that sees Owen and Allie paired up for large stretches as their connection starts to ramp up. It’s in these moments that the film really excels. Their relationship is incredibly infectious and viewers will inevitably be rooting for them to get together.
Within their romance, it was also nice to see Gluck and Braun show there’s still something genuinely sweet about two people forming a real intellectual connection. In a time where we’re perhaps at our most superficial, especially given the crazy and hectic world the characters are flung into, that feels surprisingly refreshing. It’s handled with a subtle touch that, for the most part, really works.
That is of course aided by the palpable chemistry that Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro share on-screen from the very get go. Turner is at his charismatic and charming best, with his air of vulnerability proving incredibly endearing. Barbaro matches him brilliantly, bringing a vibrant, fun, and quippy energy that balances Owen out wonderfully, ensuring every scene they share feels electric. The only downside is that they absolutely should have spent far more time on-screen together, something cinemagoers will undoubtedly be wishing for by the end.
Recovers its Themes with Some Political Warnings
Arguably though, it’s not even the main stars that steal the show. That honour is bestowed upon Mateo Ray who — despite only appearing for approximately three minutes of the total run-time and his character having quite literally nothing to do with the actual storyline — provides the most genuine laugh-out-loud moments of the entire movie. In those brief scenes he rattles off one-liner after one-liner, each funnier than the last, showing impeccable comedic timing well beyond his young years.
“One Night Only” is set three years after the mandate was brought in and, naturally, viewers are likely to have plenty of questions. Braun’s script, whilst not going into extensive detail and asking audiences to suspend disbelief going in, doesn’t shy away from providing a few satirical political jabs in answering some of those. Through mostly exposition dumps in the first act, it becomes clear those jibes are aimed at the current administration and how involved it has become in the everyday lives of citizens. The film suggests a mandate such as this isn’t too far from becoming a reality if we are to just sit back and take it.
The way the mandate is enforced has also been given some thought, with every citizen forced to be fitted with biosensors that are red all year and, via 5G, can sense when this is broken. That is except for the 12 hours everyone is given once a year where they turn green and everyone can get jiggy. To add another layer of confusion, condoms are also mandatory, although exactly how that is enforced is left up to the audience’s imagination.
One of the Year’s More Enjoyable ‘Feel Good’ Moments
As you’d probably expect if you’ve seen any of Gluck’s previous movies, the soundtrack is another major strength, bound to have audiences bopping along while also featuring some incredible vocals from Barbaro herself. Even during the slower first half, it remains easy to become invested because it fits the overall vibe brilliantly.
While “One Night Only” certainly isn’t a slam dunk and may lose a few people along the way, the second half is one of the more enjoyable feel good experiences of the year so far, building to a romantic climax that feels so incredibly satisfying it makes even the more disappointing elements easier to forgive. So as romantic comedies go, whilst it may not be an instant classic, it is definitely one that is worth the price of admission at the cinema.
