After delivering a surprising crowd-pleaser back in 2023 with Anyone But You, director Will Gluck pairs rising stars Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro for his latest rom-com, One Night Only. And while Turner and Barbaro have a spark that maintains its grip on you, the film wastes its potential.
Set in a reality where casual sex is outlawed by the U.S. government except for on one night of the year, the film follows singles Allie (Barbaro) and Owen (Turner) as their escapades and personal woes constantly pull them towards each other. One Night Only is essentially the sex version of The Purge, which writer Travis Braun plays on nicely. There’s an ominous alarm that signals the night’s arrival, paying homage to its inspirations well. Similar to The Purge, there are strings of conversations surrounding the wealth gap and government control that are taken in a lighter tone. Even the exhausting effort Allie and Owen put in just to find a condom throughout the night is a hilarious twist on characters finding survival tools. It’s a great story idea and Gluck shows his experience in letting two incredible talents like Turner and Barbaro hook you through their chemistry and the sheer fun of the chaos they endure.
Turner and Barbaro truly give it their all and deliver plenty of laughs. With Owen being dumped by his longtime girlfriend just before the night begins, Turner plays on his character’s rusty game and heartbreak perfectly. His desperate search for a rebound is really funny because of how things blow up in his face and put him in awkward spots. Whether it’s a “honeypot” getting the better of him or a potential hookup getting thwarted by an almost apocalyptic condom shortage, Turner makes Owen’s demise a hilarious ride. Barbaro is equally comical in making Allie’s swings and misses laughable. There’s a great arc where she seems to find the “good guy” she’s looking for that takes an unexpectedly hilarious turn. She has great line delivery and comedic reactions that make Allie such a fun character to spend time with on a night like this.
Together is when these two are at their best, though. There’s a palpable sizzle every time they lock eyes and it amps up the romantic tension tenfold. They clearly have so much fun together and have a great push and pull in their dialogue that keeps you engaged in their slow-build relationship.
Unfortunately, for such a sex-driven rom-com plot, One Night Only is far too tame. Now, Gluck has mentioned that many sex scenes were taken out simply because of data tied to Gen Z and Gen Alpha movie preferences. It’s a perfectly fine and fair approach, but Gluck doesn’t conjure enough wild fun to make One Night Only satisfying for anyone. Even without a lot of sex scenes, the film is still R-rated—locking out the audience he’s trying to appeal to. And, as for older audiences, there’s not enough going on here to really excite or live up to the potential of the premise. The background might be littered with characters playing into the night’s ecstasy, but it’s incredibly limited in the foreground. There are a handful of funny sex situations and steamy scenes that get your pulse going, but it’s almost always cut short by some random turn in the moment. One Night Only doesn’t let the sex side of its comedy flourish in any exciting way, so it often leaves audiences underwhelmed.
It doesn’t help either that the narrative is constantly filled with distractions and bloated beats that stop the film from leaving a bigger impact. There’s not much of a flow story-wise, so the experience feels like a bunch of ideas loosely stitched together. Bigger threads tied to Allie’s stage fright and a flashy crush only service goofy jokes that are hit and miss. Even the more personal, overarching arcs surrounding Owen’s lingering feelings for his ex and some of the dialogue about the “one night” mandate never go anywhere special. The emotion isn’t strong enough to make you really care and Gluck glosses over them without much care. One Night Only really tries to shove in as much eye candy as possible and it often leads to bits that just don’t have the stuff. Outside of a surprise Molly Ringwald and Levar Burton pairing that’s hilariously raunchy, most of the supporting cast falls flat on forced jokes. Add in some needless needle drops that are instantly distracting and dumb musical-inspired moments and you essentially have a messy rom-com on your hands.
One Night Only definitely misses out on the potential to be something more—largely on the sex-comedy and narrative fronts—but Gluck and company still make it solid enough to enjoy. The concept and strong chemistry between Turner and Barbaro make it a forgettable night of fun that rom-com fans will leave satisfied enough by.
