ONE NIGHT ONLY
Starring: Monica Barbaro, Callum Turner, Maya Hawke, Quintessa Swindell, Molly Ringwald, and Charlie Gillespie
Director: Will Gluck
AMARÚ
Who would have thought the “Sex Purge” movie was going to be one of the most politically vocal movies of the year? Yes, that sounds weird as hell, but that’s because One Night Only is a weird yet entertaining time. All of its absurdity, expected and otherwise, adds to the charm of its kinda-but-not-so-unique premise. It leans into the romanticism and ridiculous whimsy romantic comedies usually deploy, and allows the film to have a blast being cute while also back-dooring surprisingly fitting political commentary. Not all of its grand ideas work, but you can’t help but have fun with its quirky vibes.
ADRIANO
How is it possible for a filmmaker to give themselves a concept ripe for comedy and romantic exploration, and then shoot themselves in the foot on purpose? One Night Only presents a bizarre sex-purge situation, then does nothing with it. You’d think they’d use the idea to do something absurd with the in-world politics, or play with the inherent humour of it, but instead it’s just a dull rom-com. And even accepting that as its goal, it’s not funny, plus, Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner have no chemistry whatsoever. Whatever this movie was trying, it failed.
NICK
One Night Only presents a unique premise, only to stumble through its execution until it’s basically pushed to the side in favour of a traditional rom-com. Although it’s a shame (the premise had potential), even if director Will Gluck had stayed the course, he’d still have to work with two leads that just don't connect on screen. I truly think the individual charms of Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro help mask what is a glaring lack of chemistry. It also doesn’t help that the film itself is so sexually sanitized. Beyond some humour that works, this is a flat feature that fails to get it up.
Want to hear even more of our thoughts? Amarú and Kolby join Matt to take A Bigger Bite out of One Night Only HERE.