MOVIE OF THE WEEK (8/7/26): ONE NIGHT ONLY

CAST: Monica Barbaro | Callem Turner | Maya Hawke | Julia Fox | King Princess | Molly Ringwald | Lamar Burton | Charlie Gillespie

WRITER: Travis Braun

DIRECTOR: Will Gluck

TRAILER:

 

THE STORY: Under what seems to be a very ... Fox News-friendly government regime ... Congress has allowed premarital sex, a rule enforced via implants in the left wrist of millions of Americans nationwide. In doing so, they have reduced teen pregnancy, lower sexually transmitted diseases/infections ... And created the most "amorous" citizen base in U.S. history. So, when Aug. 7 rolls around – the one date that, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., people are allowed to have relations without penalty of arrest (or worse), Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" might as well be the national anthem.

Owen, a pizza shop owner in NYC, has a simple plan for this day – simply known as "The One Night" among the populace: propose to his live-in girlfriend (Maya Hawke). Unfortunately, she wants to explore outside of their relationship – and by explore, that means sleep with someone else in their building. Meanwhile, Alli (Monica Barbaro), who sings jingles for medical commercials is about to head out for the night in hopes of meeting someone special ... Only for her girlfriend to ditch her as soon as she finds a suitor

So will Owen and Alli, whose nights keep taking unexpected turns and intersecting, be able to find true love – Or at the very least, some lovin'? Who knows – but they've only got one night only to find out!

THE REVIEW: ONE NIGHT ONLY is a movie that's easy to miss – and I don't mean that as an insult. What I mean by that is based on what seems to be a modest advertising budget, the fact its biggest name cast members appear in the form of cameos and that the premise (or at least, on its surface) makes it seems like someone tried to cross The Purge with the American Pie franchise, ONE NIGHT ONLY seems like something you'd stumble across on cable or streaming on a Saturday afternoon. 

That, however, would be a shame. In an era where media is rapidly changing with people's interests and attention spans, what one would find in viewing the film is one that, save for not being suited for those opposed to profanity, partial nudity and the idea of premarital relations, is a throwback date movie: One with just enough laughs to balance out the mushy parts, predictable moments that still feel sweet thanks to the execution of the story and outstanding performances of its two leads.

Barbaro and Tallum look like a real life couple, so watching them have flirt, have deep conversations and pick up on each others' endearing qualities is keeps ONE NIGHT ONLY from being boring, tedious or derivative, despite a score of tropes being present at nearly every turn. That's not to suggest the film suffers from a lack of originality – as opposed to relying on romantic comedy tropes (a big wacky moment, a relevation that the character should have seen coming a mile away), director Will Gluck places just enough breadcrumbs to keep the audience invested and engaged, only to throw a little seasoning in the mix at just the right time to keep things moving. 

At its core, ONE NIGHT ONLY is a cute date movie that uses an outlandish premise to get back to the things good romantic comedies do well: Illustrate the things that make someone special to another while giving hope that our true love is out there in the world seeking the same things we are in a relationship, and not just for one night only.

RATING (OUT OF FOUR BUCKETS OF POPCORN):