One Night Only review: Hilarious romcom with charming leads
There has been a lot of discourse surrounding One Night Only – which is basically The Purge but for sex – and I’m here to say that if you cast the noise to one side, you will have a lot of fun.
The film follows two people who keep crossing paths with each other on the one night a year when unmarried people are legally allowed to have sex. There’s advertising jingle singer, Allie (Monica Barbaro), who is ditched by her bestie and spends her night looking for romance rather than a one-night stand, and pizza shop owner Owen (Callum Turner), who is dumped by his girlfriend Malika (Maya Hawke) and tries to turn his evening around.
We have got to let films be dumb and unserious again. Sometimes you need ridiculous high-concept popcorn entertainment that offers some mindless escapism. People are really bashing this movie for the lack of sex, not exploring its political landscape, not explaining many questions (surely marriage and divorce rates would skyrocket and birth rates would plummet?!) and showing the night through a very straight, white lens (which the film itself briefly acknowledges via Allie’s roommate played by Quintessa Swindell). Some of these are valid (it’s not sexy enough), but with the others, I think you’re expecting too much from a light-hearted romcom. It’s really not the type of film to be exploring the Christian or fascist government that outlawed sex before marriage.
One Night Only really spoke to my sense of humour, and I laughed out loud so much, particularly in the first half, thanks to the joke-heavy dialogue, Allie’s hilarious jingles, all the celebrity cameos and their ridiculous escapades. They get themselves into some crazy situations! The film is admittedly stronger as a comedy than a romance. The leads have good chemistry, but the sincerity doesn’t land as well as the jokes, so the film runs out of steam as the hijinks make way for the romance. It also massively fumbles the third act, which is a shame.
It’s great to see Barbaro and Turner starring in something light-hearted after making their names in serious dramas and action movies. This register suits them and they are both charming, however, Barbaro shone the most for me. She is hilarious, radiant and absolutely gorgeous in a super revealing dress and heels.
One Night Only, directed by Anyone But You‘s Will Gluck, revolves around a draconian rule but is set in the real, modern world instead of a dystopian one. I understand why this has created a disconnect for some, but if you can accept it at face value without reading too much into its politics, you will probably enjoy this funny romcom!
In cinemas from Friday 28th August