- Director: Will Gluck
- Screenplay: Travis Braun
- Producer: Will Gluck, Jacqueline Monetta
- Cast: Monica Barbaro, Callum Turner, Molly Ringwald, LeVar Burton, Maya Hawke
- Cinematography: Yaron Orbach
- Editing: Tia Nolan
- Score: Este Haim, Christopher Stracey
- Genre: Romantic comedy-drama
- Runtime: 102 mintues
Let’s talk about sex. Or the lack thereof.
In an alternate America where premarital sex is limited to only one night per year, two strangers are drawn together by fate.
Pizzeria manager Owen (Callum Turner) is preparing to propose to his girlfriend. He’s chosen the wrong day to pop the question as, over dinner, she announces she’s planning to spend the night with someone else. Deflated, he bumps into Allie (Monica Barbaro), a woman reluctantly on the pull whose wingwoman got luckier than her. Could there be something betwixt them? Owen spews the contents of his stomach up in front of Allie. Alas, perhaps not.
The pair repeatedly cross paths in the 12 hour window. The course of true love never did run smooth. Various situations cockblock them: a string of ill-fated hookups with other people, the hunt for a condom (protection is required under the mandate), and a honey trap in the park.
The film is strangely charming but not without its flaws. The premise is a sexual incarnation of ‘The Purge‘, with the intention of preserving the sanctity of matrimony. I’m not a ‘no sex before marriage’ guy though I feel the less you act on your urges, the more impact it’ll have. That’s what Owen and Allie’s storyline tries to communicate. As they get to know one another better, a connection deepens between them. Intimacy doesn’t always involve sex. You can become acquainted with a person minus the need to take your clothes off. That’s coming from a prude like me. Maybe I should get laid.
At the same time, folk are getting it on in cars, exchanging saliva on the subway and acts of pleasure are visible through windows in broad daylight. Heads turn as Owen walks down the street, which is understandable. It’s flipping the ‘men checking out single women’ scenario on its head but it paints the women as lewd. The men are just as concupiscent; the bad dates Allie goes on are all dripping with desperation to do the deed. Everyone is so eager to cop off, even basement-dwelling chuds have a chance of seeing some action.
I’m thankful Will Gluck cut a lot of the nudity out – too much would be distracting. The flesh left in the final product is tasteful, unlike most Hollywood movies. I can’t quite decide if ‘One Night Only‘ is romantic or sleazy. One night with Callum Turner though? I wouldn’t say no.
My rating: 6 / 10
SilverScreen 