Great Chemistry Rescues Absurd Premise

The modern romantic comedy is a delicate balancing act. It requires a premise outrageous enough to hook an audience, paired with lead actors charismatic enough to make us suspend disbelief. One Night Only, starring Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro, leans hard into this formula. Set over the course of a single, chaotic evening, the film follows two New Yorkers searching for a connection on the one night of the year when premarital sex is legally permitted. It’s a high-concept premise that delivers a genuinely crowd-pleasing night at the movies, even if the underlying logic crumbles the moment you stop to analyse it. 

The narrative logic falls apart quickly upon any deliberate thought, with the bizarre annual ‘holiday’ relying on a paper-thin justification and a bizarre chain of coincidences. The situation itself could be described more as a nightmarish horror where a totalitarian state takes over even our most carnal urges. But it turns into a comedy that rides the line between entertaining and completely shocking.

Visually, the direction can occasionally feel paint-by-numbers, relying on standard framing choices where a dynamic camera could have better mirrored the script’s buzzing energy. However, where the camera placement lacks ambition, the visual palette compensates. The film’s colour scheme pops off the screen, turning nighttime New York into an exquisite, glowing playground of neon blues, deep ambers, and vibrant reds. 

Turner and Barbaro ground the wildly absurd premise of One Night Only. Their performances balance faux confidence with natural human awkwardness. Facing a night where societal pressures and heightened expectations are pushed to the absolute limit, both actors bring a distinct, magnetic spirit that makes their relationship feel both electric and relatable. 

Importantly, both leads get to fully showcase their comedic chops. Turner brings an effortless, charming vulnerability paired with flawless timing, while Barbaro matches him step for step with sharp reactions. The humour is occasionally riotous. It’s fast, witty, and unapologetically silly when it needs to be. The pacing never drags, further bolstered by cameos from well-known faces that keep the audience on their toes. 

Director Will Gluck has established himself as one of the genre’s most dependable creatives, building a track record of hits from Easy A to Anyone But You. He knows how to navigate this, keeping the pacing brisk enough that the script’s flaws never completely derail the film. But despite a premise centred entirely on a night of legal indulgence, this film is surprisingly sexless. It relies far more on playful banter and flirtatious energy than actual intimacy. It’s an intentional creative choice that mirrors Gluck’s recent comments to Variety, in which he noted that modern audiences prefer the romantic buildup and comedic tension over explicit sex scenes. 

One Night Only collapses the second you try to make sense of it. Yet, as a mindless delivery system for strong lead chemistry and fast-paced laughs, it manages to cross the finish line on sheer charisma alone. 

In cinemas from August 28th / Callum Turner, Monica Barbaro, Molly Ringwald, Julia Fox / Dir: Will Gluck / Universal Pictures / 15