Synopsis: Two New Yorkers search for love on the one night of the year when sex is legal.
Director: Will Gluck
Stars: Monica Barbaro, Callum Turner
Let’s call this what it is. It’s The Sex Purge. Sure, the title is One Night Only . . . but . . . I’m getting ahead of myself.
It is summer blockbuster season and, to break up the flow of superheroes, sequels and big-budget spectacles, comes One Night Only, a romantic comedy with a twist. And in a genre that can sometimes feel like it is recycling the same stories over and over again, you have to give this movie credit for coming up with a pretty wild premise.
In this film, we are transported to a world where premarital sex has been outlawed in the United States. Yes, it’s against the law to have…relations…with someone who isn’t your spouse. That is unless it’s during one 12-hour period that happens annually.
So unlike the horror franchise The Purge, where killing people was legal for 12 hours, this movie offers a whole different kind of boom boom during that grace period.
We meet Owen (Callum Turner), who runs a pizza shop. He has a girlfriend, Malika (Maya Hawke), and he plans to propose to her. That sounds sweet, except she plans to use her one night of freedom to sleep with someone else.
Ouch.
Meanwhile, Allie (Monica Barbaro) writes songs for commercials. She plans to go out with her friend, enjoy the craziness surrounding her and hopefully make some good choices. Unfortunately, her friend basically ends up hooking up with the first guy she meets, leaving Allie on her own.
It isn’t long before Owen and Allie cross paths, and while it seems like they are having a sweet meet-cute in a sea of promiscuity, something unpredictable happens that pushes them apart. But don’t fret, they spend the majority of the film circling around each other.
A romantic comedy, like the tango, usually takes two to make it work.
When I think of great romantic comedies like You’ve Got Mail, Serendipity and Bull Durham, they work because both leads are doing their part. The audience has to like these people individually, but more importantly, we have to want to see them together.
Thankfully, that is the case here.
Monica Barbaro lights up the screen. She is incredibly attractive, but more importantly, she gives Allie depth and relatability in this bizarre dating world. Barbaro has been steadily building an impressive résumé, and One Night Only allows her to showcase a lighter, more comedic side. She has an effortless screen presence and brings enough vulnerability to Allie that she never feels simply like “the girl” Owen is destined to end up with.
And Mr. Dua Lipa himself does a fine job with his material.
Callum Turner is charming and sincere as Owen. There is something inherently likeable about his performance, which is important because Owen spends much of the movie trying to figure out what he actually wants. Turner doesn’t overplay the comedy and instead gives Owen a slightly awkward quality that complements Barbaro nicely.
Most importantly, Turner and Barbaro have chemistry.
You can have the funniest script in the world, but if we don’t believe the central relationship, the romantic comedy falls apart. Will this movie stand the test of time like You’ve Got Mail, Serendipity and Bull Durham? Probably not, but it was enjoyable when I saw it.
The high-concept premise also gives the film plenty of opportunities to have fun. The world around Owen and Allie has basically lost its collective mind for one evening. Everywhere they go, people are treating these 12 hours like the biggest party of the year. Against that backdrop, watching two people potentially develop an actual emotional connection becomes strangely sweet.
That is ultimately where One Night Only works best.
The movie could have easily become nothing more than a raunchy comedy built around its gimmick. And yes, there are plenty of jokes that take advantage of the premise. But underneath all of that is a surprisingly traditional romantic comedy about two people meeting at precisely the wrong, or perhaps right, moment in their lives.
Not everything works. The concept raises about a thousand questions that the movie wisely doesn’t spend too much time trying to answer. The supporting characters occasionally feel like they exist only to move Owen and Allie toward their next encounter, and there are moments when you can see the rom-com machinery working.
But I didn’t really care.
Romantic comedies aren’t documentaries. Sometimes you want charming actors, funny situations, and a couple you can root for.
One Night Only delivers that.
It’s funny, sweet and just outrageous enough to separate itself from the countless romantic comedies that came before it. Turner and Barbaro understand the assignment and carry the movie with charm to spare.
So yes, One Night Only is basically The Sex Purge.
But somewhere between all the chaos, hookups and questionable decisions, it remembers that the best romantic comedies aren’t really about sex.
They’re about finding someone who makes you want there to be a second night.
Grade: C+
