Synopsis: Recently dumped Owen and hopeful romantic Allie might be the only two singles in the city looking for more than just a quick encounter. They both feel a spark when they meet, but a series of missteps and side quests complicate their night, keeping them apart. As they each race toward and away from each other across the city, they just might discover that the one thing they want most is closer than they think.
What We Thought:
With a name like One Night Only you’re probably expecting a generic, by-the-books rom-com. With two highly attractive leads, you’d probably double down on that assumption. Well, I have good news for you, the film actually brings something new to the table! Sure, ultimately it’s about two good looking people in a “will they/won’t they” story, but the sub-story is more The Purge than it is When Harry Met Sally.
I mention The Purge because the concept is similar to that franchise. Whereas that series is about being able to kill, steal and destroy for one night a year, One Night Only is about letting your carnal beast out one night a year. Yep, the film is about a society where premarital sex has been outlawed besides one day a year. STDs, unwanted pregnancies, affairs have all fallen away thanks to this new law that uses technology to track people. It’s not as complicated as that seems and you don’t need to be a sci-fi fan to follow along. Again, ultimately it is a “will they/won’t they” rom-com, but I like that they tried something new in the genre.
Callum Turner has been in a bunch of things, but I really know him from Eternity opposite Elizabeth Olsen and Miles Teller. I thought that was one of the biggest surprises of 2025. Here he plays a pizza shop owner in New York City who is looking forward to spending time with his girlfriend on this glorious day. She has other plans and it spirals his night out of control. Enter Monica Barbaro. I know her best as Joan Baez in A Complete Unknown, but after this, I will be paying attention to her quite a bit. Not only is she very easy on the eyes, but like with the Bob Dylan biopic, she sings in this as well. She plays a singer who sings those awful parody cover songs we hear in pharmaceutical commercials. They are quite funny and become sort of a running joke throughout the film.
Why the movie works more than it has any right doing is because of the juxtaposition of two highly attractive people having issues on the one day you can get laid. He gets dumped so he’s already in a weird mindset. She is more the hopeless romantic so both have explanations on why their day would go sideways, but honestly, either would just have to step outside to find a good time. The comedy element of the romantic comedy is the real life situations happening around the absurd story. You have to use protection in order to hook up so condoms are sold out everywhere. She has a roommate, he doesn’t want to go back his apartment because his girlfriend is probably there so they run around town trying to get protection and find locations to get it on. None of it goes according to plan and it’s funny in that cheesy way that only rom-coms can pull off.
One Night Only is a movie that in theory I shouldn’t like. Barbaro skyrockets into leading lady territory for me and can easily take over a film that Sydney Sweeney doesn’t want. Turner might be British Glen Powell because he has that everyman charm about him. The movie is filled with cameos, sight gags and more which is great for someone like me who really doesn’t like rom-coms. I’m curious what it’ll do at the box office because it could very easily disappoint, but it could also very easily catch on with the right audience. Either way it’ll definitely be a movie that finds an audience when streaming. For a movie I wasn’t expecting much out of, it is…
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