'One Night Only' Review: A High-Concept Letdown
After making a splash with beloved rom-coms like Easy A, Friends With Benefits and more recently Anyone But You, director Will GLuck is back with One Night Only, a rom-com that fails to follow through on the potential of its fun high-concept premise.
‘One Night Only’ takes place in a world in which premarital sex is banned nationwide except for one night out of the year where it is legal for twelve hours. On this raucous night, Owen (Callum Turner) and Allie (Monica Barbaro) cross paths and sparks fly. Though initially on different paths, these two continue colliding with one another, slowly realizing there may be a reason their journeys keep them coming back to each other. Essentially, director Will Gluck and writer Travis Braun have delivered a rom-com version of ‘The Purge’, though it’s not nearly as fun or creative as it easily could’ve been.
However, Turner and Barbaro walk away from this project fully innocent, both of the talented actors delivering game, likable and very charming performances here. Turner is no stranger to rom-coms, having previously starred in A24’s excellent ‘Eternity’, once again bringing his magnetism and heart to a role that is in desperate need of it, effectively portraying a hopelessly romantic and exceedingly nice young man who simply doesn’t fit in with a society that has a collectively veracious sexual appetite. Barbaro wonderfully meets him at his level, navigating Allie’s insecurities and spontaneity with a deft hand. Though the two of them don’t exactly ignite the screen together, they have enough chemistry to keep the film afloat, especially as it runs out of steam comedically. Though they’re given lackluster material to work with, they still make for a couple ultimately worth rooting for, a miracle in and of itself.
As for exploring the film’s high-concept premise, it’s a bit of a mixed bag here. While there are sequences and bits that make great use of it and tap into its boundless potential, these moments are unfortunately few and far between, relying on lazy jokes and gags to generate laughs that do anything but. It’s abundantly clear that the writing and jokes in particular needed to be tightened up and sharpened, resulting in a screenplay that becomes the film’s biggest hindrance. Braun, who has has only written for children’s programming such as ‘Vampirina’, ‘Fast Layne’ and ‘Muppet Babies’ up until this point, unfortunately seems out of his depth here, clearly writing outside his comfort zone as he fails to give the film the narrative momentum and breezy charm it surely needs. Simply put, this one definitely needed Gluck’s touch in the writers room.
Though the screenplay is certainly a sizable issue, the pacing and energy, or lack thereof, is one of the film’s most glaring setbacks. From the jump, the film has very little propulsion and sluggish pacing, never remedying these issues as it barrels through the predictable romantic arc of its two central characters. The best rom-coms have a light on their feet buoyancy to them while this entry into the genre can never seem to get its own off the ground. There are sequences in which the film is eager to win the audience over and make them feel as if they’re having one of the most audaciously unpredictable nights of their lives along with Allie and Owen, but these set pieces end up feeling more rote and underwhelming than exhilarating.
Not helping matters is the fact the film not only justifies its central conceit in a flimsy manner, but continues to over-explain the rules of this mandate to the point where it fully loses its mystique and overall appeal. The film also largely plays its safe considering its R rating and the nature of its premise. There are countless instances where the film could’ve easily headed into far more interesting and delightfully unhinged territory, but instead chooses to take the path most traveled and play things conservatively. As sad as it is to express, this is a “raunchy” comedy that with just a few tweaks and trims could’ve easily passed for a PG-13 film, a disappointing realization. Considering Gluck’s prior entries into the genre and his sensibilities, it’s quite bizarre how bland and vanilla this film feels.
‘One Night Only’ certainly follows and adheres to the tried and true rom-com formula that has helped make the genre such a beloved staple for decades. However, when it comes to these kinds of films, the journey is always far more important than the predictable destination. Unfortunately, in this addition to the genre, the journey is littered with potholes and notable wasted potential. While it’s always encouraging to see a rom-com receive a theatrical release, audiences deserve to see a far better one on the big screen.