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Director Will Gluck’s latest romantic comedy, “One Night Only,” stars Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner as two appealing leads navigating a romance in New York City. Despite the film’s inviting setting and occasional witty dialogue, the movie struggles under the weight of its unconventional premise, which ultimately undermines what could have been a charming love story.
The film is set in a dystopian future where premarital sexual relations have been outlawed across the United States. Once annually, however, the government suspends this restriction for a single night, allowing unmarried citizens to engage in intimate encounters. This high-concept setup, introduced within seconds of the film’s opening through explanatory title cards, immediately shifts the tone from lighthearted romance to something far darker and more unsettling.
While Barbaro and Turner demonstrate genuine chemistry as Owen, a pizzeria owner, and Allie, a struggling vocalist, the film’s tone-deaf approach to its grim premise creates significant problems. Director Gluck maintains relentlessly bright lighting and an upbeat musical score featuring a buoyant cover of “Love Is in the Air,” creating jarring cognitive dissonance with the authoritarian backdrop involving government-monitored tracking chips and invasive surveillance. The script fails to develop meaningful investment in the central romance.
Despite the talents of its lead actors and occasional moments of genuine humor, “One Night Only” cannot overcome the fundamental disconnect between its darkly dystopian setting and its determinedly cheerful romantic comedy tone, leaving audiences unable to fully engage with the predictable love story unfolding onscreen.
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Originally reported by Variety →
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