No assembly RequireD

These are strange times we are living in, no matter which way you look at it it seems like every aspect of our life is trying to be controlled. Movies can thankfully be a representation of the times they are out out in. But this can also mean if not done well they are still indicative of an ongoing lack of creativity that exists in modern day studio films. ONE NIGHT ONLY also now known as the “sex purge” movie never knows how to utilize its concept. And while it can almost be excusable for taking a few missteps in not going for it all the film directed by Will Gluck (Anyone But You) feels satisfied in limiting itself. It is the kind of film that wants to have fun with its world building of a time where premarital sex is legal for one night only, but at the same time play into the conservative ideas at hand and basically give into the ideologies by the end of its runtime. A film directed with little vigor and instead done so with the purity of someone far too terrified of sex as enjoyment and only sees it as a way to express a deep desire of love. The film in its desire to cast very attractive people never needed to be a gawk fest but it also never needed to be this tame.

Allie (Monica Barbaro) likes the buildup to sex, and Owen (Callum Turner) likes the after. Both find themselves out during the one wild night where the United States has allowed premarital sex. A laughable premise at first ONE NIGHT ONLY seems to enjoy setting up some fun world building while also leaving a ton of open doors unchecked. We are led to believe that a far more conservative congress passed this law to protect the sanctity of marriage, something that in our times is unfortunately way too close to reality. Scanned with biometrics every single person is under constant surveillance to make sure they abstain from premarital sex until the big night. For single Allie this night means trying to find love amongst the worst type of people given full freedom and for Owen this night means trying to get out of his shell while not thinking about his girlfriend (Maya Hawke) opens up their relationship to sleep with other people. ONE NIGHT ONLY knows that you know these two individuals are destined to meet one another and possibly even fall in love, but it also wants to send them on what can be seen as the craziest night in the city or just another New York tale. 

What the film doesn’t seem to have any interest in is using its premise for something actually bold or wild. Instead it teeters around the corners of outrageous or titillating in favor for safe ground. Barbaro may be charming, but she is saddled with an idea of a woman who is safe with sex and refuses to see it beyond emotional attraction. While Callum Turner as Owen is never given any moment of attachment as a dull ‘dreamboat” of a man who is too good to just jump into bed with anyone. Both characters play less as authentic and more so engaged to the concept that seems to drive modern day Christian fan fiction where purity before physical action is admirable rather than being nothing less than purely dishonest. The film spends its opening twenty minutes refusing to discuss the physical, mental and emotional pain that comes from not allowing sex and instead uses the characters that engage in the one night’s allowance as butts of the joke. It knows its speaking to a generation of people who have made sex something to once again be afraid of rather than understand its ability to be a deeper way to connect if you want or just a quick opportunity for enjoyment if you so desire. Neither is wrong but in the film’s eyes a one time quickie is nothing more than an opportunity for a joke or in this film’s case a dull chuckle. 

As the film progresses deeper into the night and the sex clock down dies down the film seems to almost remove its premise in favor of forcing us to believe these characters are perfect for one another beyond the physical. And while romantic comedies almost feel required to bank on its chemistry of its two leads ONE NIGHT ONLY spends most of its time with the two leads apart not giving Turner or Barbaro enough time to build any back and forth. Barbaro is given slightly funnier tools at her disposal as Allie is a singer who sings revamped pop songs for medical commercials, but when all her personality is reduced to girl who has stage fright we see that the script written by Travis Braun has no intention in viewing her as being who has sexual desire outside of emotional wanting. To have a character like Allie in 2026 seems more related to an ongoing desire of basement dwellers who want their women beautiful but virgin like. It can seem like a drastic comparison but when ONE NIGHT ONLY meets its final fork in the road and chooses purity over lust it’s terrifying to see how far we’ve regressed and have to appeal those unwilling to allow their films to be sexual. 

ONE NIGHT ONLY doesn’t need to be the film to revive the sex comedy, for starters it is easy to see how those films can be from a more aggressive begotten era. But there is still this sense that because many of the films in the sub genre have aged poorly that they should be removed entirely. A bizarre concept when filmmakers like Gregg Araki continues to put out films including his workplace dominant sex comedy ‘I Want Your Sex” has hit theaters. Even Araki who has bit back at the more regressed younger generation still doesn’t allow his film to go full gusto so it would be surprisingly if ONE NIGHT ONLY became the film to break new ground. However it still speaks deeper into the idea that one must wonder if the movies who taught many young adults what sex could be like is once again doing the same for all the wrong reasons. Sex can be loving, it can be exciting it can even be with zero connection at all but one thing it should never be is boring. 

C-

ONE NIGHT ONLY IS NOW IN THEATERS