'One Night Only' Review: A Charming Rom-Com Makes the Most of One Crazy Night
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
By Dan Bremner - August 27, 2026
The new high-concept romantic comedy from Will Gluck that sells itself with the boldest possible elevator pitch: The Purge, but for sex. I’m an easy mark for a breezy rom-com, and while the premise was mocked to death before release, I was a big fan of Gluck’s Easy A and quite liked Anyone But You, so I went in with modest hopes. The concept and world are utterly ridiculous and fall apart the second you think about them for more than ten seconds… and yet I still ended up incredibly won over by this screwball comedy. One Night Only is predictable and a bit sentimental, but it’s also consistently funny, very charming, and a genuinely fun time thanks to the electric chemistry of its two leads.
Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner are the whole engine of the film. As Allie (an aspiring singer stuck recording pharmaceutical jingles because of stage fright) and Owen (a pizzeria owner), they have easy, breezy, magnetic chemistry that lights up every scene they’re in together. The flirtation and the exasperation of them constantly bumping into each other throughout the night — They get off one the wrong foot, but I bet you can't guess how they feel by the end, it all feels natural and makes you root for them even when the plot is busy throwing every possible obstacle in their way. Barbaro in particular is excellent: bright, funny, physically and verbally sharp, and she absolutely delivers on the musical moments. Turner matches her with a likable mix of goofiness and charm. Their pairing is the best thing Gluck has had since Easy A.
Gluck directs with a light, confident touch. He polishes the absurd premise into something sharp and watchable, with clever editing gags, strong visual compositions and a tight 102-minute runtime that never drags. The film commits fully to its silly near-future world with biometric wrist sensors, government enforcement, ads, graffiti, countdown clocks and all and finds a surprising amount of humour in the details. The pharmaceutical jingle parodies are a particular highlight, especially with Barbaro’s vocals turning pop songs into ads for psoriasis cream and whatnot.
What I didn't expect was the huge amount of cameos and small roles left out of the marketing. Maya Hawke, Molly Ringwald, LeVar Burton, Julia Fox and a string of cameos all add colour and the occasional laugh. It captures a fun, slightly heightened version of New York and keeps the energy up throughout. Unfortunately, The CEO of Sex himself was absent during the proceedings, but I can only imagine he was already locked away for breaking the law several times.
Of course the high concept is full of holes. The second you start asking practical questions: how enforcement actually works behind closed doors, why people don’t just marry and divorce strategically, what counts as a violation, where this law even came from, the whole thing starts looking shaky. The film never really addresses any of it. Even more strangely, for a film built around a 12-hour window of legal sexual freedom, it’s remarkably sexless and tame. There’s very little actual eroticism or edge. It often feels oddly prudish and clean-cut, sometimes even a bit judgemental about casual hook-ups. A “sex Purge” movie this sex-averse is a weird choice. This is the sort of film that could and should have been made by a real pervert in the ‘90s.
One Night Only doesn't always flesh out its absurd premise of “The Purge with sex” the best it can, but it does make way for a charming, funny and very easy watching rom-com. Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner make for incredibly likeable leads with great chemistry in a one crazy night story that mostly lands.
'One Night Only' releases in cinemas on August 28, 2026.
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