Review: "One Night Only"

One Night Only is one of those “What if?” movies.

It brings to mind The Purge (2013) a grim, dramatic movie based on the premise that in some slightly altered universe the government legalizes murder for 24 hours, setting into motion a complete breakdown of law and order and sanity. “What if?” Right?

One Night Only is a romantic comedy set in a world where premarital sex has been outlawed by the government.  That is, with the exception of one day when the ban is lifted and premarital couples can copulate with wild abandon with just one catch – they must wear a condom.

We meet Owen (Callum Turner), a young, handsome pizza shop owner who invites his girlfriend of four years to dinner at an Asian restaurant to kick off the evening.  Unbeknownst to her, Owen plans to surprise her with an engagement ring frozen into the ice cube in her drink.  Before that happens, she surprises him by announcing she wants to spend the evening with a handsome hunk living in her building (who bears a striking resemblance to Glen Powell).  Devastated by the news, Owen stumbles out into the streets in a state of shock.

Across town, we meet Allie (Monica Barbaro) an incredibly attractive young singer, hard at work in a recording studio cranking out a tune for a TV commercial about psoriasis.  Afterward, to raise her spirits, Allie’s girlfriend dresses her up in a very revealing, attention-grabbing outfit guaranteed to help Allie make the most of her night of freedom.

Moviegoers know the two of them are on a collision course of romance and attraction.  It’s been done a million times before, but we never tire of watching the chase, or in this case, the craziness of all the events that keep bringing them together despite their best efforts not to get involved.  Things get off to a rocky start when Owen suddenly throws up (as a result of the Asian food and drinks) right in front of Allie as they are having their first, get-to-know-you conversation.

Movies like this are based on the long torturous journey that happens when two star-crossed lovers refuse to believe what the universe is trying to tell them, repeatedly.  It is a road strewn with many stumbling blocks that make their path a difficult one.  As in movies like It Happened One Night (1934) and What’s Up Doc? (1972) it can make for great comedy.

While One Night Only might not rise to the level of the aforementioned comedy classics, it does a fair job keeping the audience entertained.  Its strength lies in the casting of the lead characters, especially Monica Barbaro as Allie.  In addition to her sweet, innocent portrayal as the talented but shy girl looking for love, she is drop dead gorgeous and sizzling sexy throughout the film.  As in Hollywood’s Golden Era when audiences flocked to theaters to gaze at their favorite stars (despite the movie’s storyline or plot or lack thereof) One Night Only offers an onscreen couple whose good looks and chemistry alone are worth the price of admission.

In addition to their performances, the movie offers cameos from the likes of Molly Ringwald (playing Owen’s mom) and LeVar Burton (as Owen’s mom’s romantic partner).  Pete Davidson and Bobby Cannavale make a brief appearance as TV cops.  Fans of the rock band Haim will recognize Este Haim in a minor role as a glammed-up model.  Other notable actors are sprinkled in. No spoilers.

As expected, the movie is about sex starved people having sex, so there are ample (tastefully shot) scenes of people unleashing pent-up passion in various stages of dress (or undress).  The only real nudity involves a couple of male butt shots thrown in for laughs.

In the end, One Night Only cashes in on a whacky “What If?” premise that allows it to create a strange, nocturnal journey along the lines of Martin Scorsese’s offbeat comedy After Hours (1985).  It’s an excuse for sexy people in sexy outfits to roam the streets in search of, well, condoms and sex.

One Night Only is rated R.