tech
One Night Only review
‘What if The Purge was for premarital sex?’ is the odd, gimmicky elevator pitch for this slickly made yet ungainly oddity that can’t quite get past the grimness of its conceit
TL;DR
- The premise of "One Night Only" involves a government-mandated sex night where premarital sex is otherwise illegal, enforced by biosensors.
- The film follows Owen and Allie as they search for sexual partners within a strict 12-hour window in New York City.
- Despite director Will Gluck's slick visual style, the movie is criticized for being overstuffed, undercooked, and unable to reconcile its dark premise with a rom-com tone.
- The article notes ineffective cameos and a lack of specific, smart writing, questioning why the leads don't simply have sex on their first meeting.
- The film is described as more of a sex caper than a rom-com, with a gimmicky, ADHD quality and misfiring pop culture references.
- The reviewer found the film to be progressively sex-negative and suggested it plays like government propaganda, normalizing the 'sex purge' idea.