Sometime in the near distant future, a mandate is passed that prevents single people from having pre-marital sex. The rules are allowed to be broken one night a year. For Owen (Callum Turner) and Allie (Monica Barbaro), this is a night that they’d much rather avoid. This year, Owen’s long term girlfriend Malika (Maya Hawke) says she wants to explore other options while Allie is looking for true love. When the two strangers meet, sparks fly, but a series of missteps and side quests complicate their evening.

Director Will Gluck, who was behind the films Anyone But You and Friends With Benefits, is back with One Night Only. This one has been getting a lot of flack from the critics and I cannot for the life of me understand why. I loved everything about this film! As long as you lean into the crazy, it totally and completely works. I was sold from the get go and I found it to be a breath of fresh air.

This was my first time seeing both Turner and Barbaro star is something light-hearted and they completely smashed it. Their comedic timing was perfect; they had me cracking up during their various antics and I couldn’t wait to see how each of their evenings were going to pan out. Together they were electric and I thought it was smart to not have them immediately drawn to one another. It kept the audience on their toes because even though we know how it’s going to end, it wasn’t as predictable as it otherwise could have been.

There were so many cameos scattered throughout that it was hard to keep track. Every time somebody I knew popped up on screen, I squealed in delight because I really did not expect some of them to be there. For those who weren’t so much of a surprise, I enjoyed seeing Maya Hawke in something new. It was also a delight to have Molly Ringwald star as Linda, Owen’s very sexually liberated mother.

While the premise may be a bit far fetched, it is actually one we have seen before although much less violent and a lot more horny. The situations we see these characters get into are laugh out loud hilarious and not at all realistic, but they don’t have to be. I appreciated the way in which this film was very self-assured. The parodies were spot on, but they held an important message. Not only that, it was very sex positive which is not something we see too often.

Overall, One Night Only was a total blast. It sucked me in front the beginning and didn’t let go until the credits rolled. Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro served as charming leads and the comedy landed. Don’t listen to the haters – give this film a chance!

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️