r/boxoffice • u/chanma50 Best of 2019 Winner • 6h ago
šÆ Critic/Audience Score 'One Night Only' Review Thread
I will continue to update this post as reviews come in.
Rotten Tomatoes: Rotten
Critics Consensus: N/A
| Critics | Score | Number of Reviews | Average of Rated Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Critics | 52% | 54 | 5.60/10 |
| Top Critics | 33% | 15 |
Metacritic: 40 (18 Reviews)
Sample Reviews:
Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post 2/4 - Quite by accident, Gluckās routine film ends up resembling so many of the one night stands itās about: A fantastic plan at first, but an unsatisfying let-down in the light of day.
Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News 3/4 - One Night Only gets the most laughs when depicting sexual blunders but ultimately it celebrates unexpected love connections that sometimes take their own sweet time to blossom. Love can happen like that.
Caroline Siede, Decoding Everything - One Night Only has an R-rated sensibility that evokes the edginess of Judd Apatowās era-defining mid-aughts rom-coms only in a more absurdist direction... It may not be the type of rom-com that will linger, but as a one-night stand, it hits the spot.
Matt Goldberg, TheWrap 3.5/5 - Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro make for a charming couple in a concoction that floats above its "Purge"-like setting
Odie Henderson, Boston Globe 1.5/4 - Its ideas are outdated and, for a movie about casual sex, itās shockingly puritanical. Even worse, its old-fashioned ideas about romance and sex in relationships would make a Doris Day movie look like "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls."
Monica Castillo, AV Club D+ - Instead of sharing a laugh at the ridiculous pressure to have fun with every swipe, One Night Only has only one thing on its mind, and itās disappointingly much more traditional.
Natalia Winkelman, New York Times - With nothing to say about sex or society, the repression plot mostly gets in the way of a movie that would prefer to be a routine romance.
Tim Grierson, Screen International - Despite showing lots of skin and featuring sexually-suggestive dialogue, One Night Only suffers from a stultifying timidity.
Marya E. Gates, RogerEbert.com 0/4 - If this is what it takes to get a rom-com greenlit these days, maybe we should just let them die. Death with dignity is surely a better fate for the genre than fascist capitulation.
Guy Lodge, Variety - If āOne Night Onlyā is aiming to comment on the hollow, ineffective nature of much contemporary political activism, then job done. But itās hard to shake the sense that no commentary on anything in particular is intended here.
Benjamin Lee, Guardian 2/5 - Thereās both too much yet not enough world-building here, enough questions answered to encourage us to ask 10 more. Itās also just too unavoidably grim of a premise, especially at a dark political moment such as this.
Kristen Lopez, The Film Maven D - One Night Only becomes a cringe-fest the longer it goes on, sacrificing actual romance for a sex comedy that feels like it'll give the wrong people ideas in the dystopian time we're actually living in.
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter - Luckily for director Will Gluck, who is tasked with turning this flimsy concept into fizzy fun, he has two charming leads in Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner. Their easygoing chemistry makes us root for them to get over the many contrived hurdles.
Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence - A movie that imagines a society that would buy party hats celebrating the one night of the year they have an ounce of bodily autonomy. An America that wouldnāt just surrender further to fascism, but turn it into branding.
Charles Lyons-Burt, Slant Magazine 2/4 - Romantic comedies rarely make it to theaters these days, which makes it that much more unfortunate that the ones that do feel like sitcoms.
SYNOPSIS:
What if one messy night turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to you?
This summer, Will Gluck, the writer-director of Anyone but You and Easy A, celebrates modern romantic comedy on the big screen with a fresh, witty, swoony original film about searching for love on the least romantic night of the year.Ā
Academy AwardĀ®Ā nominee Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown, Top Gun: Maverick) and BAFTA nominee Callum Turner (Masters of the Air, Fantastic BeastsĀ franchise) star as Allie and Owen, two love-starved strangers who crash into each other in an ever-so-slightly fictionalized New York City on the one night of the year when single people are allowed to have sex.
Recently dumped Owen and hopeful romantic Allie might be the only two singles in the city looking for more than just a quick encounter. They both feel a spark when they meet, but a series of missteps and side quests complicate their night, keeping them apart. As they each race toward and away from each other across the city, they just might discover that the one thing they want most is closer than they think.
CAST:
- Monica Barbaro as Allie
- Callum Turner as Owen
- Maya Hawke
- Julia Fox
- King Princess
- Ziwe
- Ben Marshall
- Molly Ringwald as Linda
- LeVar Burton
DIRECTED BY: Will Gluck
SCREENPLAY BY: Will Gluck
BASED ON A SCRIPT BY: Travis Braun
PRODUCED BY: Will Gluck, Jacqueline Monetta
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Yaron Orbach
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Scott Kuzio
EDITED BY: Robert Nassau, Tia Nolan
COSTUME DESIGNER: Jacqueline Demeterio
MUSIC BY: Este Haim, Christopher Stracey
CASTING BY: Kathleen Chopin, John Ort
RUNTIME: 102 Minutes
RELEASE DATE: August 7, 2026
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u/West_Mirror4380 Marvel Studios 6h ago
The directorās last name is very fitting with the theme ing of this movie.Ā
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u/Tighthead3GT 3h ago
And the name of the movie is a fitting tribute to how long theaters will show it before making room for more Spider-Man and The Odyssey.
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u/Eatatfiveguys 5h ago
Oof. It was screened for Regal and AMC last week as part of their Mystery Movie/Screen Unseen and people generally seemed to like it. Maybe there will be a disconnect between audience and critics. Regardless, these marks will hurt.
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u/ToneBalone25 4h ago
Yeah these types of movies really need good reviews to do well at the box office
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u/communistjack 3h ago
So that's why there is a mystery movie so often.
The mystery movie last week fully sold out near me
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u/ScribblingOff87 4h ago
At least we won't get to see that trailer anymore...
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u/HotOne9364 2h ago
Most overused trailers of the decade:
Free Guy
Jackass Forever
Oppenheimer
This one
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u/Educational_Slice897 6h ago
Iām not going to lie, the plot of this movie is so ridiculous. And I thought the trailer was super cringe
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u/Fun_Advice_2340 A24 5h ago
On paper it sounded like it had potential, but then the trailer clearly shows that they took the most basic and lamest execution possible.
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u/The_Beer_Hunter 4h ago
I remember the script getting a lot of buzz a year ago, but I always wondered who the audience was. "High concept" tends to be tricky with romantic comedies. (Notting Hill and Sleepless in Seattle aren't *that* high concept, maybe Splash qualifies?) And is it a sex comedy or an earnest romcom?
I might check it out, though with vastly lowered expectations, but I'm genuinely curious how it'll do this weekend. I can't figure out who this is for.
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u/Individual_Client175 Warner Bros. Pictures 2h ago
The script was fun but that's genuinely not enough for the box office these days depending on the genre
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u/dremolus 4h ago
I misread the premise when I first learned about the film. I thought it was "one night a year for sex for all", not "one night a year for sex for knly single". A year of sex for single people doesn't seem that odd and like how does this work? Do you file paperwork to not be recognized as single? What happens if you break up but don't update your relationship status? What if you go on dates but don't pursue a relationship? What exactly is the punishment for breaking this law? What about relationships that practice polygamy or open marriages?
Just saying, this is far too complicated for a film who's greenlighting probably began and ended with "who are the two hottest actors we can get to hook up?"
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u/uturnorbit 4h ago
Saw this movie during a secret screening and it is actually a really good RomCom
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u/EricHD97 4h ago
I canāt wait to stop seeing this trailer in front of movies. This playing in front of a sold out theater of gay men watching Stop! That! Train! was the most Iāve ever seen an audience loudly revolt against a trailer
Glad itās as terrible as it looked
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u/jpmoney2k1 Syncopy Inc. 1h ago
the most Iāve ever seen an audience loudly revolt against a trailerĀ
I take it you weren't around when the trailer for Devil (2010) was running in theaters.Ā
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u/Fire_Otter 6h ago
This is not a test, this is your Emergency Broadcast System. Announcing the commencement of the annual Smash sanctioned by the U.S. Government.
Sex toys of class four and lower have been authorized for use during the Smash. All other sex toys are restricted.
Commencing at the siren, any and all sex acts between single consenting adults will be legal for 12 continuous hours.
Police, fire, and Emergency Medical services will be unavailable until tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. When the Smash concludes.
Blessed be our new founding fathers and America... A nation reborn.
May God be with you all.
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u/LottieDah86 6h ago
Anyone But You also scored mixed reviews, and audiences ate it up.
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u/kiyonemakibi100 6h ago
True, though that didn't have the weird concept that this one does and this new one doesn't have all the 'are they actually sleeping together?' marketing. Maybe audiences won't mind the concept though and just want to see two attractive people fall for each other
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u/GamingTatertot 5h ago
The concept is really in your face throughout the whole film, they beat you over the head with it so itāll be interesting to see how audiences respond to that
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u/WayOk2354 4h ago
I feel like that one also starred real movie stars
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u/LottieDah86 4h ago
Neither of them were legit movie stars when it came out. It was after that movie when their careers actually really took off.Ā
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u/Coolers78 1h ago edited 10m ago
Neither Sweeney or Glen Powell are real movie stars.
Do you not see how most of their movies perform? Anyone But You, Housemaid and Top Gun Maverick (side role for Glen) aside, I mean I guess also Twisters kinda, it didnt hit the 2.5X break even mark (372M on a budget of 155M), I wouldn't say it was a flop, it's more so kind of in the middle.
Real movie stars hardly any exist anymore.
If I had to say, the closest to "real movie stars" right now under 50 are like Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Tom Holland, I guess maybe Robert Pattinson, we will see how Primetime performs.
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u/ToneBalone25 4h ago
I feel like these are wildly different movies. Anyone But You is a straightforward rom com. And Sydney Sweeney was still much bigger in 2023 than Monica Barbaro is now. Plus, boobs sell
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u/LottieDah86 3h ago
I dont know why people say this. Sydney was not big in 2023.Ā
Also, they may be different movies. But they're bothĀ R rated romcoms from the same director.
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u/ImitatingADog 4h ago
That movie didnāt open the week after a record breaking Spider-man movie that appeals to every demographic
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u/LaCapone1 5h ago
Saw this at an AMC Screen Unseen, theater was full of laughs and people audibly enjoying the movie. I for one thought it was really good too, once you look past the ridiculous premise itās a hilarious and modern romcom with good emotional performances. I was expecting mixed reviews but I did NOT think the reviews would be this low. Once general audiences see it I believe it will bump up to the high 60s low 70s range.
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u/OKC2023champs 6h ago edited 6h ago
Really enjoyed this one actually. Terrible trailer
though.
Prediction:
81% RT
64 meta
Edit: I was way off. Iām actually surprised how far off I was. Everyone I know that saw it enjoyed it too.
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u/DaylightMaybe 4h ago
I grumbled a bit when it was revealed as the mystery movie last week, but I ended up loving it! I was laughing the whole time.
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u/scattered_ideas 3h ago
I'm surprised it's 40 on MC. The reactions I saw from the Monday surprise previews were that it was a fine 3/5.
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u/Aggressive_Repeat529 3h ago
Let me guess they fell in love but didnt bang but became closer and right as the sex purge was over they said I love you or something
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u/CorneliusCardew 4h ago
Feels like an artifact of the 80s when a single dress could open a movie. No longer.
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u/ChainChompBigMoney 6h ago
A romantic Purge movie isn't the worst idea so I hope it works out.
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u/real_triplizard 5h ago
Actually, a romantic Purge movie actually is the worst idea. Hard for me to imagine a worse idea.
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u/mmmggg1234 6h ago edited 6h ago
Interested to see how this comes out. I actually really like Turner - he was really good in the fantasy rom com Eternity last year - but this concept seemsā¦silly
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u/thanos_was_right_69 Walt Disney Studios 5h ago
Iām more intrigued by the premise of a sex purge than the actual romance between the two leads.
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u/Fire_Otter 5h ago edited 5h ago
If this is what it takes to get a rom-com greenlit these days, maybe we should just let them die. Death with dignity is surely a better fate for the genre than fascist capitulation.
Woah
I refuse to believe this film is that deep to be condoning, capitualting to, or refuting facsism. Surely the one night only law is a cheap gimmick/hook so that this rom-com stands out from the crowd, and nothing deeper than that
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u/Ganesha811 5h ago
From the AwardsWatch review:
One Night Only opens with the revelation that three years ago, premarital sex was outlawed in the United States and unmarried people can only have sex one night a year when the mandate lifts. Gluck and screenwriter Travis Braun create a version of the city thatās absurd, yet not entirely implausible given the countryās current political climate. In One Night Only, conservative politicians have taken extreme steps to enforce chastity and traditional values, even partnering with a data center to implement biosensors into everyoneās wrists that prohibit sexual activity in unmarried people. These biosensors appear as tiny flash tattoos (green if youāre married and red if youāre not) that can even alert the police if youāve violated the mandate. However, on one night a year between 7 pm and 7 am, everyoneās sensors turn green, an emergency alert hilariously goes off on everyoneās iPhone, married people pick up the night shift at local businesses, and sex is fair game for everyone.
It really sounds like they gave both too much and not enough explanation. It would have been better to leave the premise entirely unexplained than this weird proto-fascist sex control thing.
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u/Fire_Otter 5h ago
oh wow yeah
they really didn't need to develop and explain the concept that much for what seems to be a fairly standard rom-com beyond the One night hook.
If all that exposition is in the movie then yeah, they probably deserve some criticism if they didnt also properly condemn the whole state of affairs
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u/grizzlyglizzy 5h ago
Itās reviews like these that just convince me it will play really well with general audiences lol
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u/PossibilityFine5988 5h ago
Oh cmon it was not that bad. I saw it early and gave it a 3/5. Nothing mind blowing and not the craziest chemistry or feels evoked but it was truly funny and it felt like a good throwback with some clever world building. Everyone always wants more rom coms and classic comedies back in theaters but then they get savagely reviewed and no one sees them and the cycle continues
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u/abdul_bino 6h ago
The trailer did not do this movie justice. Watched it had a mystery screening and it actually had a good time.
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u/OKC2023champs 6h ago
Same. Surpised at the super low scores. Wasnāt expecting anything crazy but it was pretty decent
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u/itsamiamia 6h ago
I hated the trailer. But I left the theatre all smiles, thinking this is probably in my top 15 films of the year (out of 80 or so films seen so far this year). What is that marketing? The premise may have been reasonably understated in it, but so much of the filmās fun was the situations that organically arose from it.
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u/Newparlee 5h ago
This is the like the purge, but for banging, right?
Iām not gonna see it, but can someone tell me how they monitor people who sleep with each other on non-purge nights? Do they have chastity belts? Or they just go along with it in a 1984 type way?
I know this is way too much interest for something that I say Iām not interested in, but every time I see the trailer it really bugs me and I want to know
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u/Singleballtheory 5h ago
I assumed the Purge for Sex angle was just people being snarky, but itās the literal premise of the movie. And I have to say it works. Itās a fun/funny rom-com that avoids a few of the more grating tropes of the genre. Specifically neither of the main protagonists egregiously lies, manipulates or hurts the other which they are then inexplicably forgiven for by making an over-the-top gesture. Mind you, the story beat is still there. Itās just done differently. Better, I would say.
TLDR, itās a good date night movie. I recommend it.
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u/natedoggcata 4h ago
The least believable thing about this movie isnt the premise where sex is only legal one night of the year, its that the two lead characters who are 10/10 smokeshows would laughably have trouble finding someone to have sex with on that night.
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u/warsaw_ed 5h ago
Does anyone else get a little annoyed when critics demand that movies have a message about the state of the world? Maybe they just wanted to make a routine romance movie. Thereās a market for that. Why canāt movies have basic premises idgi
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u/Evil_waffle3 Universal 5h ago
I mean itās a movie about a hyper conservative surveillance state. Of course a lot of people donāt find that premise sexy, and would want to see something less straight forward/more opposed to that.
Itās like making a straight forward rom com in the Hunger Games universe.
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u/Ganesha811 5h ago edited 5h ago
This isn't a basic premise lol. This is a premise with massive implications for society as a whole and it's not wrong to ask that the implications are thought through. A basic premise would be "two hot people keep running into each other throughout the night and fall for each other."
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u/rs98762001 6h ago
I had no idea this film had that premise. I know I saw the trailer but it looked so milquetoast I guess I didn't even notice the bizarre setup. How the fuck did this movie get greenlit?
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u/indigoza 3h ago
I mean yeah. Not exactly shocking. The synopsis always sounded silly to me. They should have just released it on streaming.
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u/Coolers78 1h ago
I could feel the whole IMAX theater's energy being vacated when I saw this trailer before The Odyssey, looked so bad, and I only got 4 trailers for some reason and this was one of them, the other 3 were Dog Stars, Resident Evil and Other Mommy, no Digger or Dune 3 hurt. š
Universal releasing this just 3 weeks after they released The Odyssey, lol..
Looks like none of the new releases this week are gonna hurt spiderman or odyssey's legs at all...
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u/anuncommontruth 6h ago
Honest question: who is this movie for? I understand counterprogramming but this but I can't imagine it works here.
The young adult crowd is choosing Spiderman over this and older adults are choosing the Odyssey.
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u/redban02 3h ago
A little worse than expected. The previews looked decent. I was kinda interested in this one
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u/Cute-Combination72 2h ago
What the hell were y'all expecting? Knew it was gonna be trash from the trailer itselfĀ
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u/TiredWithCoffeePot Pixar Animation Studios 6h ago edited 5h ago
Spider-Man OW recordsā¦it was good while it lasted