Film Review: ONE NIGHT ONLY (2026): Will Gluck’s Latest Comedy is So Much Fun, It’s Sure to Be the Best Date Movie of August

One Night Only Review

One Night Only (2026) Film Review, a movie directed by Will Gluck, written by Travis Braun and starring Monica Barbaro, Callum Turner, Ben Marshall, Maya Hawke, Molly Ringwald, Michelle Hurd, Julia Fox, King Princess, LaVar Burton, Roma Maffia, Sydney Cole Alexander, Quintessa Swindell, Okieriete Onaodowan, Ella Loudon, Este Haim, Frank Pando, Priya Jain and Chyril Paulann.

Filmmaker Will Gluck (Easy A) turns the romantic comedy inside out with a hilarious new movie, One Night Only, which is set in New York City in August on the one night of the year that single people are legally allowed to have premarital sex. A funnier, less believable premise probably couldn’t be conceived, but you don’t have to buy the plot of One Night Only to enjoy it, much like other movies set in one eventful day in New York City like the brilliant Quick Change from 1990.

This new film opens with a professional up-and-coming singer named Allie (Monica Barbaro of A Complete Unknown) and contrasts her ordinary life with that of a guy, Owen (Callum Turner of Eternity), who is discussing the big sex night of the year with his significant other (Maya Hawke) as she tries to weasel her way out of their relationship in order to partake in the big event herself. Owen owns a pizza shop, but must give his girlfriend control of their apartment which means he has to go to his mother, Linda (Molly Ringwald of The Breakfast Club)’s place. Tough luck for Owen, though, as mom plans to have sex with LeVar Burton’s hilariously conceived character.

Allie crosses paths with an ex while out with her friend (King Princess), and even passes Owen on a New York sidewalk eventually in a meet-cute scenario. Owen follows up their nice interaction by throwing up which turns Allie off. They’re off to find partners to have sex with for the night and Allie’s friend has abandoned her to have sex with someone she met on a line for the bathroom.

Convenience stores are all sold out of condoms and Owen didn’t really plan for the night so he finds himself desperate to find protection to have sex with a bartender who he takes a liking to. When Allie finds a guy who seems decent, she ends up needing a condom too. They both end up having problems at the very same ATM in a twist of fate. They take out the display that has the condom and run with it trying to dodge the store owner who has raised the price to $200 for the condom. Talk about price gouging!

To start, the premise is first-rate. While the movie doesn’t exactly sell home the reasons for the sex laws from a political standpoint, the scenarios are oddly believable, for the most part. This is a genius concept and the stars have plenty of chemistry together. Turner and Barbaro’s characters end up in his pizza shop and Allie declares the pizza is better than sex. Owen asks, “What’s the best part?” She says, “Extra cheese,” but he was talking about sex. These late scenes in the pizza shop are steamy and endearing without ever feeling corny.

One Night Only is a knockout of a rom-com. Monica Barbaro’s Allie spends most of the movie in a short dress, but her intelligence outshines her sexy appearance, making her a woman to contend with. Owen brings out Allie’s best side every time, even though they think that having sex with another person will be their salvation for the evening. This movie takes us through one wild night as Owen is mugged by a potential date. Allie’s own date for sex turns out to be a liar who says he has authentic paintings in his apartment that are actually rip-offs and he (and she) thus gets arrested.

This movie improves with each consecutive scene, culminating in a romantic scenario involving a lighthouse that adds just the right touch of elegance and sophistication to a premise that is anything but the definition of those two words. Turner and Barbaro play it straight which makes the storyline that much funnier in the grand scheme of things. There’s the romantic nature of the ending which adds extra charm to the film and the performances never feel forced. There’s a natural flow of chemistry between Allie and Owen and Barbaro and Turner are two of the biggest up and coming movie stars of the moment, for sure.

This film may be flawed in some minor respects. For example, Owen’s girlfriend does a 180 degree turn at the end to give him competition for his affections, but the movie still works in every possible way. Watching Owen side-bump Allie out of the way at the ATM is gleefully hilarious to behold. This is the definitive date movie of the late summer and has everything one could want in a romantic comedy.

One Night Only has the movie coupling of the year in Barbaro and Turner. It’s possible one could wish that the picture would never end because of the fun being had on-screen by the main cast and the supporting players. A magician competes for Allie’s affections in one scene that is laugh-out-loud funny. That magic the guy tries to achieve actually fails Allie’s expectations, but the movie’s own magic will exceed the audience’s expectations and then some. This is a great late summer find to see with someone you want to fall in love with.

Rating: 8.5/10

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