“One Night Only”: Sexless Sex Comedy Too “Creepy to Be Cute”? 🤔
“One Night Only”: Sexless Sex Comedy Too “Creepy to Be Cute”? 🤔
Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner star in “One Night Only,” a dystopian romcom critics are slamming as bizarre and disappointing despite its high-concept premise. Find out why it's failing to connect!
Director Will Gluck, fresh off "Anyone but You," delivers his latest romantic comedy, "One Night Only," to a decidedly mixed, mostly negative, critical reception. Starring Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner, the film attempts a high-concept premise: a world where sex is legal for only 12 hours a year. However, according to critics, this bizarre setup proves too much for the film to handle, leading to a "sexless sex comedy" that struggles to find its footing.
Reviews highlight that despite the best efforts and appealing performances of its lead actors, the movie veers into "dystopian" and "creepy" territory rather than the charming or humorous tone typically expected from the genre. The Guardian describes it as an "ungainly oddity" struggling to overcome the grimness of its central conceit, asking, "What if The Purge was for premarital sex?" This comparison points to the film's difficulty in balancing its dark, restrictive premise with the lighthearted elements of a romcom.
The challenge for any high-concept romantic comedy lies in maintaining the delicate balance of star chemistry, warmth, and a general sense of goodwill. Critics suggest that "One Night Only" overcomplicates these fundamental elements, throwing off the natural rhythm and appeal that make romcoms successful. Despite the film being "slickly made," its odd, gimmicky elevator pitch ultimately leads to a critical consensus that it is "way too creepy to be cute," failing to deliver on its promise and leaving audiences and critics underwhelmed.
