Romantic comedies have spent the last few years trying to find their way back to theaters, and Will Gluck has already helped push that revival along. After the sleeper success of “Anyone but You,” the “Easy A” filmmaker is back in big-screen rom-com mode with “One Night Only,” an original summer comedy built around a very strange premise: in a slightly fictionalized New York City, single people are allowed to have sex on just one night of the year.
Perhaps a bit melodramatic of a concept, even for an intro to a romantic comedy. Especially since the genre has been doing well in recent years. Movies like “Materialists,” “Splitsville,” “Challengers,” and this year’s “The Drama” were all modest successes. While 2023’s “Anyone But You” was, in fact, a top grosser for Amazon MGM. The latter was helmed by romantic comedy maestro Will Gluck (“Friends With Benefits”), who’s also on board as writer and director for “One Night Only.” Given Gluck’s past success and an in-demand screenplay by Travis Braun that topped the highly revered Black List in 2024, love won’t be leaving the theaters anytime soon.
The film stars Monica Barbaro, coming off an Academy Award nomination for “A Complete Unknown” and her turn in “Top Gun: Maverick,” and Callum Turner, recently seen in “Masters of the Air.” As the characters Allie and Owen, they are two lonely strangers who meet on the least romantic night imaginable and realize they may be looking for the same thing. Owen has recently been dumped. Allie is still holding out for something real. They feel a spark when they meet, but the night keeps throwing complications in their path.
The movie is a sci-fi romantic comedy about two New Yorkers searching for love on the one night of the year when sex is legal.
Synopsis:
Academy Award® nominee Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown, Top Gun: Maverick) and BAFTA nominee Callum Turner (Masters of the Air, Fantastic Beasts 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 might discover that the one thing they want most is closer than they think.
Universal Pictures will release “One Night Only” in theaters on August 7. Watch the first trailer below.
