James Bond favourite’s new rom-com branded “putrid” and “unavoidably grim” in first reviews
A new rom-com starring James Bond favourite Callum Turner and Top Gun: Maverick star Monica Barbaro has earned some scathing first reviews, with some outlets calling it “putrid”. Directed by Easy A and Anyone But You‘s Will Gluck and written by Travis Braun, One Night Only hinges on a premise similar to The Purge.
As the government has banned pre-marital sex for single people, there’s only one night a year where singletons can try to get lucky legally. Turner and Barbaro star as Owen and Allie, two strangers who cross paths on the busiest night of the year for unmarried people.
The cast for One Night Only also includes Stranger Things‘ Maya Hawke, Uncut Gems star Julia Fox, King Princess, Este Haim, Succession‘s Nicholas Braun, and Molly Ringwald, among others.
Universal Pictures
Related: Best streaming services UK 2026 – including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV
Despite the stacked cast, it seems that One Night Only has garnered mixed reviews from critics ahead of its US cinema release on 7 August.
The film, which lands in cinemas this side of the pond on 28 August, currently holds a meagre critic score of 52% from 65 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics divided between Barbaro and Turner’s “charming” couple (via TheWrap) and “captivating” cast (via Houston Chronicle) and its “shockingly puritanical” ideas on casual sex (via Boston Globe) and its questionable, restrictive premise.
Let’s take a look at more reviews below.
“There’s both too much yet not enough world-building here, enough questions answered to encourage us to ask 10 more. It’s also just too unavoidably grim of a premise, especially at a dark political moment such as this.”
“One can only hope that the ghosts of Kerr, Grant, Leo McCarey, and hell, even Nora Ephron, haunt the makers of this putrid, regressive film that thinks justifying embracing fascism is okay if it’s in the name of love.”
Nicole Rivelli / Universal Pictures
“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.”
“Callum Turner and Monica Barbaro make for a charming couple in a concoction that floats above its Purge-like setting.”
“Despite showing lots of skin and featuring sexually-suggestive dialogue, One Night Only suffers from a stultifying timidity.”
“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.”
One Night Only releases in US cinemas on 7 August and UK cinemas on 28 August.
Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.
The new edition of Legends, a 100-page all-colour celebration of Ariana Grande, is here! Buy Ariana Grande in newsagents or online.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
