The main question of “how is it enforced?” the movie adds an explanation to that periodically throughout, recognizing that it’s the main obstacle, but it does unfortunately add a few more logic-hole problems. It is the simplest answer even if it’s not the cleanest.
However, the way the rest of the questions get resolved is perhaps the best part of this movie. They use some current politics to predict future politics and then build a society around that as the setting for this romantic comedy. The rise of conservative men and incels led Big Tech and Big Pharma to spearhead this anti-pre-marital sex law, and the result is both smart and funny. A big caveat to that last statement, is that just describes the political backdrop. This movie is a romantic comedy, and as a romantic comedy, it is at least creative and inventive, but it’s not romantic and it’s only slightly funny.
Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner star as Allie and Owen, two people determined to find love not just a one-night stand. Owen was just dumped by his live-in girlfriend as he was about to propose, so he’s more angry and looking for anything. Allie has been single for the entirety of this law and has only had bad one-night stands, so she’s looking for a more quality man.
Monica Barbaro’s performance is the one thing that holds this movie together, well that and the gorgeous dress the costume designer found for her. It doesn’t say much for Callum Turner’s Owen that I still think (after all the events of the movie), her best romantic pairing is Levi played by Andrew Burnap. He’s a leather jacket-wearing, piano-playing, motorcycle-driving, handsome, art connoisseur, who as you probably guessed is not as perfect as he seems. But Barbaro had more chemistry with him in their two scenes than she has with Callum Turner in the entire movie.
As mentioned, the political backdrop is the better part of the movie. Liberals, progressive people, are of course going to be against this law, even most police officers are against it. The characters attend a party where Charlie Gillespie plays a famous musician who holds fundraisers against the new law. But when Allie gets alone with him, in one of the few actually funny scenes, his politics suddenly align with money because he doesn’t really have any of his own actual beliefs. There is also a later scene where a character responds “Thanks Obama” in what should have been one of the funniest lines of the movie, but it was clumsily delivered and then explained and good jokes shouldn’t need to be explained.
Director Will Gluck is understandably and rightfully proud of his previous romantic comedies, Easy A and Anything But You, throwing in five easter eggs (of which I think I found three). I too am a fan of Anything But You but it’s not always a good thing to remind audiences of better movies that they could be watching instead. One Night Only has a bold and memorable premise which is admirable, but it’s ultimately a romantic comedy without much romance or comedy.
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