Will Gluck returns with a cleverly twisted rom-com starring Barbaro and Callum Turner.
If you thought the romantic comedy genre had run out of fresh ideas, Will Gluck is here to prove otherwise. Universal Pictures has released the first trailer for “One Night Only,” an upcoming rom-com built around one of the most inventive — and delightfully absurd — premises the genre has seen in years.
The film stars Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner as 2 strangers who collide in an ever-so-slightly reimagined version of New York City on the 1 night of the year when single people are legally permitted to have sex. It is the kind of high-concept setup that sounds outrageous on paper but lands with warmth and wit in the hands of a director who knows exactly how to make audiences fall in love with a love story.
The story at the heart of the concept
Barbaro plays Allie, a hopeful romantic navigating the city’s chaotic annual night with something more meaningful than a casual encounter in mind. Turner plays Owen, recently dumped and still carrying the emotional weight of his last relationship. When the 2 meet, there is an immediate spark — but the night refuses to cooperate.
A series of missteps, detours and side quests keep pulling them apart just as they seem to be getting closer, sending them racing across the city in what amounts to a breathless, funny and emotionally resonant chase. The film‘s central tension is both simple and deeply relatable: 2 people who want the same thing, kept apart by timing, circumstance and their own complicated feelings, trying to find each other before the night runs out.
A filmmaker who knows the genre
Gluck is not just directing “One Night Only” — he also rewrote the script, bringing his full creative investment to the project. His track record in the romantic comedy space is about as strong as it gets. He directed “Easy A” in 2010, a film that remains one of the most beloved comedies of its era, and followed that with “Friends With Benefits” before returning to the genre in 2023 with “Anyone but You,” the Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell film that became a genuine cultural moment, earning more than $220 million at the worldwide box office.
That last success matters. “Anyone but You” proved that audiences are hungry for smart, charming, well-made romantic comedies when the chemistry and writing are right. “One Night Only” arrives with a similar energy — playful, self-aware and grounded in 2 characters worth rooting for.
A cast that goes well beyond the leads
Barbaro and Turner anchor the film, but the supporting cast adds considerable texture to what is shaping up to be one of the more entertaining ensemble rom-coms in recent memory. Molly Ringwald appears as Turner’s mother, a piece of casting that carries its own layer of rom-com history given Ringwald’s iconic status in the genre. LeVar Burton plays her partner, rounding out the parental dynamic with warmth and personality.
The rest of the supporting cast brings a mix of comedy, music and cultural cachet that signals Gluck is building a world with real energy around its central love story. Maya Hawke, Julia Fox, Este Haim, Ziwe and King Princess all appear in the film, giving “One Night Only” a lineup that extends well beyond what most romantic comedies typically assemble.
What to expect when it arrives
“One Night Only” is produced by Gluck and Jacqueline Monetta through their Olive Bridge Entertainment production company, the same partnership behind “Anyone but You.” The film is set for a theatrical release on August 7 — landing squarely in the heart of summer, a slot that suits its breezy, crowd-pleasing ambitions.
With a director who has already proven he can revive the theatrical rom-com, 2 leads with undeniable screen presence and a premise that is genuinely unlike anything else on the summer calendar, “One Night Only” may be the most fun 2 hours audiences will spend in a movie theater this August.
Source: Variety