Over the last 20 or so years, Will Gluck has made a name for himself as the rom-com guy. With movies such as 2011's Friends With Benefits and 2023's Anyone But You, there's no denying the skill this director has for the genre. Naturally, this leads him to push the genre past its norms and clichés with his newest feature, the somewhat outlandish - though no less hilarious and romantic - One Night Only. Gluck's newest is set in an alternate New York, in which premarital sex has been outlawed, barring a single day - think The Purge if it were about finding love.

While the concept of this newest rom-com may be slightly outlandish and silly, there's no denying the creativity. In a world of oversaturation in every genre, especially the romantic comedy, innovation is required to keep them afloat - enter Will Gluck. This movie creates a new world, allowing it to tell its story of finding a real connection while surrounded by lust, in a very interesting way.

What is One Night Only?

One Night Only follows Owen (Callum Turner) and Allie (Monica Barbaro), two people who enter this 'one night' with wildly different goals. While Allie is intent on somehow finding a real connection on the one night a year that is centred completely around sex, Owen has just been broken up with, so he is looking to 'get back out there'.

As the night goes on, Owen and Allie constantly cross paths, though they don't see each other as compatible. Throughout, the two are forced into proximity, allowing their connection to blossom from a simple dislike to a denial of their feelings to playful flirting to finally accepting their feelings, falling into each other's arms and finding exactly what they're looking for, and more.

What Locations Can I Visit From One Night Only?

Claremont's Pizza - Original Ray's Pizza

Not only does the movie open in Claremont's Pizza - the fictional pizzeria owned by Owen himself- but this is also where Allie begins to confront her feelings about him while they enjoy a pizza together. This location acts as a backdrop to many pivotal scenes, as well as the topic of pizza in itself, somewhat informing each of their characters, in a way.

A real pizza place in Midtown was used for this movie to show its real connection and heart in the city of New York, allowing audiences familiar with the city to feel more closely connected to the movie as a whole. Ray's Pizza is a legendary name in New York, and while there have been multiple locations, it seems the one used for One Night Only is on 7th Avenue in Midtown.

The Little Red Lighthouse - Jeffrey's Hook Light

The little red lighthouse, situated along the Hudson River, plays an integral part in this unusual love story. Not only is this used to give us a glimpse - however small - into Allie's childhood, but it's also where the story comes to a close. This location allows for a much slower, calmer, and more reserved moment amid the chaos of this entire movie, bringing Allie and Owen's relationship to the forefront and really developing it much more than we'd seen before.

This is one of the only locations in this film that is a literal, real-life place in New York, rather than creating a fictitious lighthouse to tell the desired story. The use of this lighthouse shines a light on the city of New York itself, making the city feel much more like a tangible character, more than simply a backdrop for this movie to take place. This lighthouse proves that this movie couldn't have taken place in Los Angeles or London; New York is integral to the workings of this story and wouldn't be nearly the same without this specific city.

Allie's Apartment - Lower East Side, Manhattan

While specifics aren't given, we're told throughout the movie that Allie lives in the Lower East Side of New York. This may inform her lifestyle and working life, with her living in one of the most heavily gentrified areas in the city - her job being to almost co-opt famous songs to use them as corporate advertisements.

While the apartment that Allie lives in is in a built soundstage in Brooklyn, this location is still based in a very real place in New York, allowing it to still connect in the same ways that some of the other locations may have, even if it may not feel quite the same as its real-life counterpart.

Owen's Mom's Apartment - Hamilton Heights

In contrast to Allie's Lower East Side apartment, Owen resides in Hamilton Heights, in the north of Manhattan. Hamilton Heights is a hub of art and creativity, which may inform Owen's art in his pizza - at least how he views it. Once again, specifics aren't given, so Owen's mom's apartment can be anywhere in the roughly one square kilometre area of Hamilton Heights.

Unlike Allie's apartment, scenes inside this abode are filmed in a real Hamilton Heights home. Will Gluck noted that he intentionally sought out this specific area for the character's home, even knocking on doors to find the perfect brownstone.

This was specifically chosen to showcase parts of New York that are given much less coverage in mainstream media, noting the distinct architectural charm of Hamilton Heights. This was also chosen as a nod to Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums, which was famously shot in a prominent turreted brick mansion in the same area, allowing Owen's family home to capture that same grandiose, somewhat eccentric energy.