Although one first must accept this film’s ridiculously unlikely premise, what follows is an unexpectedly delightful romantic comedy, highlighted by Travis Braun’s continuously cheeky script and two stars who share a Periodic Table’s worth of chemistry.
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| Allie (Monica Barbaro) and Owen (Callum Turner) bump into each other — not for the first time — when they independently find the only bodega in all of New York City that still has one precious condom for sale. |
The setting is New York City, the time some point is the very near future. Thanks to the efforts of an ultra-conservative D.C. faction, three years earlier the “Mandate” became law, which outlawed premarital sex. Enforcement was established via the mandatory placement of biometric tattoos on everybody’s wrist, which signal authorities when unsanctioned canoodling takes place.
The ban is lifted for just 12 hours, one night each year ... and these events begin shortly before the kick-off.
Braun and director Will Gluck employ this gimmick as an ingenious means of overcoming the most persistent challenge in romantic comedies: how to credibly keep separating two people obviously destined for each others, without relying on clichés such as miscommunication or missed connections.
It’s a cheeky step up from the suspenseful “ball drop” on New Year’s Eve: Who will you kiss?
Throw in The Big Apple as a bustling, effervescent backdrop, and the result —unexpectedly — is delightful.
Owen (Callum Turner) is a hardworking pizza shop owner and hopeless, old-school romantic who has planned — down to the tiniest detail — how to spend this night with longtime fiancée Malika (Maya Hawke). Alas, their “favorite restaurant” preamble self-destructs when she abruptly confesses that she wants to take advantage of the moment ... by sleeping with somebody else.
Allie (Monica Barbaro), a talented singer whose stage fright has relegated her to the anonymity of studio work, has made a career of turning familiar pop songs into jingles for glossy pharmaceutical medications with impossible-to-pronounce names (a very funny touch). She’s a hopeless romantic with a vivid fantasy life, ready to Embrace The Moment with encouragement from best friend Arya (Quintessa Swindell) and “wing woman” Jacinta (King Princess).
Their goal: a genuine connection with a “quality” guy, and true love.
Alas, Jacinta doesn’t last long; once the “all clear” sounds, she’s off with a hot guy she meets at the first bar they hit, while waiting in line for the restroom. Allie, dejected, returns home ... but Arya won’t have it. She pours Allie into costume designer Jacqueline Demeterio’s deliciously smoldering, iridescent green sequined micro-dress — which becomes its own sexy running gag — and sends her back into the world.
(The story finds frequent excuses for keeping Allie as under-dressed as possible.)
Owen, meanwhile, has fled to his doting mother, Linda (Molly Ringwald), who sympathizes ... but only to a point. She has her own 12-hour plan involving belly-shirted boyfriend Rick (LeVar Burton), who adores her.
And, so, Owen also is sent back into the world ... where he chances to cross paths with Allie.
The latent chemistry and hopeful banter feel right, but ... no.
Thus is the template established. Fate and circumstance will prompt these two to cross paths repeatedly, and every time it feels like the right moment, something else goes wrong. Owen is first to perceive the likely workings of Fate, but Allie doesn’t buy it. She’s too hung up on what she later describes is her wished-for “Empire State Building Moment,” referenced by a postcard depicting Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, from 1957’s An Affair to Remember.
(But that setting belonged to those two characters: a distinction Allie doesn’t immediately grasp.)
Her subsequent distractions include bad boy biker Max (Andrew Burnap), and a chance meeting with her favorite rock star, Ezra Strong (Charlie Gillespie). Owen, in turn, is tempted by foxy bartender Skye (Julia Fox) and high-society “woman of mystery” Vivian (Ella Loudon).
These shenanigans unfold against a hilariously relentless backdrop of people (tastefully) boffing in cars, park benches, apartment windows, bus stops, store aisles, subway seats and everywhere else imaginable; or dashing down streets, desperate to find a partner; or contemplatively eyeing potential passersby; and often swearing up a blue streak regarding the Mandate. (One can’t help feeling this law won’t last long.)
The funniest interlude involves a mad scramble for the last remaining condom on sale in the entire city.
Gluck augments his primary cast with numerous cheeky cameos by familiar faces: Michelle Hurd, as the stern, not-too-sympathetic Police Detective Vanessa Bryan Brown; stand-up comic Mike Birbiglia, as goofball Police Officer McAnnie, who catches Owen at his worst moment; Bobby Cannavale and Pete Davidson, as a pair of TV cops shooting a street scene with a location crew (because everybody is indoors); and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him “appearance” by Glen Powell.
But the film belongs to Turner and Barbaro, who are totally charming: together and apart. Both have great fun with Braun’s impish, cheeky and frequently suggestive dialogue.
Turner’s Owen is funny, mildly teasing and genuinely sincere: not unaware of his impressively sculpted physique, but by no means shallow enough to rely upon it. He’s the rarest of creatures in our social media era: a retro romantic.
Barbaro runs the gamut with Allie. She’s perky, mischievous, willing to be a bit naughty, but — and this is key — unsure of herself, and not yet capable of recognizing her own value. In short, she’s vulnerable and somewhat naïve, believing that true love must involve being swept off her feet.
Barbero also can sing; recall her Oscar-nominated performance as Joan Baez, in A Complete Unknown. She delivers vibrant renditions here of the aforementioned prescription jingles, which are reconfigured from Sara Barielles’ “Brave,” Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” and Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”
Gluck and cinematographer Yaron Orbach made a point of filming on location as much as possible; the result is an enchanting journey through iconic spots such as The Foundry, White Horse Tavern, Little Island Botanical Garden and numerous Big Apple streets, storefronts, restaurants and neighborhoods.
Because of Gluck’s careful touch — and despite the many saucy double-entendres — none of this feels smutty. It’s sexy, sweet and quite amusing. Signage has a lot to do with the latter: Art director Marci Mudd fills every scene with government notices, warning signs, public information graphics, graffiti, stickers, stencils, flyers and protest posters, all firmly embedding the Mandate in everyday life.
This one’s a nice surprise, and a lot of fun.
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