One More Shot – Review and Summary
With the potential of meeting an old flame, who previously set her life on fire, returning, Minnie is hoping for One More Shot to get back together, and some magical alcohol gives her multiple tries.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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What Is One More Shot About?
- Director(s): Nicholas Clifford
- Writer(s): Alice Foulcher, Gregory Erdstein
- Based On Work By: Heather Wilson
- Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Films
- Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 28 Minutes
- Public Release Date (Digital): December 12, 2025
- Genre(s): Comedy, Drama
- Content Rating: Not Rated
- Primary Language: English
- More Information (External Link)
While professionally, Minnie is doing alright, she isn’t personally. Both exes, including the one she cheated on her fiancé with, are doing well, and she is childless and living with friends, who want her out soon. But when she hears she will be seeing Joe soon, she is excited until something goes wrong. This leads her to take a shot of the mezcal she has, and she realizes a shot of it will take her back at least an hour into the past.
Thus leading her to take shot after shot to try to finish the night on a high note for her, even while realizing what would have to be sacrificed to have a happy ending.
Cast and Characters
Minnie (Emily Browning)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Dr. Minnie Vernon is a 36-year-old anesthesiologist, one of the top students in her class, who has done well career-wise, but her personal life? It has been a hot mess. Between failed engagements, cheating, and more, it has set her back regarding having a family of her own, and seeing her ex brings back not only old feelings but hope regarding catching up.
Joe (Sean Keenan)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Joe is Minnie’s ex, the one she blew her life up with, and who certainly found himself hitting rock bottom trying to keep up with Minnie back in the day. Now sober, trying to get beyond the road post he once was at in life, he seems like the man Minnie could want and need in this chapter of her life.
Rodney (Ashley Zukerman)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Rodney is Pia’s husband, father to her child, a bit of a jokester, who seemingly doesn’t know where the line is. Well, unless he is performing cosmetic surgery on someone.
Pia (Pallavi Sharda)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Pia has an IT background, which makes the theory of what can happen when the clock hits 12 and it’s the year 2000, freak her out. Unfortunately, she seems to be the only one, though, with genuine fears and precautions put in place.
Karl (Hamish Michael)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Karl is a doctor, like Rodney, who has a love for cocaine and seems to have an interest in Minnie.
What To Expect In “One More Shot” (Not Rated) – Content Overview
- Dialog:
- Cursing: Occasional
- Graphic Imagery or Violence:
- Gore/ Blood/ Body Horror: Mild (Context: Bleeding)
- Notable Violence: Self-Harm
- Miscellaneous:
- Drinking: Yes
- Smoking: Yes
Review and Commentary
Highlight(s)
Browning Gets You Invested In Her Journey And Ramifications [83/100]
While Minnie can come off as your generic, well-educated professional, with a notable messy personal life, she is given a bit more than “She is just quirky that way” to help the familiarity be digestible. Now, this isn’t to say we condone her trying to get Joe to cheat, but she is 36, sees friends getting married, having kids, and feels that isolation that can come with not being on the same page as her friends.
But what helps is that, throughout the movie, it is made clear that everything may not be as great as it seems. The married couple, Rodney and Pia, are struggling with being new parents as Pia isn’t handling being away from her career or how her husband is more affectionate towards their child than her. Then, with Joe, he has his own things he is dealing with, and believes he has dealt with, which seemingly makes seeing Minnie a bit of a test for him.
It all creates the type of environment where, beyond a doubt, Minnie is certainly bugging. However, her storyline helps you understand why she is losing her mind and helps her, and perhaps you, as a viewer, understand maybe she isn’t missing out as much as she thinks she is.
On The Fence
Underdeveloped Supporting Characters Create a Lopsided Experience [74/100]
There are a few characters you ultimately learn very little about, and that lack of development creates a noticeably uneven experience. Most striking are the couple that Minnie is living with. While we do learn their names, which one was originally part of Minnie’s friend group, and that they’re the source of the mezcal that enables her time travel, characterization beyond those basics is thin. This can feel strange given how central their home and resources are to Minnie’s situation.
On its own, this might not stand out as much if the story weren’t so thorough elsewhere. We get a clear sense of Joe, the dysfunction of his relationship with Minnie, and how he managed to claw his way out. Likewise, with Rodney and Pia, with a baby and enough depth that makes their marital strain feel lived-in, it makes the lack of insight into the people Minnie is crashing with become more noticeable—and harder to overlook.
That same thinness extends to Karl. As the only other single member of the friend group, his presence raises questions that the story never really answers. It’s unclear why he was invited or what narrative function he’s meant to serve.
Is he supposed to be a potential pairing for Minnie? A contrast to Joe? Beyond being the guy who does coke in a friend’s bathroom, there isn’t much to latch onto. He doesn’t feel like Minnie’s type, and like Minnie’s friends hosting her, he remains too underdefined to function as more than a vague obstacle or background presence. As a result, both Karl and the couple feel less like fully realized characters and more like placeholders, which weakens the overall balance of the ensemble.
Overall
Our Rating (78/100): Mixed (Divisive)
While Minnie’s situation in life is easy to relate to, unfortunately, weak characters can feel like a distraction from the better storylines and interactions the film offers. And even with the stronger characters, though there is a certain familiarity that makes it easier to get into the film, the familiarity becomes a double-edged sword. For with none getting to fully step out or away from their archetypes, while One More Shot is watchable, it is far from remarkable.
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