One Night (1 Night) – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Characters & Storyline

Over the course of one night, one couple is formed, and another is on the verge of ending their relationship. The older couple is composed of Elizabeth and Drew. Together since around high school, it seems between Drew’s work and him potentially cheating, Elizabeth feels she isn’t enough and doesn’t trust him. On the other end, Bea just got dumped at prom, and Andy, a guy who probably has liked her for over a decade, sticks up for his friend, tries to console her, and perhaps gets her to fall in love with him.

All the while, the older couple, randomly at times, gives advice to these kids who remind them so much of themselves. For while they work on their present with their spouse, they are trying to help these kids avoid the mistakes they made for a better future.

Noted Actor(s)

Bea (Isabelle Fuhrman) | Elizabeth (Anna Camp) | Drew (Justin Chatwin) | Andy (Kyle Allen)

Things To Note | Question(s) Left Unanswered

Kyle Allen reminds me of a young Heath Ledger.

Collected Quote(s)

The happier the memory, the more unlikely it is that you’ll remember it.
—           One Night

Just because you make it look easy doesn’t mean it is.
—           One Night

[…] Marriage, otherwise known as adjusting expectations for adults.
—           One Night

Highlights

It’s All About Communication

One thing I never fully understood with most movies and shows that deal with romance is why there is such an issue with communicating your feelings. Granted, it is hard to be vulnerable with someone else and open yourself up to judgement for things out of your control and that you barely understand. Yet, it is those moments when you are exposed that can lead to the best moments of your life.

Which is depicted in this film quite beautifully. The romance between Bea and Andy is built off a friendship that has been solid for over ten years. So when we watch Bea in this vulnerable state, re-planning the life she thought was going to include her ex, and Andy doesn’t come off like the guy waiting in the wings but someone who genuinely cares about his friend’s mental and emotional sense? It allows you to experience one of the cutest romances you may have ever seen.

What helps is that both Bea and Andy are quite relatable. I know I’m not the only one who has, like Bea, planned how everything up to 40 would go, only to find all of those plans become obsolete. Then with Andy, he is the odd guy who is cool with having his own rhythm and yet is afraid, or at the very least cautious, about taking chances. Not so much in his career trajectory, but his personal life.

It’s like, a job or career means easy decisions, and he is up for taking them. However, deciding to defend this girl you like, what to say to make her feel better, how to take her mind off what is troubling her, what can you say or do for that?

Then, with the adults, you see the complications of having a long relationship and feeling you aren’t enough, adjusting what is considered romantic, and the topic usually saved for a film’s climax: Trust. With the older two, trust is the craw, and they remind you that no matter how cute the moments or how sweet the gesture or sentence, if there isn’t trust, then all you are building is a sand castle and not a relationship.

The Interaction between the Two Couples and Women Being Established

Though it happened less than seven times, I loved it when the older couple got involved with their counterparts. Now, admittedly, for the guys, it was the usual advice on taking action, being a man, etc.

However, I really enjoyed the interaction between the two women. Elizabeth makes it seem she can see where Bea is going and is trying to redirect her. She wants her to not become exactly like her, and with Bea on the cusp of making those big decisions that got Elizabeth to the place she is, in the least condescending way possible, she tries to steer her toward a more happy life.

But, in general, I love how Bea isn’t some manic pixie girl and plays the role guys often get to. She doesn’t know what she is doing with her life at this point, and while she has interests like building things and science, it seems the colleges she wanted to go to rejected her, and now her life is sort of on pause, or drastically slowed down—making Andy the love interest who women usually play that primarily focus on building up their partner and helping them discover a different part of themselves.

Overall

Positive (Worth Seeing) – Recommended

One thing I never liked about romantic movies, with a hint of drama, is they have become so predictable. Halfway through, someone does something stupid, and a grand gesture usually fixes things.

“One Night” doesn’t do this, but rather is about people either building the foundation for a relationship or trying to strip things down to the foundation in order to rebuild, and it is refreshing. But what really makes this worth seeing, and something I recommend, is that it reminds you the basis of love is trust and how that can be strong enough to build an empire yet weak enough to be destroyed with one action or sentence.