Review: Dystopian rom-com 'One Night Only' bans sex and general plot coherence

This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.

See more from the L.A.Times in Google Search.

Set us as preferred Every now and then a rom-com comes along with an absolutely ludicrous premise that we just sort of accept because it creates the unique conditions for watching a pair of budding movie stars fall in love.This year’s entrant is “One Night Only,” written by Travis Braun, directed by Will Gluck and set in a pretty familiar if spit-shiny New York City.

The catch is that America, for some reason, has outlawed premarital sex, with the exception of one night a year, when singles can get their freak on.It’s like “The Purge” but for sex, so the Sex Purge.Braun’s script was on the Black List, a collection of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood, which tends to reward hooky, high-concept projects, often to mixed results.

That is most definitely the case with “One Night Only,” a film that exists on the vapors of a bizarre plot and the appeal of hot actors.You probably have a lot of questions, and “One Night Only,” is only going to satisfy some of them.How does the government police the premarital sex? With bio-sensors of course, as explained by a drunken tech bro (Nicholas Braun) in an exclusive lounge.

Singles receive small tattoos that turn from red to green during the 12 hours that premarital sex is permitted, body modifications that measure things like oxytocin and dopamine and whether one sensor is in close proximity to another.Sexual acts that are solo, distanced or parallel are permitted, yet many questions still remain about the kinds of hookups that can be had during the mandated ban.

Movies If you want big popcorn fare from the best directors in the blockbuster game (Spielberg, Nolan, Ridley Scott), it’s here, along with a number of promising indie swings.The why of it all is much less satisfactory.An upbeat news report explains that rates of teen pregnancy are down, which i...