In “One Night Only,” premarital sex is deemed illegal, but the US permits it for one night each year.

Yes, the premise is as ridiculous as it sounds. It’s “The Purge,” but instead of a murderous rampage, New York City transforms into a night of singles trying to get things on with whoever is game. In the center of it all, we follow Callum Turner as Owen (“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”) and Monica Barbaro as Allie (“A Complete Unknown,” “Top Gun: Maverick”). Both are trying to find the perfect someone to spend the night with after Owen’s girlfriend Malika, played by Maya Hawke, ditches him to try things out with another man, whilst Allie is left alone by her best friend on a night they were meant to find a partner.

While the writing gives off Netflix-level subpar, the chemistry between Callum and Monica makes up for it. As the audience, you’ll find yourself rooting for the two to get together. Their banter is believable. Many steamy moments the two hopefuls go through keep your eyes glued to the screen. Supporting cast members also help propel the ridiculousness that transpires throughout the night. Molly Ringwald (“Pretty in Pink,” “The Breakfast Club”) was a delight as Callum’s mother. Our only gripe is how severely underused Maya Hawke is in this film, so her presence feels more like a favor being done.

Surprisingly, there is a lot of attention given to little details as well. New York’s semi-realistic dystopian setting has glimpses of people willing to resist the mandate. Ad placements, though usually unbearable, seem oddly fitting and go the extra mile to truly sell the alternate reality. There’s some slight worldbuilding that also explains how such a law came to be and how it was implemented.

For a film centering around sex, however, scenes throughout feel tamer than one would expect. Even with the R-rating, the raunchiness seems lacking, and the enticing nature of an intimate encounter feels more like a tease. Director Will Gluck publicly defends this decision by stating that seeing graphic sex scenes play out in the theater brings discomfort to audiences. Ironically, his previous film, “Anyone But You,” goes in the opposite direction.

What makes “One Night Only” stick is that it also leaves people debating about the optics of it all afterwards. Looking through forums and review sites, almost all comments lead to people talking about the film’s setting. While the movie does seem to lean more toward a puritan stance, it makes viewers question how they feel about the morality aspect of it all. Audience members are left thinking about relationships and the optics around intimacy. It’s the sort of impact you wouldn’t expect from your usual direct-to-streaming rom-com.