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[00:00]
A
This message comes from Great Wolf Lodge. There's adventure for the whole family, including an indoor water park that's always 84 degrees, attractions, spacious suites and more. You're just a short drive away from an unforgettable family getaway. Learn more@greatwolf.com before we get to the show.
[00:20]
B
Hey you. Yes, you with the impeccable taste in podcasts. If Pop Culture Happy Hour has ever helped you win a group chat, debate, find a hit series before everyone else, or pretend you saw that movie you definitely didn't see, we've all done it. Do us a solid and leave the show a review. Wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps more people find us. It helps us make the show better for you. And we thank you.
[00:43]
C
I guess I just decided that I liked Monica Barbara so much that in this performance I was like, I will just accept that somehow the American populace swallowed this hook, line and sinker. Without question.
[00:59]
B
One Night Only has been touted as a rom com spin on the purge movie franchise, and that's a pretty accurate description. In an alternate universe, the government has outlawed premarital sex with the exception of one time out of the year. Scary, right?
[01:14]
D
Actually, it's a perfect scenario for a New York City meet cute between a couple of hotties played by Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner. They're trying to get laid or something like it on the night. The mandate is temporary, but the universe has other plans. I'm Linda Holmes.
[01:30]
B
And I'm Ayesha Harris. And joining US Today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is the co host of NPR's Daily Economics podcast, the Indicator from Planet Money, Waylon Wong. Hey, Waylon.
[01:41]
C
Hi, Linda.
[01:41]
D
Aisha, great to have you here.
[01:43]
B
I suspect we have a lot to talk about with this movie, so we'll just get right on into it. One Night Only begins three years into a nationwide chastity mandate imposed by the government. Basically, if you're unmarried, you're forbidden from having sex, save for one 12 hour window a year. Now, naturally, on this night in question, the unwitted people of New York City are horny as hell. And then there's Allie and Owen, played by Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner. Ally's single, fed up with the dating scene and vowing to be more intentional about finding someone special. Owen's got a girlfriend, but she surprises him by admitting that tonight she wants to hook up with someone else. Ally and Owen are each on their own journeys tonight, but they meet almost immediately, share an awkward moment, and then keep bumping into Each other? Are they fated to be mated? Well, They've only got 12 hours to figure that out. And yes, we will be discussing sex in this episode. One Night Only is in theaters now. Waylon, were you on board for the Sex Purge movie?
[02:48]
C
The Sex Purge movie?
[02:49]
D
Oh, my gosh.
[02:50]
C
I have to say, this movie really surprised me. On the upside, like, I went in really anxious. I was worried that for such a high concept movie, that the premise was too high concept to be executed at any kind of level that would be acceptable. And I was worried that I would get really bogged down in thinking about the Handmaid's Tale, do you know what I mean? That I wouldn't be able to just give myself over to the premise of the movie and enjoy it. But then I was so charmed. I don't know, I thought it was so funny. I thought it was pretty cute, really, like the two leads. And it's not a horny movie. It's actually very wholesome. And that surprised me, too, in a good way. So I liked it.
[03:37]
B
Yeah. I mean, I will say, the one thing this movie has going for it is that unlike the Handmaid's Tale, everyone is suffering, or at least like both men and women are suffering from the lack of sex. It's not just the women who are being quote, unquote. So, yeah, there's that. Okay. Okay. So, Waylon, you were on board. Linda, look, I'm not gonna pretend that we haven't talked about this. Just go for it, Linda. Tell us how we feel.
[04:05]
D
So there's two things I would say about this. One is, if this had worked better for me as a romantic comedy, I would not care as much about what does it seem to be trying to say about sex? How does it do with its very high concept? As Waylon said, I am not against a high concept rom com. I am a well known love of the movie While youe Were Sleeping, which has maybe one of the more ridiculous high concepts of all time. But to me, this movie did not need its high concept at all and doesn't do anything with it at all. The entire purpose of the Sex Purge element of this movie exists to set up a situation where all the single people are out trying to get someone to have sex with them. And I don't necessarily know that you need a bio surveillance, authoritarian sex, negative dystopia for that. You need like a bar and a Friday. You know what I mean? And I don't know that they do anything interesting with this idea once they set it up. You know, the Director Will Gluck when kind of confronted about some of the weird things about world building, like, I'm sorry, how is this supposed to have happened? And like, why is it that everybody seems to be getting their condoms 15 minutes before this? And my question was, like, if you know that this, the sex window is starting at 7 o' clock on a given day and you're with the person that you want to have sex with, why are you on the subway? Why are you in a restaurant?
[05:33]
B
Thank you.
[05:34]
D
All of this stuff would not matter to me if it had worked. I am like, Waylon, I am 1000% willing to put all of that kind of stuff aside if I liked how it worked better as a romantic comedy. I think Monica Barbaro is really appealing in this. I think she's really cute in it. I sort of regret that she has to wear like the world's top for like this whole movie, which always makes people look uncomfortable to me.
[05:58]
C
You're always like hoiking it up and down well.
[06:00]
D
And like he's fully dressed in like comfortable clothes and she's in this incredibly short.
[06:06]
B
We get at least one scene where he's topless for the ladies and the gays, yes.
[06:11]
D
But he's like, for the most part when they're running around, she's in an incredibly short dress that is also very open in the front and cut down to her practically her belly button. But I think as a character she has some charm and she has some appeal. I will say that the male lead in this and I don't know how much of it is writing and how much of it is performance I just found completely devoid of any sort of appeal. I didn't understand why she enjoyed his company. I didn't understand why anybody would enjoy his company. I feel like doing an enemies to lovers story over the course of a few hours is very, very hard to do effectively. And it's not that it can't be done. I'm. There are people out there who are like, but Linda, you love X. And it's exactly like that. I'm sure. I'm sure. I don't think they manage it well here. So like, Aisha, you and I have talked about some about like the sexual politics of this movie which I think are also quite weird. But I just didn't think it worked. I thought they kind of tacked on this kind of unnecessarily complicated premise when it could have just been a two horny people are out all night trying
[07:22]
C
to have sex and keep running into each Other.
[07:24]
D
And you don't need any of this. You don't need the dystopia which kind of lingers in the.
[07:28]
B
Yeah.
[07:28]
D
In the background. Like, we're not gonna talk about that. I guess.
[07:32]
B
I mean, to the dystopian part of that. You mentioned the bio surveillance authoritarian stuff that's going on here specifically. The government has basically can track you with these little bio like tattoos, I guess, or sort of like.
[07:44]
C
Yeah, it's like a wrist tattoo. And you apparently get to pick the little picture you get.
[07:49]
B
Yeah.
[07:49]
C
Which they talk about.
[07:50]
B
I mean, there's so many things politically and historically that you can sort of like map onto this movie, which, like, I want to talk about that. This movie does not want to talk about that. And I found myself while watching this movie imagining what this premise, which I think is actually quite interesting. And I was fully on board for and even on board for in a rom com sense. But, like, I found myself imagining what would it be like if, like, Boots Riley, Greg Araki, Genic Sabrava, Rachel Bloom, like, any number of people, a weirder person, a weirder person had made this film and perhaps more someone with a little bit more bite, a little bit more critique and commentary had made this film. And look, you might say, aisha, good cultural criticism isn't about judging something for what it's not or what you wish it could be. And to that I say boo. Like, you're completely wrong. I know people try to make this point and sometimes I agree with you. But I think oftentimes what is conspicuously missing from whatever art that is, including this movie, like, what a creator deliberately chooses to leave out, that says so much about what did wind up in the final product and the message that this movie is ultimately trying to convey. What I came away from this was like, this is a dystopian sex rom com with, like, no real bites, very little sex, but like, with a lot of very obvious hang ups about sex that are not ultimately resolved or they're resolved in a very regressive way. You see a little bit of resistance to this mandate. Like, and there's a little bit of pushback from the Monica Barbaro character where she's like, I don't think she says Gilead. But she's like, basically implying, like, this is authoritarian. This is awful. I don't think you can make a movie like this in the current climate we are in. And also to Linda's point, at least for me, not really have the juice when it comes to the actual rom com of it. All, like, I don't really think these two characters had any real chemistry. And I don't think the comedy was quite up to. There's moments that I chuckled, but, like, I don't know, I feel like this could have taken like, two or three more passes to, like, bump up the jokes here and there. I'm gonna step off my soapbox now, Waylon. I'm curious.
[10:06]
C
Yeah, I mean, this movie definitely does not want to be satire and in fact seems actively afraid of making any kind of pointed critique around the times we live in. Sexual politics, the rollback of rights and bodily autonomy in society. I think that a lot of people's enjoyment of the movie will hinge not just on whether the central chemistry works, which for me it did. For you two, it didn't. But also this sense of, like, can you suspend your disbelief? And how much can you suspend your disbelief for? And I liked a lot of the world building, actually, because there was a lot of, I think, small kind of subtle things that are happening that I really enjoyed. For example, you see ads on the subway for Duolingo and Red Bull that are geared towards the 12 hour window that single people have to have sex. And so all the marketing is about, you know, like, do this for one night only. And Monica Barbara's character, her job is singing jingles for pharmaceutical ads that are all takeoffs of famous pop songs that I enjoyed.
[11:19]
D
That was funny. I liked that.
[11:20]
C
And some of these are spru on you in a surprise way. And it's so funny. And so there is kind of an interesting capitalist kind of critique. The idea that people, of course, corporations would be cashing in the idea of this mandate that I enjoyed. But I do take your point that, like, this movie is really not prepared to address the huge kind of elephants that it introduces into the room. And for me, I was able again to give myself over to the premise and just kind of accept that, okay, I guess all of American society would have been so complacent about the idea of not only this extremely restrictive law that somehow got passed by Congress, but that you would accept it. You would accept having a biosensor placed on your wrist, you know, that you would just line up and get this done and that there wouldn't be just kind of riots in the street every day over this. I guess I just decided that I like Monica Barbara so much that in this performance I was like, I will just accept that somehow the American populace swallowed this hook, line and sinker without question.
[12:26]
B
Yeah, yeah, that's totally fair. That's Totally fair, Linda.
[12:29]
D
Yeah, it is fair. There is one moment in this movie where I was like, this is really cute rom com chemistry. And it happens when Monica Barbaro meets a different guy who you know is not gonna be the guy. And he sits down at a piano with her and they start playing piano together. And I was like, this is cute and funny and this guy, to me, has some charm. And, you know, the whole time this is gonna blow up in her face. It's gonna turn out something is gonna be wrong with him. Cause obviously she's gonna end up with the lead of the movie.
[13:02]
B
Right?
[13:03]
D
But that was the moment where I was like, this feels like the beginning of people meeting in a romantic comedy. The problem I had was once you get past that point, it's like, okay, but she doesn't have as much chemistry with this guy as she had with the piano guy. So now I feel weird about it. And again, this is all stuff where if it had worked for me as a romantic comedy, I know myself well enough to know I'd be like, doesn't make any sense. Has, like, a weirdly square approach to sex, to be honest. A weirdly, like, as I think Aisha said, regressive kind of approach to sex. Honestly, I think you can read this movie as saying, like, you know, maybe the authoritarian sex, negative government has a point.
[13:48]
B
You know, a character actually says that in his movie at one point.
[13:52]
A
Yeah.
[13:52]
D
And so it's like, I would have overcome all of that stuff if I'd been more into it. And there's other things. Like there's sort of an old people having sex is funny thing that I don't love. There's very weird stuff around queer people that feels very unresolved to me.
[14:10]
B
Well, okay, can we talk about that for a second? Because that's another part of this, like, world building aspect that didn't quite work for me because this movie has a actual queer fairy godmother who's played by Quintessa Swindell. She is Allie's roommate. She's just kind of there to be the queer person who gives her all the pep talks and the outfits to wear.
[14:34]
D
The queer fairy godmother of color. Right?
[14:36]
B
Oh, yes, yes. We gotta add that on there too. Like, she's checking all the boxes. And so she has, like one moment in the movie where she kind of explains what I was already thinking in the back of my mind, which is like, how do queer people factor into this? Because it seems like this is all geared toward, like, you're married and Then you're gonna start a family. And this idea that the only way to start a family is the quote unquote, natural way. So we're already, like, in, like, okay, very whatever territory. But then at one point she says, like, oh, I'm not going out tonight is for the straights. And she says something. And I didn't quite catch this while I was writing it down fast, so I might have misheard it, but she said something that sounded like, you know, we've been working around your rules for a minute.
[15:16]
D
That's what she says. Something like that.
[15:18]
B
Yeah, something like that. And so I was just like. And then. Then they don't really talk about it afterwards.
[15:23]
D
It's like, that's interesting. Like, let's hear, like, tell me about that. Right. Because it's a good thing to acknowledge because it's true, right? In the world. It's very true. But once you establish, like, the censors and everything, it's like, how does this not appeal to you? How do you not have the sensors? Do you have the sensors? Or are we going to get into the most uncomfortable conversation about this movie that I really don't want to get into, but found myself wanting to get into anyway, which is what exactly is the definition of sex that is illegal?
[15:52]
C
I thought about that, too.
[15:54]
D
Yeah. There are some posters that kind of jokingly suggest. But it's mostly positional, I would say. Right. And there's not a lot of detail about, like, what exactly is an eagle? And is that part of why this doesn't apply to exactly why this friend feels it doesn't affect her? Right.
[16:18]
B
And there's a lot of montages and moments where you see couples going at it. And by going at it, it's like, mostly making out. And I'm like, okay, I thought we were all sexually, like, we were waiting and now look. Foreplay. Isn't that what you're doing the rest of the year? I don't know what's going on here, but, like, well, now we're back to
[16:33]
D
why are you on the subway? For me, too, also, why are you on the subway?
[16:36]
B
Like, anyway, I was looking. I was, like, actively looking to see what kind of couples were being shown in these positions. For the most part, I only saw either what looked like woman, man, whatever. But then occasionally you'd see, like, maybe a throuple, but it'd be, of course, two women and one man. And I think I saw, like, one gay male couple, like, in the background,
[16:56]
D
but they were, like, sitting and eating. They weren't like making out. The one I saw, I did see what appeared to be a pair of women making out on a dance floor.
[17:06]
C
I saw that too. I think that was the only queer couple that I clocked.
[17:09]
B
Same.
[17:09]
D
I think they're the only ones I saw. But like, again, what are they doing? Are they part of this? Are they not part of this? And if they are part of this, why does the friend say they're not part of this? Like, this is all valid. This is all more interesting.
[17:25]
B
Absolutely.
[17:26]
D
Than the story that they end up telling. And those are the people I kind of want to know about. If this had been about, like, how does a queer couple navigate this very strange and not built for them system, that might have caught my interest more. But like, again, if I believe that the great big world of straight couples typically is at midnight on New Year's Eve, going, five, four, three, two, one, kiss. I don't think they're at a restaurant when they're gonna be able to have sex for the first time in a year. You know what I mean?
[18:03]
B
Yeah.
[18:03]
D
They are exactly where they intend to be going. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
[18:08]
C
Right.
[18:08]
D
At least as much as they are on New Year's Eve, I feel.
[18:12]
C
Yeah. Waiting for their sensors to glow green so they can they get the signal. The movie is conservative in ways that you might not realize at first because of the way it's marketed as like the Sex Purge movie. And you think it's gonna be the sex romp, but actually at it's extremely old fashioned.
[18:34]
B
Chaste. Chaste. Chaste, yeah.
[18:36]
C
And I think that's really reinforced by the ending, which is probably, to me, the weakest part of the movie for me. So I was left with like a tiny bit of, you know, cognitive dissonance, but not enough to dampen my overall enjoyment of this film.
[18:52]
B
Yeah, yeah.
[18:52]
D
I wanna see Monica Barbaro in a rom com that I like better because I think she is built for that. I don't think he's built for that. And what you mentioned about the business where she like a jingle singer for pharmaceuticals, I think they kind of go a little bit too far with that at the very end of the movie. But the early stuff about it is really funny. I laughed. I enjoyed it. She, I think, is super charming. And I will watch her next romantic comedy, which I hope will be just a little bit more up my alley, maybe with a male lead who feels a little bit more rom com to me.
[19:30]
C
So Sex Purge too, and a little
[19:31]
D
bit less like, doesn't he remind you of Channing Tatum. He does not.
[19:37]
B
Definitely not. Sorry. Callum Turner.
[19:39]
D
He does not.
[19:40]
B
Aka Mr. Dua Lipa. Well, look, we are all rom com fans here, so however we felt about this, it's coming from a place of love for the genre. And I also love dystopian movies, so
[19:51]
C
I just not this dystopian movie.
[19:53]
B
Just not this dystopian movie. Yeah, but it sounds like your mileage may vary. Check it out. And up next, we're going to be talking about what makes us happy this week, so we'll be right back.
[20:05]
E
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[20:32]
C
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[20:38]
D
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E
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A
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[21:14]
E
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[21:44]
B
And now it's time for our favorite segment of this week and every week. What's making us happy, Waylon? What's making you happy?
[21:51]
C
Okay, I have been really enjoying this podcast from ESPN 3000 for 30 called the Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani.
[21:58]
B
Oh, Linda was just telling me about this.
[22:01]
C
Are you listening to this too?
[22:02]
D
Linda? Yes, yes.
[22:04]
C
I am not a baseball person like Linda. Sometimes I get FOMO reading Linda's social media posts and I'm like I should get into baseball like Linda, but I'm really not a Sports person. But this podcast has really sucked me in. This is a podcast by the investigative reporter at ESPN who covered the story of how baseball player Shohei Ohtani was swindled many, many millions of dollars by his interpreter who is gambling away all of this money. And it is so well done. And it's such a great peek into the investigative reporting process. And you hear incredible audio of the reporter's interview with the interpreter. He actually gives her, like, a lot of time. So you hear his voice talking about his story, and then it's kind of like inverted because you realize, like, he duped her and he was lying. And then the fourth episode is a big interview with the bookie who's kind of this, like, scary guy who explains his operation in the most chilling matter of fact way ever. They learned a lot about money laundering, so it's very educational for me. I cannot wait to see how it all wraps up because I remember reading some news stories about this when it broke and when the investigation and then, like, the trial was happening and the sentencing, but I wasn't steeped in the details. So now I'm getting really into the details, and it's just a really great crime story and it's very well produced. So that is the betrayal of Shohei Ohtani. This is a podcast from espn.
[23:28]
B
Awesome. Thanks so much for that recommendation. And yeah, Linda was telling me about this recently, so. Sounds very fascinating. Linda, what is making you happy this week?
[23:37]
D
Well, in addition to that podcast, which I also could have chosen because it is excellent, there is a movie on Netflix called the Last House. And it is a thriller which stars Greta Lee and Wagner Mora as a couple with two children who one day, they are just, like, in their house. It's in the wintertime. They're getting ready to go out, and they realize they can't open their front door. Their front door is, like, sealed shut. And they're like, that's weird. And they go to the back door, back door sealed shut. And then they're like, maybe we have to climb out the window. You probably know where this is going. All the windows sealed shut. You can't break the glass. You're stuck in your house. And they realize at some point that this is affecting more people than just them. They don't know what's going on. But weirdly, they, with their children, essentially decide, we just have to live like this. For how long? However long this continues. So they settle into this routine of being, like, stuck inside their house. They can't see anyone. They can't go Outside. So there are obviously all of these risks of running out of food and not having medicine that you need and things like that. I think when you get to the very end of this movie, and maybe there's a little bit of commonality between One Night Only and the Last House in this regard, when you get to the very end of the movie, I think they blow it a little bit. I think the landing is not quite stuck here. But first of all, Greta Lee Wagner Mora, that's a very good pair of leads. But combined with this kind of sci fi mystery horror stuff. And even though I didn't love the ending, it's a pretty effective locked inside the house thriller. It's pretty smart. It doesn't rely on everybody doing incredibly foolish things that nobody would ever do.
[25:31]
B
Oh, good.
[25:31]
D
So I do recommend it. It is on Netflix again. It's called the Last House. Like perfect for like an evening at home. Just absolutely perfect.
[25:40]
B
Awesome. Thank you so much, Linda. Well, ring the alarm, because this might be a PCHHH first for me, which is that I am going to talk about a video game that I have enjoyed playing recently. Yes, yes. So I recently started playing Tomodachi Life, Living the dream, which is for the Nintendo Switch. Perhaps. My millennials are saying Tamagotchi's back. What? No, it is not Tamagotchi. I definitely thought that that was what it was. I saw it and I'm not a millennial.
[26:11]
C
When you downloaded it, you thought it was Tamagotchi.
[26:13]
B
No, I knew before I downloaded, but when I heard it, I was like, tamagotchis are back. Oh, man, I can't wait to like, clean up my little alien poop and all that stuff. No, no, no. This is Tomodachi Life. It's the third iteration of Nintendo's Tomodachi Life series, which was released this spring. And I haven earlier versions of Tomodachi Life, but I'm diving in now. It's very fun. So it's kind of like the Sims, but a lot more chaste and a lot more like Nintendo. It's like very kind of like.
[26:42]
D
It's more kid friendly.
[26:44]
B
Yeah, it's definitely more kid friendly. You have a world. You have an island, actually. You get to name the island and you create Miis. That's M with two I's. It's a little weird that they all have British accents and then it's like everyone has a British accent. You can adjust their voices, but like, they all kind of sound like some variation of like, hello. Hi, boss. Welcome. And like, you're kind of playing God. Like they address you as like, hey boss, I'm hungry. It's a little weird, but I'm enjoying it. It's fun.
[27:17]
D
Have you ever played Animal Crossing?
[27:19]
B
No.
[27:19]
C
I love Animal Crossing.
[27:20]
B
Is that what Animal Crossing was like? I've heard of it.
[27:22]
D
No, not exactly. But it sounds like when you talk about like a sort of a world building thing that's kind of a little bit more kid friendly, it's an island, you know, a little softer. It doesn't have all the stuff that you're talking about at all. But I just was. It made me wonder whether you'd enjoy Animal Crossing.
[27:38]
B
Yeah, I don't know. Maybe. But yeah, I've enjoyed this. I've enjoyed making Miis out of my friends. So like my husband and some of my close friends are all like Miis and we're all falling for each. Like my character fell for my husband in the world. And it's just fun.
[27:53]
D
And yeah, so like your husband could fall for one of.
[27:57]
B
That's also possible. It hasn't happened yet, but it's possible. I highly recommend if you're looking for something fun, a distraction and so, yeah, tomodachi life. Living the dream. Saw Nintendo Switch. That's what's making me happy this week. That brings us to the end of our show. Waylon Wong, Linda Holmes, thanks so much for being here and I hope we never find ourselves in a sex purge scenario ever. Me too.
[28:22]
C
Thanks. This is fun.
[28:23]
B
This episode was produced by Mike Katzeff, Hafsa Fathoma, Liz Metzger and Lennon Sherburne, and edited by our showrunner, Jessica Reedy. Hello. The Min provides our theme music and thanks for listening to Pop Culture Happy hour from npr. I'm Aisha Harris and we'll see you all next week.
[28:42]
E
This message comes from Rosetta Stone offering an alternative approach to language learning. Moving past rote memorization, the app guides users to intuitively think in a second language using IM contextual audio, mimicking how people acquire speech as children. The platform also includes advanced speech recognition technology that compares a learner's pronunciation directly with native speakers to refine accent precision. Learn more about their new Rosetta Stone Sapphire app@Rosetta Stone.com this message comes from Mint Mobile. If you're tired of spending hundreds on big wireless bills, bogus fees and free perks, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans@mintmobile.com Switch taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. This message comes from Bombas. Comfy footwear is the last thing you want to worry about this summer. Bombas sandals and slides are perfect for beach days, barbecues and everything in between. Go to bombas.com npr.

Summary6 min read

Pop Culture Happy Hour: "One Night Only" and What’s Making Us Happy

Episode Date: August 7, 2026
Hosts: Linda Holmes, Aisha Harris
Guest: Waylon Wong

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the new film One Night Only—a rom-com that combines high-concept dystopian themes with light-hearted romance—followed by the beloved “What’s Making Us Happy” segment, featuring recommendations on podcasts, movies, and games. The conversation is as insightful as it is lively, with the hosts balancing critiques of societal implications and rom-com conventions.

Main Review: One Night Only

Premise & Setup [01:00]

High-Concept Rom-Com: The film is described as a “rom com spin on the Purge movie franchise,” set in an alternate universe where premarital sex is outlawed except for one 12-hour window a year ([00:58], Aisha).
Plot Details:
- In NYC, citizens scramble to hook up during this limited window.
- Main characters: Ally (Monica Barbaro), tired of dating, and Owen (Callum Turner), who faces romantic complications with his girlfriend.
- Their paths cross repeatedly during the fateful night.

Initial Impressions & Highs/Lows

Waylon Wong [02:49]

Surprised and Charmed: Expected awkwardness due to the extreme premise but was “so charmed… I thought it was so funny. I thought it was pretty cute.”
Not a Horny Movie: Found it wholesome rather than raunchy.
Quote:

“It's not a horny movie. It's actually very wholesome. And that surprised me, too, in a good way.” [03:10, Waylon]

Linda Holmes [04:05; 05:33]

High-Concept Unnecessary: Felt the elaborate premise added little; the scenario could be reduced to “two horny people out all night trying to have sex.”
Chemistry Was Lacking:

“I think Monica Barbaro is really appealing… I sort of regret that she has to wear like the world’s top for like this whole movie." [05:33, Linda]
“I just found [the male lead] completely devoid of any sort of appeal.” [06:10, Linda]
Dystopian Worldbuilding Underbaked:

“You don’t need the dystopia which kind of lingers in the background. Like, we’re not gonna talk about that, I guess.” [07:27, Linda]

Aisha Harris [07:48; 09:05]

Political Potential Ignored: Felt the movie missed an opportunity for satire or critique and failed to capitalize on its premise:

“This is a dystopian sex rom com with, like, no real bite, very little sex, but like, with a lot of very obvious hang ups about sex that are not ultimately resolved or...they’re resolved in a very regressive way.” [09:31, Aisha]
Lack of Chemistry & Comedy:

“I don’t really think these two characters had any real chemistry. And I don’t think the comedy was quite up to [par].” [10:00, Aisha]

Themes, Satire, and World-Building

Satirical Aversion and World Details [10:05–12:26]

Non-Existent Satirical Bite:

“This movie definitely does not want to be satire and in fact seems actively afraid of making any kind of pointed critique…” [10:05, Waylon]
World-Building Gags Noted:
- Subway ads tailored to the annual “sex night.”
- Monica Barbaro’s job singing pharma jingles, which the hosts found charming and a clever capitalist nod.

Social and Sexual Politics

Ignoring the Big Questions [12:26–17:25]

Queer Representation & Blind Spots:
- Quintessa Swindell’s character serves as “the queer fairy godmother of color” ([14:35], Aisha/Linda).
- The film brushes off, rather than explores, how such legislation would impact queer communities.
- “‘I’m not going out tonight, it’s for the straights… we’ve been working around your rules for a minute.’” [15:15, Aisha]
Unresolved Rules & Inclusion:

“If this had been about, like, how does a queer couple navigate this… that might have caught my interest more.” [17:25, Linda]
Conservative Core:

“The movie is conservative in ways that you might not realize at first because of the way it’s marketed as like the Sex Purge movie. And you think it’s gonna be the sex romp, but actually at it’s extremely old fashioned.” [18:11, Waylon]
“Chaste. Chaste. Chaste, yeah.” [18:33, Aisha]

Performances and Comic Moments

Monica Barbaro Praised:
- Generally considered “built for” rom-coms.
Male Lead Critique:
- Callum Turner’s performance widely panned as bland and lacking romantic appeal.
Highlight:
- The piano scene with an alternative love interest provided the film’s only “cute rom com chemistry” moment ([13:02], Linda).

Memorable Quotes

On High-Concept Rom-Coms:

“I am not against a high concept rom com. I am a well known lover of the movie While You Were Sleeping—which has maybe one of the more ridiculous high concepts of all time…” [04:17, Linda]
On Satire:

“This movie does not want to be satire and in fact seems actively afraid of making any kind of pointed critique…” [10:05, Waylon]
On Ending:

“I think that’s really reinforced by the ending, which is probably, to me, the weakest part of the movie for me.” [18:35, Waylon]

Summary Verdict [19:52]

Enjoyment Varies: Ultimately, the panel agrees mileage may vary. If you’re charmed by the gimmick or Monica Barbaro, there’s fun to be had. Otherwise, the film’s lack of chemistry, regressive undertones, and reluctance to embrace its own high concept may disappoint.

What’s Making Us Happy This Week [21:44]

Waylon Wong [21:51]

Podcast: “The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani” by ESPN

Non-baseball fans will still be drawn in by the investigative storytelling.
“It is so well done...such a great peek into the investigative reporting process. You hear incredible audio of the reporter’s interview with the interpreter...and then it’s kind of inverted because you realize he duped her and was lying.” [22:04, Waylon]

Linda Holmes [23:37]

Movie: The Last House (Netflix)

A family wakes to find themselves sealed inside their house—a sci-fi thriller with “Greta Lee and Wagner Moura” as leads.
“Even though I didn’t love the ending, it’s a pretty effective locked-inside-the-house thriller. It doesn’t rely on everybody doing incredibly foolish things that nobody would ever do.” [25:30, Linda]

Aisha Harris [25:39]

Game: Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream (Nintendo Switch)

A light, world-building, Sims-like game using Miis, perfect as a cheerful distraction.
“You have a world. You have an island, actually. You get to name the island and you create Miis...it’s fun.” [26:44, Aisha]

Notable Moments & Timestamps

[02:49] — Waylon on the film’s surprising wholesomeness.
[04:17] — Linda on high-concept in romantic comedies.
[07:48] — Aisha critiques the film’s lack of bite.
[10:05] — Waylon points out the lack of satire.
[14:35] — Hosts discuss “the queer fairy godmother of color.”
[18:11] — The film’s hidden conservatism.
[21:51] — What’s Making Us Happy: Recommendations.

Tone & Final Thoughts

Throughout, the tone is thoughtful but light, balancing deep dives into the movie’s missed sociopolitical critique with appreciation for genre pleasures and clever world-building gags. Though One Night Only leaves most panelists wishing for more chemistry or sharper satire, the discussion is driven by a blend of affection for cinema and cultural criticism.

Hosts & Guests

Aisha Harris: Host, lively and often brings the critical edge.
Linda Holmes: Host, brings deep rom-com knowledge and a wry sense of humor.
Waylon Wong: Guest, quick to see the fun in a premise—found more charm than the regular hosts.

This summary gives a comprehensive picture of episode highlights, central themes, and notable moments—serving as a lively recap for anyone who missed the show.

Loading summary

Transcript104 lines

[00:00]
A
This message comes from Great Wolf Lodge. There's adventure for the whole family, including an indoor water park that's always 84 degrees, attractions, spacious suites and more. You're just a short drive away from an unforgettable family getaway. Learn more@greatwolf.com before we get to the show.
[00:20]
B
Hey you. Yes, you with the impeccable taste in podcasts. If Pop Culture Happy Hour has ever helped you win a group chat, debate, find a hit series before everyone else, or pretend you saw that movie you definitely didn't see, we've all done it. Do us a solid and leave the show a review. Wherever you listen to podcasts. It helps more people find us. It helps us make the show better for you. And we thank you.
[00:43]
C
I guess I just decided that I liked Monica Barbara so much that in this performance I was like, I will just accept that somehow the American populace swallowed this hook, line and sinker. Without question.
[00:59]
B
One Night Only has been touted as a rom com spin on the purge movie franchise, and that's a pretty accurate description. In an alternate universe, the government has outlawed premarital sex with the exception of one time out of the year. Scary, right?
[01:14]
D
Actually, it's a perfect scenario for a New York City meet cute between a couple of hotties played by Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner. They're trying to get laid or something like it on the night. The mandate is temporary, but the universe has other plans. I'm Linda Holmes.
[01:30]
B
And I'm Ayesha Harris. And joining US Today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is the co host of NPR's Daily Economics podcast, the Indicator from Planet Money, Waylon Wong. Hey, Waylon.
[01:41]
C
Hi, Linda.
[01:41]
D
Aisha, great to have you here.
[01:43]
B
I suspect we have a lot to talk about with this movie, so we'll just get right on into it. One Night Only begins three years into a nationwide chastity mandate imposed by the government. Basically, if you're unmarried, you're forbidden from having sex, save for one 12 hour window a year. Now, naturally, on this night in question, the unwitted people of New York City are horny as hell. And then there's Allie and Owen, played by Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner. Ally's single, fed up with the dating scene and vowing to be more intentional about finding someone special. Owen's got a girlfriend, but she surprises him by admitting that tonight she wants to hook up with someone else. Ally and Owen are each on their own journeys tonight, but they meet almost immediately, share an awkward moment, and then keep bumping into Each other? Are they fated to be mated? Well, They've only got 12 hours to figure that out. And yes, we will be discussing sex in this episode. One Night Only is in theaters now. Waylon, were you on board for the Sex Purge movie?
[02:48]
C
The Sex Purge movie?
[02:49]
D
Oh, my gosh.
[02:50]
C
I have to say, this movie really surprised me. On the upside, like, I went in really anxious. I was worried that for such a high concept movie, that the premise was too high concept to be executed at any kind of level that would be acceptable. And I was worried that I would get really bogged down in thinking about the Handmaid's Tale, do you know what I mean? That I wouldn't be able to just give myself over to the premise of the movie and enjoy it. But then I was so charmed. I don't know, I thought it was so funny. I thought it was pretty cute, really, like the two leads. And it's not a horny movie. It's actually very wholesome. And that surprised me, too, in a good way. So I liked it.
[03:37]
B
Yeah. I mean, I will say, the one thing this movie has going for it is that unlike the Handmaid's Tale, everyone is suffering, or at least like both men and women are suffering from the lack of sex. It's not just the women who are being quote, unquote. So, yeah, there's that. Okay. Okay. So, Waylon, you were on board. Linda, look, I'm not gonna pretend that we haven't talked about this. Just go for it, Linda. Tell us how we feel.
[04:05]
D
So there's two things I would say about this. One is, if this had worked better for me as a romantic comedy, I would not care as much about what does it seem to be trying to say about sex? How does it do with its very high concept? As Waylon said, I am not against a high concept rom com. I am a well known love of the movie While youe Were Sleeping, which has maybe one of the more ridiculous high concepts of all time. But to me, this movie did not need its high concept at all and doesn't do anything with it at all. The entire purpose of the Sex Purge element of this movie exists to set up a situation where all the single people are out trying to get someone to have sex with them. And I don't necessarily know that you need a bio surveillance, authoritarian sex, negative dystopia for that. You need like a bar and a Friday. You know what I mean? And I don't know that they do anything interesting with this idea once they set it up. You know, the Director Will Gluck when kind of confronted about some of the weird things about world building, like, I'm sorry, how is this supposed to have happened? And like, why is it that everybody seems to be getting their condoms 15 minutes before this? And my question was, like, if you know that this, the sex window is starting at 7 o' clock on a given day and you're with the person that you want to have sex with, why are you on the subway? Why are you in a restaurant?
[05:33]
B
Thank you.
[05:34]
D
All of this stuff would not matter to me if it had worked. I am like, Waylon, I am 1000% willing to put all of that kind of stuff aside if I liked how it worked better as a romantic comedy. I think Monica Barbaro is really appealing in this. I think she's really cute in it. I sort of regret that she has to wear like the world's top for like this whole movie, which always makes people look uncomfortable to me.
[05:58]
C
You're always like hoiking it up and down well.
[06:00]
D
And like he's fully dressed in like comfortable clothes and she's in this incredibly short.
[06:06]
B
We get at least one scene where he's topless for the ladies and the gays, yes.
[06:11]
D
But he's like, for the most part when they're running around, she's in an incredibly short dress that is also very open in the front and cut down to her practically her belly button. But I think as a character she has some charm and she has some appeal. I will say that the male lead in this and I don't know how much of it is writing and how much of it is performance I just found completely devoid of any sort of appeal. I didn't understand why she enjoyed his company. I didn't understand why anybody would enjoy his company. I feel like doing an enemies to lovers story over the course of a few hours is very, very hard to do effectively. And it's not that it can't be done. I'm. There are people out there who are like, but Linda, you love X. And it's exactly like that. I'm sure. I'm sure. I don't think they manage it well here. So like, Aisha, you and I have talked about some about like the sexual politics of this movie which I think are also quite weird. But I just didn't think it worked. I thought they kind of tacked on this kind of unnecessarily complicated premise when it could have just been a two horny people are out all night trying
[07:22]
C
to have sex and keep running into each Other.
[07:24]
D
And you don't need any of this. You don't need the dystopia which kind of lingers in the.
[07:28]
B
Yeah.
[07:28]
D
In the background. Like, we're not gonna talk about that. I guess.
[07:32]
B
I mean, to the dystopian part of that. You mentioned the bio surveillance authoritarian stuff that's going on here specifically. The government has basically can track you with these little bio like tattoos, I guess, or sort of like.
[07:44]
C
Yeah, it's like a wrist tattoo. And you apparently get to pick the little picture you get.
[07:49]
B
Yeah.
[07:49]
C
Which they talk about.
[07:50]
B
I mean, there's so many things politically and historically that you can sort of like map onto this movie, which, like, I want to talk about that. This movie does not want to talk about that. And I found myself while watching this movie imagining what this premise, which I think is actually quite interesting. And I was fully on board for and even on board for in a rom com sense. But, like, I found myself imagining what would it be like if, like, Boots Riley, Greg Araki, Genic Sabrava, Rachel Bloom, like, any number of people, a weirder person, a weirder person had made this film and perhaps more someone with a little bit more bite, a little bit more critique and commentary had made this film. And look, you might say, aisha, good cultural criticism isn't about judging something for what it's not or what you wish it could be. And to that I say boo. Like, you're completely wrong. I know people try to make this point and sometimes I agree with you. But I think oftentimes what is conspicuously missing from whatever art that is, including this movie, like, what a creator deliberately chooses to leave out, that says so much about what did wind up in the final product and the message that this movie is ultimately trying to convey. What I came away from this was like, this is a dystopian sex rom com with, like, no real bites, very little sex, but like, with a lot of very obvious hang ups about sex that are not ultimately resolved or they're resolved in a very regressive way. You see a little bit of resistance to this mandate. Like, and there's a little bit of pushback from the Monica Barbaro character where she's like, I don't think she says Gilead. But she's like, basically implying, like, this is authoritarian. This is awful. I don't think you can make a movie like this in the current climate we are in. And also to Linda's point, at least for me, not really have the juice when it comes to the actual rom com of it. All, like, I don't really think these two characters had any real chemistry. And I don't think the comedy was quite up to. There's moments that I chuckled, but, like, I don't know, I feel like this could have taken like, two or three more passes to, like, bump up the jokes here and there. I'm gonna step off my soapbox now, Waylon. I'm curious.
[10:06]
C
Yeah, I mean, this movie definitely does not want to be satire and in fact seems actively afraid of making any kind of pointed critique around the times we live in. Sexual politics, the rollback of rights and bodily autonomy in society. I think that a lot of people's enjoyment of the movie will hinge not just on whether the central chemistry works, which for me it did. For you two, it didn't. But also this sense of, like, can you suspend your disbelief? And how much can you suspend your disbelief for? And I liked a lot of the world building, actually, because there was a lot of, I think, small kind of subtle things that are happening that I really enjoyed. For example, you see ads on the subway for Duolingo and Red Bull that are geared towards the 12 hour window that single people have to have sex. And so all the marketing is about, you know, like, do this for one night only. And Monica Barbara's character, her job is singing jingles for pharmaceutical ads that are all takeoffs of famous pop songs that I enjoyed.
[11:19]
D
That was funny. I liked that.
[11:20]
C
And some of these are spru on you in a surprise way. And it's so funny. And so there is kind of an interesting capitalist kind of critique. The idea that people, of course, corporations would be cashing in the idea of this mandate that I enjoyed. But I do take your point that, like, this movie is really not prepared to address the huge kind of elephants that it introduces into the room. And for me, I was able again to give myself over to the premise and just kind of accept that, okay, I guess all of American society would have been so complacent about the idea of not only this extremely restrictive law that somehow got passed by Congress, but that you would accept it. You would accept having a biosensor placed on your wrist, you know, that you would just line up and get this done and that there wouldn't be just kind of riots in the street every day over this. I guess I just decided that I like Monica Barbara so much that in this performance I was like, I will just accept that somehow the American populace swallowed this hook, line and sinker without question.
[12:26]
B
Yeah, yeah, that's totally fair. That's Totally fair, Linda.
[12:29]
D
Yeah, it is fair. There is one moment in this movie where I was like, this is really cute rom com chemistry. And it happens when Monica Barbaro meets a different guy who you know is not gonna be the guy. And he sits down at a piano with her and they start playing piano together. And I was like, this is cute and funny and this guy, to me, has some charm. And, you know, the whole time this is gonna blow up in her face. It's gonna turn out something is gonna be wrong with him. Cause obviously she's gonna end up with the lead of the movie.
[13:02]
B
Right?
[13:03]
D
But that was the moment where I was like, this feels like the beginning of people meeting in a romantic comedy. The problem I had was once you get past that point, it's like, okay, but she doesn't have as much chemistry with this guy as she had with the piano guy. So now I feel weird about it. And again, this is all stuff where if it had worked for me as a romantic comedy, I know myself well enough to know I'd be like, doesn't make any sense. Has, like, a weirdly square approach to sex, to be honest. A weirdly, like, as I think Aisha said, regressive kind of approach to sex. Honestly, I think you can read this movie as saying, like, you know, maybe the authoritarian sex, negative government has a point.
[13:48]
B
You know, a character actually says that in his movie at one point.
[13:52]
A
Yeah.
[13:52]
D
And so it's like, I would have overcome all of that stuff if I'd been more into it. And there's other things. Like there's sort of an old people having sex is funny thing that I don't love. There's very weird stuff around queer people that feels very unresolved to me.
[14:10]
B
Well, okay, can we talk about that for a second? Because that's another part of this, like, world building aspect that didn't quite work for me because this movie has a actual queer fairy godmother who's played by Quintessa Swindell. She is Allie's roommate. She's just kind of there to be the queer person who gives her all the pep talks and the outfits to wear.
[14:34]
D
The queer fairy godmother of color. Right?
[14:36]
B
Oh, yes, yes. We gotta add that on there too. Like, she's checking all the boxes. And so she has, like one moment in the movie where she kind of explains what I was already thinking in the back of my mind, which is like, how do queer people factor into this? Because it seems like this is all geared toward, like, you're married and Then you're gonna start a family. And this idea that the only way to start a family is the quote unquote, natural way. So we're already, like, in, like, okay, very whatever territory. But then at one point she says, like, oh, I'm not going out tonight is for the straights. And she says something. And I didn't quite catch this while I was writing it down fast, so I might have misheard it, but she said something that sounded like, you know, we've been working around your rules for a minute.
[15:16]
D
That's what she says. Something like that.
[15:18]
B
Yeah, something like that. And so I was just like. And then. Then they don't really talk about it afterwards.
[15:23]
D
It's like, that's interesting. Like, let's hear, like, tell me about that. Right. Because it's a good thing to acknowledge because it's true, right? In the world. It's very true. But once you establish, like, the censors and everything, it's like, how does this not appeal to you? How do you not have the sensors? Do you have the sensors? Or are we going to get into the most uncomfortable conversation about this movie that I really don't want to get into, but found myself wanting to get into anyway, which is what exactly is the definition of sex that is illegal?
[15:52]
C
I thought about that, too.
[15:54]
D
Yeah. There are some posters that kind of jokingly suggest. But it's mostly positional, I would say. Right. And there's not a lot of detail about, like, what exactly is an eagle? And is that part of why this doesn't apply to exactly why this friend feels it doesn't affect her? Right.
[16:18]
B
And there's a lot of montages and moments where you see couples going at it. And by going at it, it's like, mostly making out. And I'm like, okay, I thought we were all sexually, like, we were waiting and now look. Foreplay. Isn't that what you're doing the rest of the year? I don't know what's going on here, but, like, well, now we're back to
[16:33]
D
why are you on the subway? For me, too, also, why are you on the subway?
[16:36]
B
Like, anyway, I was looking. I was, like, actively looking to see what kind of couples were being shown in these positions. For the most part, I only saw either what looked like woman, man, whatever. But then occasionally you'd see, like, maybe a throuple, but it'd be, of course, two women and one man. And I think I saw, like, one gay male couple, like, in the background,
[16:56]
D
but they were, like, sitting and eating. They weren't like making out. The one I saw, I did see what appeared to be a pair of women making out on a dance floor.
[17:06]
C
I saw that too. I think that was the only queer couple that I clocked.
[17:09]
B
Same.
[17:09]
D
I think they're the only ones I saw. But like, again, what are they doing? Are they part of this? Are they not part of this? And if they are part of this, why does the friend say they're not part of this? Like, this is all valid. This is all more interesting.
[17:25]
B
Absolutely.
[17:26]
D
Than the story that they end up telling. And those are the people I kind of want to know about. If this had been about, like, how does a queer couple navigate this very strange and not built for them system, that might have caught my interest more. But like, again, if I believe that the great big world of straight couples typically is at midnight on New Year's Eve, going, five, four, three, two, one, kiss. I don't think they're at a restaurant when they're gonna be able to have sex for the first time in a year. You know what I mean?
[18:03]
B
Yeah.
[18:03]
D
They are exactly where they intend to be going. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
[18:08]
C
Right.
[18:08]
D
At least as much as they are on New Year's Eve, I feel.
[18:12]
C
Yeah. Waiting for their sensors to glow green so they can they get the signal. The movie is conservative in ways that you might not realize at first because of the way it's marketed as like the Sex Purge movie. And you think it's gonna be the sex romp, but actually at it's extremely old fashioned.
[18:34]
B
Chaste. Chaste. Chaste, yeah.
[18:36]
C
And I think that's really reinforced by the ending, which is probably, to me, the weakest part of the movie for me. So I was left with like a tiny bit of, you know, cognitive dissonance, but not enough to dampen my overall enjoyment of this film.
[18:52]
B
Yeah, yeah.
[18:52]
D
I wanna see Monica Barbaro in a rom com that I like better because I think she is built for that. I don't think he's built for that. And what you mentioned about the business where she like a jingle singer for pharmaceuticals, I think they kind of go a little bit too far with that at the very end of the movie. But the early stuff about it is really funny. I laughed. I enjoyed it. She, I think, is super charming. And I will watch her next romantic comedy, which I hope will be just a little bit more up my alley, maybe with a male lead who feels a little bit more rom com to me.
[19:30]
C
So Sex Purge too, and a little
[19:31]
D
bit less like, doesn't he remind you of Channing Tatum. He does not.
[19:37]
B
Definitely not. Sorry. Callum Turner.
[19:39]
D
He does not.
[19:40]
B
Aka Mr. Dua Lipa. Well, look, we are all rom com fans here, so however we felt about this, it's coming from a place of love for the genre. And I also love dystopian movies, so
[19:51]
C
I just not this dystopian movie.
[19:53]
B
Just not this dystopian movie. Yeah, but it sounds like your mileage may vary. Check it out. And up next, we're going to be talking about what makes us happy this week, so we'll be right back.
[20:05]
E
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[20:32]
C
It's not just about hormones. It's not just about weight loss medications. We are very much a holistic care
[20:38]
D
platform and our job is to figure out whatever medications are appropriate for you and offer you those medications.
[20:45]
E
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[20:56]
A
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[21:14]
E
NPR and the following message come from. Matching outfits, extravagant birthdays, many nicknames, a few classic moves of a dog obsessed parent. Ollie is obsessed with how obsessed you are with your pup. So they strive to give your dog the best. From fresh human grade dog food to in app health. Check ins to track your dog's well being. Visit ollie.com Wolfe and use code Wolfe to get 70% off your welcome kit. Ollie, Feed the obsession.
[21:44]
B
And now it's time for our favorite segment of this week and every week. What's making us happy, Waylon? What's making you happy?
[21:51]
C
Okay, I have been really enjoying this podcast from ESPN 3000 for 30 called the Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani.
[21:58]
B
Oh, Linda was just telling me about this.
[22:01]
C
Are you listening to this too?
[22:02]
D
Linda? Yes, yes.
[22:04]
C
I am not a baseball person like Linda. Sometimes I get FOMO reading Linda's social media posts and I'm like I should get into baseball like Linda, but I'm really not a Sports person. But this podcast has really sucked me in. This is a podcast by the investigative reporter at ESPN who covered the story of how baseball player Shohei Ohtani was swindled many, many millions of dollars by his interpreter who is gambling away all of this money. And it is so well done. And it's such a great peek into the investigative reporting process. And you hear incredible audio of the reporter's interview with the interpreter. He actually gives her, like, a lot of time. So you hear his voice talking about his story, and then it's kind of like inverted because you realize, like, he duped her and he was lying. And then the fourth episode is a big interview with the bookie who's kind of this, like, scary guy who explains his operation in the most chilling matter of fact way ever. They learned a lot about money laundering, so it's very educational for me. I cannot wait to see how it all wraps up because I remember reading some news stories about this when it broke and when the investigation and then, like, the trial was happening and the sentencing, but I wasn't steeped in the details. So now I'm getting really into the details, and it's just a really great crime story and it's very well produced. So that is the betrayal of Shohei Ohtani. This is a podcast from espn.
[23:28]
B
Awesome. Thanks so much for that recommendation. And yeah, Linda was telling me about this recently, so. Sounds very fascinating. Linda, what is making you happy this week?
[23:37]
D
Well, in addition to that podcast, which I also could have chosen because it is excellent, there is a movie on Netflix called the Last House. And it is a thriller which stars Greta Lee and Wagner Mora as a couple with two children who one day, they are just, like, in their house. It's in the wintertime. They're getting ready to go out, and they realize they can't open their front door. Their front door is, like, sealed shut. And they're like, that's weird. And they go to the back door, back door sealed shut. And then they're like, maybe we have to climb out the window. You probably know where this is going. All the windows sealed shut. You can't break the glass. You're stuck in your house. And they realize at some point that this is affecting more people than just them. They don't know what's going on. But weirdly, they, with their children, essentially decide, we just have to live like this. For how long? However long this continues. So they settle into this routine of being, like, stuck inside their house. They can't see anyone. They can't go Outside. So there are obviously all of these risks of running out of food and not having medicine that you need and things like that. I think when you get to the very end of this movie, and maybe there's a little bit of commonality between One Night Only and the Last House in this regard, when you get to the very end of the movie, I think they blow it a little bit. I think the landing is not quite stuck here. But first of all, Greta Lee Wagner Mora, that's a very good pair of leads. But combined with this kind of sci fi mystery horror stuff. And even though I didn't love the ending, it's a pretty effective locked inside the house thriller. It's pretty smart. It doesn't rely on everybody doing incredibly foolish things that nobody would ever do.
[25:31]
B
Oh, good.
[25:31]
D
So I do recommend it. It is on Netflix again. It's called the Last House. Like perfect for like an evening at home. Just absolutely perfect.
[25:40]
B
Awesome. Thank you so much, Linda. Well, ring the alarm, because this might be a PCHHH first for me, which is that I am going to talk about a video game that I have enjoyed playing recently. Yes, yes. So I recently started playing Tomodachi Life, Living the dream, which is for the Nintendo Switch. Perhaps. My millennials are saying Tamagotchi's back. What? No, it is not Tamagotchi. I definitely thought that that was what it was. I saw it and I'm not a millennial.
[26:11]
C
When you downloaded it, you thought it was Tamagotchi.
[26:13]
B
No, I knew before I downloaded, but when I heard it, I was like, tamagotchis are back. Oh, man, I can't wait to like, clean up my little alien poop and all that stuff. No, no, no. This is Tomodachi Life. It's the third iteration of Nintendo's Tomodachi Life series, which was released this spring. And I haven earlier versions of Tomodachi Life, but I'm diving in now. It's very fun. So it's kind of like the Sims, but a lot more chaste and a lot more like Nintendo. It's like very kind of like.
[26:42]
D
It's more kid friendly.
[26:44]
B
Yeah, it's definitely more kid friendly. You have a world. You have an island, actually. You get to name the island and you create Miis. That's M with two I's. It's a little weird that they all have British accents and then it's like everyone has a British accent. You can adjust their voices, but like, they all kind of sound like some variation of like, hello. Hi, boss. Welcome. And like, you're kind of playing God. Like they address you as like, hey boss, I'm hungry. It's a little weird, but I'm enjoying it. It's fun.
[27:17]
D
Have you ever played Animal Crossing?
[27:19]
B
No.
[27:19]
C
I love Animal Crossing.
[27:20]
B
Is that what Animal Crossing was like? I've heard of it.
[27:22]
D
No, not exactly. But it sounds like when you talk about like a sort of a world building thing that's kind of a little bit more kid friendly, it's an island, you know, a little softer. It doesn't have all the stuff that you're talking about at all. But I just was. It made me wonder whether you'd enjoy Animal Crossing.
[27:38]
B
Yeah, I don't know. Maybe. But yeah, I've enjoyed this. I've enjoyed making Miis out of my friends. So like my husband and some of my close friends are all like Miis and we're all falling for each. Like my character fell for my husband in the world. And it's just fun.
[27:53]
D
And yeah, so like your husband could fall for one of.
[27:57]
B
That's also possible. It hasn't happened yet, but it's possible. I highly recommend if you're looking for something fun, a distraction and so, yeah, tomodachi life. Living the dream. Saw Nintendo Switch. That's what's making me happy this week. That brings us to the end of our show. Waylon Wong, Linda Holmes, thanks so much for being here and I hope we never find ourselves in a sex purge scenario ever. Me too.
[28:22]
C
Thanks. This is fun.
[28:23]
B
This episode was produced by Mike Katzeff, Hafsa Fathoma, Liz Metzger and Lennon Sherburne, and edited by our showrunner, Jessica Reedy. Hello. The Min provides our theme music and thanks for listening to Pop Culture Happy hour from npr. I'm Aisha Harris and we'll see you all next week.
[28:42]
E
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