One Night Stand
A married Los Angeles director’s fleeting New York affair becomes an uneasy reckoning with friendship, mortality, and the life he has chosen.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- intimate
- languid
- quiet evening
- adult date night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the performances and atmospheric relationship drama compelling despite a wandering structure and overly tidy resolution.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Max's encounter with Karen forces him to reassess his marriage, family life, and priorities after returning to Los Angeles.
Charlie’s AIDS diagnosis and deterioration give Max and Karen’s brief connection a heightened awareness of loss and limited time.
The film uses jazz-inflected mood and tentative exchanges to portray attraction, guilt, grief, and marital strain without melodramatic spectacle.
Max moves between his established family and advertising life in Los Angeles and the emotionally charged visits to Charlie and Karen in New York City.
Films like One Night Stand, and why
Closer
adult relationship drama built around infidelity, chance encounters, emotional consequence, and romantic ambiguity
The Bridges of Madison County
intimate romance examining marital dissatisfaction, sexual betrayal, and difficult life choices
The English Patient
melancholic adult romance shaped by illness, loss, and reassessment of personal commitments
Unfaithful
urban relationship drama with a morally conflicted protagonist and bittersweet emotional atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Mike Figgis
- Release Date
- 1997-10-10
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 5.6 / 10 (119)
Cast
- Wesley Snipes
- Nastassja Kinski
- Kyle MacLachlan
- Ming-Na Wen
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Marcus T. Paulk
- Glenn Plummer
- Amanda Donohoe
- Zoë Nathenson
- Thomas Haden Church
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is One Night Stand about?
- A married Los Angeles director’s fleeting New York affair becomes an uneasy reckoning with friendship, mortality, and the life he has chosen.
- What is One Night Stand like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of One Night Stand as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is One Night Stand violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in One Night Stand.
- What did critics think of One Night Stand?
- Critics broadly found the performances and atmospheric relationship drama compelling despite a wandering structure and overly tidy resolution.
- Which films are like One Night Stand?
- Films with a similar feel include Closer, The Bridges of Madison County, The English Patient, and Unfaithful.
- How long is One Night Stand?
- One Night Stand runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch One Night Stand?
- In United States, One Night Stand is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
