Movies: One More Shot (2025) by Nicholas Clifford: Time Traveling Tequila: A Y2K Comedy of Errors and Self-Discovery
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One More Shot: The Millennium Do-Over
Summary of Content: This Australian comedy/drama is set on New Year's Eve 1999. It follows Minnie Vernon (Emily Browning), a highly strung woman who is having a terrible night at a party with her university friends. Upon taking a shot of mysterious Time Traveling Tequila, she is sent back to the start of the night. With a bottle's worth of shots, she gets multiple chances to fix her past mistakes, ultimately leading her on a journey of self-discovery and learning to value life's imperfect moments.
Movie Trend: This film is a key example of the "Groundhog Day" Time Loop Comedy trend, utilizing a fantastical premise (time-traveling alcohol) to explore personal growth and romance.
Social Trend:Â The movie engages with the nostalgia for the late 1990s/Y2K era, utilizing the specific cultural setting of the millennium's turning point to amplify themes of youth, anxiety, and transition.
Director/Creator Info: Directed by Nicholas Clifford and written by a team including Alice Foulcher, Gregory Erdstein, and Heather Wilson. The film is a home-grown Australian feature with a focus on sharp, character-driven comedy.
Major Awards & Nominations:Â The film has a strong audience response (5.5/10 IMDb, based on limited reviews) and has been featured at festivals like MIFF (Melbourne International Film Festival), positioning it as an enjoyable, well-received independent comedy.
Rating & Runtime:Â The runtime is 1 hour and 28 minutes (88 minutes), making it a fast-paced, accessible watch.
Why It Is Trending: Nostalgia and the Perfect Setup
Summary: One More Shot is gaining buzz due to its immediately intriguing, kitschy time-travel premise and the charismatic central performance by Emily Browning.
High-Concept Premise:Â The idea of "Time Traveling Tequila"Â is a brilliant, instantly appealing hook that promises fun and narrative complexity within a simple party setting.
Y2K Nostalgia:Â The setting of New Year's Eve 1999Â appeals to nostalgia, utilizing the period's fashion, music (like "Coco Jamboo"), and cultural anxiety for comedic effect.
Lead Performance: Emily Browning carries the film as the "unhinged and selfish" Dr. Minnie Vernon, with critics praising her commitment to the flawed, needy character.
Why to Watch This Movie: Funny, Fast-Paced Fun
Summary:Â Watch this film for its lighthearted humor, fast pace, and its surprising amount of heart, as it cleverly uses the time-loop device for personal growth.
Enjoyable Comedy:Â It is noted as a "good bit of fun"Â and an "enjoyable and lighthearted entertainment" that successfully avoids boredom.
Hidden Heart:Â Beyond the quirky premise, the film offers a message about "life's imperfect moments,"Â emphasizing maturity, owning up to mistakes, and finding the beauty in chaos.
Ensemble Cast:Â Strong supporting performances, particularly Aisha Dee, add vibrancy and charisma to the single-night, single-location setting.
Where to watch: https://www.justwatch.com/uk/movie/one-more-shot-2025 (UK), https://www.justwatch.com/au/movie/one-more-shot-2025 (Australia)
Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9425856/
About movie: https://protagonistpictures.com/film/one-more-shot/
What Trend Is Followed: The Time Loop Comedy (with a twist)
Summary: One More Shot follows the blueprint of the Time Loop Comedy, where the character is forced to relive the same period repeatedly, not to fix an event, but to fix their own attitude and life choices.
The film stands alongside others like Palm Springs and Russian Doll, where the repetition allows the protagonist, Minnie, to shift from a myopic focus on one objective (like chasing Joe) to a broader understanding of her own flaws and the value of her relationships.
Movie Plot: The Selfish Pursuit of a Perfect Night
Summary:Â Minnie Vernon, disappointed with her life and her love interest, uses a magical bottle of tequila to replay the night repeatedly, believing she can manipulate events to achieve the "perfect" romantic ending, but learns the hard way that life is messy.
The Protagonist's Problem:Â Minnie is having a "bad day"Â on NYE 1999 and is overly focused on getting her desired romantic outcome with her university friend Joe.
The Magical Device: She discovers a bottle of Time Traveling Tequila that allows her to reset the night from the moment she enters the party.
The Conflict: She repeatedly uses her limited number of shots in a selfish attempt to create a perfect reality, only to realize that her true journey is one of maturity and accepting life's imperfections.
Director's Vision: The Chaos of Self-Acceptance
Summary: Nicholas Clifford's vision was to use the time-travel device not for grand, sci-fi consequences, but as a sharply focused comedic tool to explore the human tendency to over-analyze and regret.
Charming and Lighthearted: The intent was to create a charming comedy that, despite its high concept, remains simple and focuses on the personal, relatable journey toward maturity and learning to value life.
Character Focus: The director intended Minnie's "unhinged and selfish" behavior to be a key source of comedy, ensuring that the audience's enjoyment hinges on Emily Browning's ability to carry the plot's weight.
Themes: Second Chances, Perfectionism, and Nostalgia
Summary:Â The central themes involve the temptation of a perfect redo, the folly of perfectionism, and the realization that true happiness lies in accepting and embracing messy reality.
The Folly of Perfection:Â Minnie uses the tequila to chase a perfect version of the night, highlighting how trying to control every variable often leads to greater frustration and a loss of joy.
Self-Acceptance: The core message is that true growth comes from owning up to mistakes and accepting that life is a "collection of messy, beautiful moments."
Coming-of-Age:Â The entire film acts as a delayed coming-of-age story for the highly myopic Minnie, forcing her to look beyond her own desires.
Key Success Factors: Creative Excellence and Intense Focus
Summary:Â The film's success is driven by its fast-paced scripting, the charismatic performance of its lead, and the strength of its high-concept idea.
Strong Lead Performance: Emily Browning successfully anchors the plot, providing the necessary "ferocity" and comedic timing to make the somewhat selfish character relatable.
Pacing: The tight runtime of 88 minutes ensures the plot moves quickly and avoids the tedious repetition often associated with the time-loop genre.
Witty Script: While one critic found the humor inconsistent, others praised the lighthearted tone and the simple charm that keeps the entertainment going.
Awards and Nominations: Festival Favorite
Summary:Â The film has been recognized at domestic festivals, solidifying its position as a strong, audience-pleasing independent feature.
Festival Reception:Â The film was featured at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), often referred to as an "unexpected gem" by attendees.
Critics Reception: Charming and Entertaining (But Flawed)
Summary:Â Critics are divided, with some praising its charm and heart, and others noting inconsistent humor and production quality that did not always sell the 1999 setting convincingly.
Positive View:Â Praised as a "Love Letter to Life's Imperfect Moments"Â and a "solid tour de force"Â that works thanks to the lead's charisma.
Negative View:Â One critic found it "Lame, inconsistent and unfunny,"Â criticizing the acting and writing, and noting that the low budget failed to convincingly capture the late 90s aesthetic.
Reviews: Audience Overwhelmingly On Board
Summary:Â Audience reviews are generally positive, highlighting the film's entertainment value and the strong central performance.
Overall IMDb Score:Â 5.5/10Â (Based on a very limited number of early user reviews).
Positive Feedback:Â Reviewers found it a "good bit of fun"Â and an enjoyable experience that was both "lighthearted"Â and surprisingly "full of heart."
Release Dates:
Theatrical Release: October 12, 2025Â (Australia) Festival Circuit: MIFF (Melbourne International Film Festival)
What Movie Trend Film Is Following: Groundhog Day with a Twist
The film is following the trend of using the Time Loop Mechanic to explore character flaws rather than just external events. It takes a high-concept premise (time travel) and applies it to a very intimate, personal comedy.
What Big Social Trend Is Following: Y2K Nostalgia
The film successfully taps into the Y2K Nostalgia social trend, using the fashion, music, and millennial anxiety surrounding the year 2000 as a key part of its comedic setting.
What Consumer Trend Is Following: The Quest for Lighthearted Escapism
The film appeals to the audience segment seeking Lighthearted Escapism—a well-paced, low-stakes comedy with a fantastical hook that offers simple, engaging entertainment without demanding heavy emotional investment.
Final Verdict: A Charming, Quirky Australian Comedy
Summary: One More Shot is a fun, fast-paced Australian comedy that utilizes a great high-concept premise and a committed lead performance from Emily Browning to deliver a story about self-acceptance and the search for joy in messy moments.
Key Trend Highlighted – It demonstrates the strong appeal of the time loop genre when paired with a lighthearted, specific cultural setting (Y2K). Key Insight – The film's greatest success is transforming a self-centered protagonist into a relatable hero by forcing her to confront her own imperfections repeatedly.
Similar Movies: Time Loop and High-Concept Comedies
Summary:Â These titles share thematic elements or narrative styles with One More Shot, focusing on high-concept comedies where characters must repeat time to achieve self-improvement.
Palm Springs (2020) by Max Barbakow: Shares the theme of romantic comedy intertwined with a time loop and the focus on characters realizing they must accept the loop to find happiness.
Russian Doll (2019-2022) by Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland, Amy Poehler: Shares the darker, more introspective element of repeating time until a key personal flaw or trauma is addressed.
About Time (2013) by Richard Curtis: A romantic comedy where the character uses time travel to fix relationships and learn to appreciate the present moment.