- Film Title: One More Shot
- Cast: Emily Browning, Sean Keenan, Ashley Zukerman, Harriet Dyer (implied as Flick/Max/Jenny contextually), “The Single Guy.”
- Director: Nicholas Clifford
- Writer: Alice Foulcher, Gregory Erdstein, Heather Wilson
- Distribution: Madman Entertainment (Aus), Samuel Goldwyn Films (US), Vertigo Releasing (UK), Vortex Media (Canada). Production: GoodThing Productions, Truce Films Release Date: December 12, 2025 (VOD/Digital)
- Review by: Mother of Movies
Drinking Through the Millennium Bug: One More Shot Movie Analysis
There is a specific kind of existential dread reserved for New Year’s Eve. It’s that calendar-mandated checkpoint where you’re forced to audit your life while holding a glass of cheap champagne, pretending you aren’t terrified of the future. Now, throw in the impending digital apocalypse of Y2K, a uterus that apparently has an expiration date, and an ex-boyfriend procreating with a woman that Minnie runs into at work, while his girlfriend is giving birth.
This is the chaotic, Sea Spray iceless landscape of One More Shot.
I have my own traditions for the night. I eat my grandfather’s birthday chicken wings, make my grandma’s trifle, and settle in for a rom-com while the rest of the world pretends to enjoy crowded bars. It’s a time for reflection. For Minnie (Emily Browning), an anesthetist who numbs people for a living but feels every jagged edge of her own life, reflection is a luxury she can’t afford. She’s living on a fold-out sofa at her friends Flick and Max’s place, a “transitional” arrangement that has overstayed its welcome, and she’s just been handed an eviction notice disguised as a pep talk.
Millennium Bugs Drowned in Salt and Lime
The premise is delicious in its simplicity, even if we’ve tasted this cocktail before. Minnie discovers a bottle of tequila that Flick bought in Mexico a decade ago. It’s not just distinctively aged; it’s chronologically unstable. One shot resets the night. It’s Groundhog Day with a hangover. It’s Sliding Doors with lime and salt.
Minnie is a mess, but she’s our mess. Emily Browning plays her with such frantic, wide-eyed vulnerability that you forgive her immediately. We watch her stumble into a sliding glass door, a literal and metaphorical barrier she eventually has to smash through, and we don’t just laugh; we wince. The narrative kicks off at a party she swore she wouldn’t attend, but after hearing Joe, in back in Australia, she eagerly swings into gear only to be greeted with the news that Joe might be back, but he’s now got a girlfriend, Jenny. To make matters worse, Joe (Sean Keenan) is the “one that got away”.
The film operates on the logic of a panic attack that you can hit “undo” on. As Minnie realizes the power of the bottle, she goes through the classic time-loop stages: confusion, reckless hedonism, aggressive competition, and finally, desperation. The script, penned by the team behind That’s Not Me (Alice Foulcher and Gregory Erdstein), understands that the tragedy of a time-loop isn’t repeating the events; it’s repeating your own flaws.
Visually, director Nicholas Clifford captures the grainy, over-saturated anxiety of 1999. The aesthetic is cramped and sweaty, strangled by the lighting choices of a house party that feels too small for the drama contained within it. But the real MVP here is the soundscape. Composer Justin Stanley has curated a sonic time capsule that hits you right in the nostalgia bone. When Sorento Moon (Tina Arena) kicks in during the car trip transition, it’s not just a needle drop; it’s a transportation device for anyone who grew up in Australia during the turn of the millennium.
Other “Opinions on One More Shot”
Critics might sharpen their knives and call One More Shot derivative. And sure, the “do-over” trope is well-worn territory. We’ve seen it in Palm Springs, About Time, and Russian Doll. But calling this film generic ignores its specific, beating heart. It tackles the uniquely millennial anxiety of feeling like you’ve missed the bus on adulthood.
The chemistry between Browning and Keenan is the glue here. Their “on-again-off-again” dynamic feels entirely relatable, that frustrating, magnetic pull of someone who knows you too well. There is a scene in a bathroom (isn’t there always?) where Minnie thinks a kiss is the key to breaking the loop. It’s a moment of vulnerability that hits hard because we realize the loop isn’t the trap; her inability to let go is.
However, the film isn’t afraid to get dark. Minnie essentially throws herself at a “Single Guy” (listed delightfully as C-Word in the casting sheets) in an ensuite bathroom in a desperate attempt to change her biological destiny. It’s cringe-inducing, hilarious, and deeply sad all at once. She is 36, the same age I was when I got pregnant, and that biological clock ticking in the background is louder than the Y2K countdown.
If I have to find a fault, it’s that the chaos sometimes threatens to derail the emotional beats. The middle act, where Minnie tries to “fix” the timeline by aggressively competing with Jenny, feels a little frantic. But perhaps that’s the point. You can’t hustle your way into a happy ending.
One More Shot is a warm, intoxicated hug of a movie. It tells us that while we can’t control the timeline, and we certainly can’t control other people, we can control whether we drink the worm or smash the glass. It’s the perfect film to watch while a thunderstorm rages outside, with a glass of wine (or tequila, if you dare) in hand.
Y2K Anxiety & Liquid Courage
One More Shot is Sliding Doors with a tequila chaser. It captures the sweaty, desperate hope of New Year’s Eve 1999 perfectly. While it treads familiar time-loop territory, Emily Browning’s frantic charm and a surprisingly dark third act make it a standout.
One More Shot is rated
4 Millennium bugs drowned in salt and lime out of 5
Similar Titles to One More Shot
Need more time-bending anxiety or Aussie charm? Movies like One More Shot are:
- The Infinite Man (2014): An Australian sci-fi comedy about a man trying to construct the perfect romantic weekend using time travel, only to trap himself in a loop of failures.
- Palm Springs (2020): If you liked the “stuck at a celebration” vibe, this Andy Samberg vehicle explores the nihilism and romance of a wedding that never ends.
- Sliding Doors (1998): The spiritual grandmother of this film. It explores how one split-second moment (catching a train vs. missing it) splits a life in two.
- That’s Not Me (2017): Written by the same team, this explores the darker, funnier side of failing to achieve your dreams while your twin sibling succeeds.
Soundtrack for the Film One Shot 2025
- Number 1 — Goldfrapp
- Dreams — The Cranberries
- Dead — James
- Heavy Heart — You Am I
- One Summer — Daryl Braithwaite
- Deeper Water — Deadstar
- Sorrento Moon (I Remember) — Tina Arena
- Coco Jamboo — Mr. President
- Calypso — Spiderbait
Filmmaker Stamps & Trivia
Nicholas Clifford (Director): Clifford has a knack for grounding high-concept ideas in gritty, Australian realism. He often collaborates with the writing duo Foulcher and Erdstein, creating a signature style that blends awkward, observational comedy with distinct visual stylings. His work often focuses on the “failure to launch” aspect of the millennial experience.
Alice Foulcher & Gregory Erdstein (Writers): Known for That’s Not Me, this duo specializes in characters who are their own worst enemies. Their writing stamp is the “delusional protagonist”, someone we root for despite (or because of) their terrible decision-making skills. They excel at writing dialogue that feels like an overheard argument at a pub.
The Soundtrack: While an official tracklist is elusive, the film leans heavily on late 90s/early 2000s Australian anthems serving as a recurring motif for nostalgia.
The following section contains major spoilers regarding the ending of the film, the true nature of the tequila, and character arcs. If you haven’t taken your shot yet, turn back now. You cannot reset this read.
Spoiler Territory: The Bottom of the Bottle
The third act twists the knife in a way I didn’t expect. It turns out Minnie isn’t the only one messing with the timeline. Rodney, the smug, successful surgeon, happily married to Pia, becomes the unexpected villain. He has his own bottle. In fact, he’s been resetting this night for ten years. He lived through his wedding five times, built his perfect life. His wife resents him and is threatening to leave, so Rodney asks Minnie for her last two shots. One for him and one for her. So they stay on the same timeline, of course.
This reveal shifts Rodney from a generic long-time friend to a sci-fi antagonist. He labeled his bottle, treating the magic like a surgical tool, whereas Minnie treated it like a party favor. The confrontation is chaotic and cathartic. Minnie realizes that Rodney’s “perfect” life is built on a decade of manipulation. And some of include climbing the corporate ladder and leaving his friends behind in the competitive dirt.
Smashed Sliding Glass Doors and Bloody Noses
She and Joe finally kiss, but it’s not a “happily ever after” seal; it’s an amends. They admit they are best with the futures they have, not the pasts they want to reclaim. Jenny, seeing the kiss and Minnie, left with one last chance to correct the mess, decides not to eat the one remaining worm from her bottle of tequila. The ending is an amalgamation of acceptance. Minnie doesn’t get the perfect fix.
Instead, she admits her faults, tells Jenny the kiss was closure, but that none of it should affect anyone’s future. Minnie reclaims her power. Being able to own up to your mistakes and move on with your head held high is better than a redo. It’s nice and wholesome and the perfect way to spend a night reflecting.
And the final shot? The “Single Guy” who has been floating in the background finds the worm left in the bottle. As the group takes a photo, happy in their flawed moment, he disappears from the background. The cycle continues. It’s a perfect, dark cherry on top of the trifle.
Where to Stream “One More Shot”
“The film operates on the logic of a panic attack that you can hit ‘undo’ on.
– Mother of Movies
One More Shot 2025 (Romantic Comedy) is streaming on:
The Endless 2017 (Classic Neon Void Crossing) is streaming on:
