One More Shot - A Time Tested Mantra
Film
One More Shot had its World Premiere at SXSW 2025
Imagine a world where taking one more shot of tequila gave you the ability to fix all your problems instead of creating more of them. That is if you took advantage of the powers this mystical tequila imbues. Now if only we could get that in beer, right? Alas, One More Shot details the journey, or journeys, Minnie (Emily Browning) takes when she discovers a bottle of tequila allows her to restart her 1999 New Year's Eve night with each shot. This is extremely convenient for her as her long-lost love, Joe (Sean Keenan), happens to be at this party. Giving Minnie an entire bottle's worth of chances to make things right.
Even though One More Shot sounds like another time-loop movie you've seen before, the new upholstery of time-traveling tequila instantly makes it much more interesting. Basing the entire concept of going back in time to fix things on getting more intoxicated, therefore snowballing the mess. Unfortunately, Gregory Erdstein and Alice Foulcher's story never quite finds its footing this idea establishes. Minnie's introduction as an anesthesiologist works well when she bumps into an ex-lover who didn’t want kids—but is now at her hospital with his new wife in labor. This quick exchange effectively sets up Minnie’s desire for kids and her rocky romantic past, laying the groundwork for the drama of New Year’s Eve with Joe—but the ensuing moments lean heavily into cheesy tropes, which may not land for all audiences.
Unfortunately, most of the film unfurls in a Hallmark-esque type of romantic comedy where the humor often feels forced and doesn’t consistently land, and the chemistry between Minnie and her friends, but most importantly Joe, just isn't there. Not to mention, Joe didn't come alone to this party. He brought his girlfriend Jenny (Aisha Dee), turning One More Shot into a rehash of the 2023 film Somebody I Used to Know, with Browning in the Alison Brie-like role—trying to wrestle a former lover away from their new partner, no matter the consequences. While that makes the romantic comedy genre more interesting and veers from formulaic approaches, how Minnie-and One More Shot as a whole-engages in this act is tough to empathize with.
One More Shot finally picks up momentum when it explores the mythology—or understanding—of the time-traveling tequila and the ensuing chaos or personal growth it provides. Finally, we begin to see Minnie, her friend Rodney (Ashley Zukerman), and Pia (Pallavi Sharda) become much more interesting characters to the story. There's some gravity to the situation, which is always difficult when you have a time-loop scenario, but at long last the development we've been yearning for arrives. Something that preaches personal growth and moving forward in the right way as opposed to hitting a reset button and making aggravating decisions. Choices that put a divide between an audience and its characters, and not in an anti-hero way, but something that is more frustrating to watch.
I firmly believe that the pieces of a great movie are in One More Shot. The premise alone piqued my interest, but ultimately the execution struggles to fully develop its complex characters within the rom-com framework. The end result is less than desirable—but still better than having to down a whole bottle of tequila to fix your mistakes.
Froth
On one hand, if we were Tequila & TV this would be an easy pairing, but on the other hand, it would be fairly difficult to find time-traveling tequila to properly finish this review. Alas, we are stuck in our frothy ways which brings me to my beverage of choice, the Head Full of Dynomite from Fremont Brewing. What struck me with this pairing is the quote Fremont posts with the beer:
“Friends bring happiness into your life, best friends bring beer.” – VWP
So of course a romantic comedy about friends coming together, especially two long lost lovers, deserves a beer that feels the same about wonderful reunions! The only difference being a decided lack of beer in One More Shot but we can get over that.
Fremont Brewing's Head Full of Dynomite is a dank Hazy IPA that wears its heart on its sleeve. And by heart I mean its diabolical bitterness, which Fremont rates as ACT, A Crap Ton. But fret not, as this brew is well tempered in every category, balancing out this heightened bitterness with extraordinary flavor, mouthfeel and aroma. Beside the bitterness is a delightful tropical forward flavor that rounds out into something much more even-keeled. Layers of breadiness, I won't say malt but its close, along with some pine and lighter florals lift up the heavier characters of this brew making it an all around delight that can be enjoyed year round.
Now if only one sip could restart your whole pint...
