As if I needed another reminder that I am getting old, it would appear that setting film and television in the iconic era of the 90s has become a new standard. Look no further than yet another time loop comedy, this one set during New Years Eve of 1999. There is a very specific, Australian edge to the production that helps distinguish it from the endless pool of titles utilizing this exact same premise. Making his feature length directorial debut here, Nicholas Clifford does a great job of highlighting the strengths of leading lady Emily Browning and her character’s innumerable misadventures. A quirky time-twister with magic tequila, 90s nostalgia, and an unforgettable New Years Eve party, One More Shot exceeds expectations as a memorable festival indie.
Doctor Minnie (Browning, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Sucker Punch) has been coasting through life in the hopes of rekindling a relationship with her flame, Joe (Sean Keenan, The Power of the Dog, Nitram). Their mutual friend, Rodney (Ashley Zukerman, Succession, Fear Street Trilogy), just so happens to be having a New Year’s Eve costume party with Joe home for the holidays. Unbeknownst to Minnie, Joe has brought along Jenny (Aisha Dee, Sissy, Look Both Ways), his new serious girlfriend who he plans to propose to on this very night. Minnie brings along a bottle of Mexican tequila she got as a gift a decade ago. Though she arrives without a costume, Minnie still shows up dolled up in a cute red dress with matching lipstick. Her night definitely does not go swimmingly—Minnie gets a bloody nose from smashing into a sliding glass door, and witnesses the proposal of the happy couple just before midnight. She takes a shot of the tequila… and “resets” back to when she first arrived at the party.
Minnie takes this as a sign: perhaps she has been destined to break up Joe and Jenny. What follows is a series of hilarious escapades wherein Minnie cannot seem to get Joe alone to make any kind of move. Browning plays up her character’s wildly carefree nature as she steamrolls anything in her path to get what she wants. One of the funniest moments comes during a dancing scene, where Minnie gets stuck in a split. As Minnie’s resets tick away and the bottle of tequila slowly gets emptier, the absurdity gets dialed up a notch.
Instead of Groundhog Day-style infinite resets, the time travel here is limited—only triggered by taking a shot of the tequila. Punctuated by the 90s tunes of the soundtrack, each day-loop usually features “Coco Jamboo” and “Laid.” It always starts with the party itself, and there seems to be no way to go back any further than that. One More Shot has fun tweaking these dynamics, eventually allowing for the entire party at large to become Minnie’s playground.
Even despite the overall simplicity of the concept, there are still entertaining hijinks to be found. A tidy life lesson pops up near the end, alongside some light physical comedy. Hinting at a sequel, the script makes some clever leaps in adding to the mythology of the mystical tequila. Heartfelt and quirky, One More Shot ends up being a solid, light-hearted watch—not groundbreaking, but a perfectly adequate way to spend an hour and a half with Emily Browning.
One More Shot screened at 2025’s SXSW Film & TV Festival.
