'One of Them Days' Review: Keke Palmer and SZA Rebirths the Cozy Mid-Budget Studio Buddy Comedy
If there’s anything Issa Rae’s gonna do, it’s platform Black female friendship and slice-of-life West Coast foolishness. Her shows, Insecure and Rap Sh!t, focused on two homegirls navigating the tribulations of achieving their career goals on the California coast. Since Rap Sh!t was canceled thanks to that Zaslav regime, it was time for Issa and her team to branch out to film. Made by Rap Sh!t alums – director Lawrence Lamont and writer Syreeta Singleton – we got One of Them Days, a buddy comedy about two homegirls trying to make ends meet, that captures the spirit of the shows the crew originated from and feels like a rebirth of the lighthearted, cozy mid-budget buddy comedies of the 1990s that we rarely see anymore. At least in theaters, anyway.
★★★1/2
MPA Rating: R (language throughout, sexual material and brief drug use)
Runtime: 1 Hour and 37 Minutes
Production Companies:TriStar Pictures, HOORAE, MACRO, ColorCreative
Distributor: Sony
Director: Lawrence Lamont
Writer: Syreeta Singleton
Cast: Keke Palmer, SZA, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Maude Apatow, Katt Williams, Joshua Neal, Aziza Scott, Patrick Cage, Dewayne Perkins, Amin Joseph, Gabrielle Dennis, Dominque Perry, Lil Rel Howery, Janelle James
Release Date: January 17, 2025
In Crenshaw, Dreux (Keke Palmer), a hardworking waitress who wants more from life, and Alyssa (SZA), an astronomically driven painter, live paycheck to paycheck. On the day of Dreux's big job interview, they learn that Alyssa's trifling boyfriend Keshawn (Joshua David Neal) has blown their rent money and cheated on her with the neighborhood bully Berniece (Aziza Scott). With their landlord Uche (Rizi Timane) giving them six hours, the duo race against time to cough up $1500. They find themselves in a series of unfortunate yet comical events that push them further away from their goal.
One of Them Days is Strengthened By Keke Palmer and SZA's Stellar Chemistry
Keke Palmer and SZA leading a buddy comedy sounds like a match made in heaven and the execution gets damn near close to it. Keke Palmer is one of the best talents working today, for even 1% of her natural charisma is enough to make you grin ear to ear. Dreux might be the most straight-man archetype Palmer has portrayed, and even then, she infuses her signature "Baby, that's Keke Palmer" charm. That girl's comedic timing hasn't aged a day since True Jackson VP, so much so that I felt the spirit of my younger self with each laugh stemmed from her quick-witted line deliveries.
If you pair Keke Palmer up with someone, they’d better be on her level or at least round out her energy. SZA does both as Alyssa, who is one of those people who prefers to let the universe resolve her problems rather than handle them herself. She rounds out Palmer's Dreux who bears some insecurity and awkwardness with loving enthusiasm. SZA shows impressive comedic range throughout. I was mainly impressed by how she depicted patience with Keshawn, and we all know if SZA were controlling the pen, she would certainly go "Kill Bill" on him. Either way, one can sense the childhood history of these characters through their affectionate banter and interactions. Like every Issa Rae production, their friendship and the tests they go through are the film’s core. The co-leads' radiant energy is enough to justify the price of admission alone.
One of Them Days is a Millennial Friday But For the Girlies
One of Them Days is like a spiritual successor to Friday but to represent the Millennials. Much of its plotting takes from the F. Gary Gray classic. It captures the same breezy, laid-back style and flavor, even down to Dreux and Alyssa having their own Deebo in Berniece. As Friday was a love letter to Compton, One of Them Days is a love letter to Crenshaw.
One of Them Days is brimming with hilarious visual gags and the plotting unfolds in a series of vignettes but none that feel too long-winded or disrupt the runtime. Janelle James, Katt Williams, and Keyla Monterroso Mejia portray various amusing side characters that the duo encounters throughout the day, and they all contribute to a lighthearted tone with their over-the-top personalities. My favorite was Williams as Lucky, a homeless man who constantly tries to steer the duo in the right direction, but they never "take heed" from him.
In addition to the comedic plot, Singleton's script imparts a commendable analysis of the issues that persist in African-American societies such as Crenshaw. It addresses predatory landlord practices and demonstrates the significance of diverse inclusion initiatives for hardworking individuals confined to positions that hinder their growth. Granted, they're all brief yet more refreshing than the typical Black tropes we see often in film.
While One of Them Days is fun in tone and star power, it occasionally suffers from bad editing, undercutting several punchlines.
The Trouble of Toxic Friends in Issa Rae Productions
I love that every Issa Rae show showcases the importance of female friendships, especially between Black women. I just wish that one of the friends didn't screw up the other friend so much and get away with it. For a pair of best friends who have been each other's rock since childhood, Alyssa causes more harm to Dreux than if they were to share the burden of L's. I liked SZA's performance as Alyssa, but I did not like the character herself the longer the film went on. She screws Dreux in two ways at once because of her lack of self-control. When she's called out for it, she deflects. It reminds me of how Molly would screw up Issa in Insecure and leave me so mad. In Issa Rae's productions, toxic friendship is a common issue and I understand they're real. Still, I'm getting tired of the inconsistencies between her two parties and the guilty character not reflecting in the mature ways they should, especially when you know they'll make up in the end. For once, could there be a common ground of blame, other than one party possessing a larger shitty friend wishbone than the other?
Final Thoughts
One of Them Days, bolstered by the remarkable onscreen chemistry between Keke Palmer and SZA, is a delightful, cozy buddy comedy caper with the right amount of raunch and heart that makes for a fun time at the movies.
