I knew I was going to like One of Them Days as soon as I saw the poster based solely on its stars, Keke Palmer and SZA. See to me Keke Palmer is one of the most underrated people in showbusiness working today. We’ve seen her acting since she was a child through her teenage years and now as a young woman. In an earlier time, her skill set of acting in dramatic and comedic work, along with being able to sing and dance, would put her above the top. On top of that, she can host and engage with people. She hits every skill set that used to be paramount in Hollywood, but alas, we are in different times. SZA has the benefit of having great music and such honest-feeling songs. So, seeing these two in a Black buddy comedy in a vein similar to Ice Cube’s Friday, along with being produced by Issa Rae, just go ahead and sign me up.
In this movie, Palmer plays Dreux, a young woman who’s the perfect server in a diner chain, and she aims to join the Regional Manager Program. She’s the warmest server you can have, as she knows all her customers’ names and what’s going on in their lives. She’s the all-around good aw-shucks style main character. She lives with her best friend, Alyssa (SZA), who has this free, bohemian-like, artistic spirit. A perfect balance to Dreux’s super responsible on top of things nature. It’s the first of the month in their working-class apartment complex, and rent is due, but things go awry when, instead of paying the rent herself, Alyssa asks her bum of a boyfriend Keshawn (Joshua Neal) to do it but, he takes the money and leaves. This leads Druex and Alyssa to have to run around and hustle up the rent by the evening before getting their stuff put out on the street.
Here, you see these two actresses go on an epic quest through LA to find their rent money, escape a bully, not end up in debt and for Dreux to interview for her dream job. This movie is a throwback to Black comedies you’d watch from the 90s through the mid-2000s. Two likable leads have cartoonish-like experiences while trying to overcome some wild adversity with many funny yet dangerous foes. Keke and SZA really work well together on screen. Keke is playing a type of character she’s played before, but it really works here, and SZA is kinda playing “herself,” and by that, I mean the idea of SZA we have from videos, interviews, music, and social media. She’s able to follow Palmer’s superb comic timing and setup. Aziza Scott, who plays Big Booty Berniece, the woman Keshawn leaves Alyssa for and is the Deebo of the film, is hilarious and gives a good performance with a strong screen presence. Joshua Neal is excellent in this movie and steals many scenes. Some may know him from his TikTok videos, where he does some great comedic skits, and he’s able to bring that here on the big screen. I hope this is a big start for both Scott and Neal in show business.
All the cameos in this film all work and stay the right amount of time without overstaying their welcome. Katt Williams‘ Lucky feels a bit more important than what the movie shows him to be like there’s been some stuff cut, but he’s still hilarious. Overall, One of Them Days has goals to be a hood classic—a movie you can always have on and play and not get tired of it. While I think some older folks might get too caught up in comparing it to films from decades ago, One of Them Days can be that type of film for a whole new generation of folks.
Score: B +
