ONE OF THEM DAYS (2025)
When two female friends and roommates discover one of their boyfriend's has blown their rent money, they go to extremes to avoid eviction.
One of Them Days is a boisterous buddy comedy that proves that female friends can be just as messy as men. Driven diner waitress Dreux (Keke Palmer) and anarchic aspiring artist Alyssa (SZA) find themselves in trouble when their rent money disappears, and they need to find a solution within nine hours.
The following 97 minutes follow these two wayward twentysomethings across south Los Angeles as they try to rustle up enough money to get their landlord off their back. The two conjure up more and more outlandish ways to earn their rent, getting themselves in sillier and sillier escapades.
The heart of the film is less about the scrapes the two women get into and more about their relationship. Dreux aspires to become a franchise manager and work her way up the career ladder. Alyssa is an artist who doesn’t believe in corporate work or any type of structure. The duo has the type of connection that only comes with a long-time friendship. Both are incredibly different with differing viewpoints and aspirations yet have enough shared history that they make it work.
One of Them Days belongs to Keke Palmer (Nope), an actress who has long deserved her flowers. She’s an absolute star, with likability and charm oozing out of every pore. Whether it’s fast-talking her way out of dangerous situations, proving her worth in a corporate situation or flirting with a fireman, you can’t take your eyes off her. It’s Palmer who keeps the film grounded with her layered comedy performance of a woman who’s nervous and highly strung while also being bold and confident. It’s been a while since an actress gave such a scene-stealing performance in a comedy.
Singer SZA, in her big screen debut, just can’t match her co-star’s charisma. Her more subdued approach to the role suits her character’s more laid-back personality. One of Them Days needed a straight guy to balance Palmer’s motor mouth and avoid the senses becoming overwhelmed. While no one can shine as brightly as Keke Palmer, SZA more than proves she has talent and comedic timing.
There’s nothing realistic or grounded about One of Them Days. But the boys have been allowed to make these movies for decades, so badly behaved women still feel a novelty on the big screen. There is no reliance on romantic side plots or the male characters. Dreux and Alyssa are two women who know what they need to do, even if they do occasionally get distracted by a pretty boy.
Keke Palmer and SZA’s performances make even the cheesiest, predictable gimmicks believable enough. In just 24 hours, One Of Them Days has the two women meet a loan shark, start a vendetta with an ex’s current girl, evade a local gangster, visit a blood bank and start their own business. From the opening scenes to the closing credits, this film only works if you suspend all belief and go along for the ride. It’s hard to be bored when the plot zips through so many situations, locations and characters. At times, the movie needs to calm down and allow the moment to sit in the air as the plot often moves on before the audience can process what has just happened.
On their twisty journey to paying their rent, the pair encounter a range of characters, from hilarious to annoying to downright weird. Along with the ride is Alyssa’s situationship, Keshawn (Joshua David Neal), who is the reason the rent money is gone. The incident at a blood bank with an incompetent nurse (Janelle James) should be funnier than it is. While Dreux’s interview with manager Shayla (Gabrielle Dennis) adds one of the few moments of pathos to the film. Keshawn’s side chick Bereniece (Aziza Scott), is another standout as the vengeful new partner, proving One of Them Days belongs to the female performances. Bereniece is like The Terminator, trying to hunt down Dreux and Alyssa for reasons that soon get forgotten.
We also meet Jameel (Dewayne Perkins), a familiarly unreliable braider, a possible love interest for Dreux, Maniac (Patrick Cage), and Bethany (Maude Apatow), a sweet yet clueless white neighbour. Comedians Katt Williams and Lil Rey Howey also make brief appearances that feel shoehorned into the plot. Both are iconic performers and obviously incredibly funny, their roles in this film don’t feel natural and stand out for the wrong reasons. A late plot point involving a local gangster called King Rolo (Anim Joseph) feels like perhaps one character too many for the film’s last act to juggle.
Bethany’s addition to the neighbourhood hints that the film may make a point about gentrification, but One of Them Days wants to have fun without being weighed down by politics. It nods to the struggles of trying to make ends meet in society, the stereotypes black women face, and the cost of sickness in the US because it’s hard for this world to exist without these topics. Ultimately, the movie is a welcome break from the real problems facing America and allows the audience to indulge in its silliness.
Dreux and Alyssa’s little intertwined world is outrageous and campy but feels real. You get a real sense that the community, with all its quirks, is an actual place that exists in Los Angeles. There is nothing forced about the consistent energy or the eccentric unpredictability of the inhabitants.
Executive-produced by Insecure’s Issa Rae and written by the HBO show’s writer Syreeta Singleton, One of Them Days wears this influence on its sleeve. Much like Rae’s much-awarded and beloved comedy, the film perfectly explores the complexities of an old friendship between two black women. The director, Lawrence Lamont, is better known for making music videos for the likes of Big Sean and J. Cole, and this experience shows. The film looks bright and sunny, harking back to the 1990s era of buddy comedy.
One of Them Days flies along at 100 mph the entire time, never stopping to catch its breath. Perhaps it would have benefitted from taking a moment to step back and sit in the joke rather than always having another situation and character ready to go. Despite its commitment to being silly, One of Them Days has its finger on the pulse and understands exactly what it’s making, who it’s for, and why it’s so necessary in this day and age.
USA | 2025 | 97 MINUTES | 2.39:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH
Cast & Crew
director: Lawrence Lamont
writer: Syreeta Singleton
starring: Keke Palmer, SZA, Katt Williams, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Lil Rel Howery, Maude Apatow, Patrick Cage, Gabrielle Dennis, Janelle James, Amin Joseph, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Dewayne Perkins & Joshua Neal.
