One of Them Days movie review (2025)

“Rap Sh!t” and “Insecure” writer Syreeta Singleton teams up with music video director Lawrence Lamont in her feature film debut to compose a comedy for black women that will make you thankful for your worst day. In “One of Them Days,” Keke Palmer and SZA are Dreux and Alyssa, extremely depressed chaos magnets trying to scrape together enough money to avoid eviction. Meanwhile, they have to dodge a vengeful neighborhood bully who’s kicking their ass and evade their hood’s notorious killer, while making sure Dreux gets to his job interview on time… one after the other; all in 24 hours. With high APR loan sharks, under-the-table blood banks, and a dichotomous duet of uncertain love interests upping the ante, “One of Them Days” gives new credence to the phrase “get active.”

Best friends and roommates Dreux and Alyssa are a familiar duo: two girls with the same zest for life, whose approaches and pragmatism to everyday dilemmas differ cheerfully. Dreux is a hard-working, charming but shy waitress who wants to become a franchise manager at her job at a local restaurant. She’s the girl who maneuvers the floor like she’s on ice skates, throwing smiles and clever punchlines as she becomes employee of the month. She is confident but anxious. A free-spirited and talented artist, Alyssa is the kind of girl who divides her time at a party, explaining birth charts between tequila shots, wingwomaning for her girls, and sneaking away with her husband. But if her and Dreux’s song comes on, you know they’ll be putting everything on hold to cut it up on the dance floor.

When Alyssa leaves her bickering situation Keshawn (Joshua David Neal) to hand in her and Dreux’s rent, they don’t find out he blew them off on his ad hoc T-shirt business “Cucci” until their landlord knocks on their door . . They have 24 hours before they’re kicked out, and with their neighbor already exchanging his belongings on the curb, they know it’s no joke. And so sets out a kinetic comedy of errors as the best put their misguided, well-intentioned heads together to keep a roof over their heads.

“One of Them Days” runs with the danger and thrill of a lead foot. Dreux and Alyssa’s adventure is anxiety-inducing but exciting—for us and for them—as even in the most risky moments, the spark between the two friends shines with just enough “f*ck it” energy to counteract the flight response. Palmer and SZA’s chemistry is motivated by a palpable rapport that complements Lamont’s punchy neon vibe. Palmer brings exactly what we want and expect, indisputable charisma and goofy line deliveries; In her acting debut, SZA shows no evidence that this is her first foray into this arena, shining with personality and a natural comedic timing.

Singleton’s writing paints a side-splitting portrait of “The Jungle”: the girls’ very LA apartment complex. Occupied by Jameel (Dewayne Perkins), a notoriously unreliable braid who can jailbreak a phone with no problem, Mama Ruth (Vanessa Bell Calloway), a warm adoptive aunt figure, and the new tenant, Bethany (Maude Apatow), a clueless but well – the jungle, a symptom of the neighborhood’s gentrified future, boasts a cast of characters familiar to city dwellers. Fringe characters include Bully Berniece (Aziza Scott), Keshawn’s fist-clenching sidekick, and Maniac (Patrick Cage), Dreux’s fabled love interest, a guy she sweetly can’t read but whose chemistry with her shines through. the screen.

As the ladies criss-cross the city on their all-necessary jaunts, mismatched cameos and all-too-obvious performance choices occur with some regularity. Despite their iconicity and charisma, Katt Williams and Lil Rel Howery fit into the film like a flickering fluorescent bulb at an otherwise well-lit house party: commanding your attention with stark demand rather than supportive aura. Palmer’s signature animated deliveries work most of the time, but sometimes they hit too hard, coupled with a few overly obvious punchlines that beg for a laugh. But “One of Them Days” satisfies like a high-five landed after three rushes: a rewarding victory because of the stumbles it took to get there.