Best friends Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) are struggling to make ends meet. Believing they’ve paid their rent for the next month, the women are shocked to discover that Alyssa’s boyfriend Keshawn (Joshua David Neal) has stolen their money. In a bid to get it back, and avoid being evicted, Dreux and Alyssa embark on an unexpected rollercoaster journey to get the money back and keep their friendship intact. With time ticking and tensions running high, can they do it?
‘One of Them Days’ is a buddy comedy from director Lawrence Lamont and writer Syreeta Singleton. If you’ve ever seen 2000 cult comedy ‘Dude, Where’s My Car?’ starring Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott, this will feel quite familiar. Like that film, ‘One of Them Days’ takes a seemingly simple situation and throws its main characters into a constantly escalating situation that gets worse with ease passing minute. Dreux works in a diner and has aspirations to climb the corporate ladder while Alyssa is an artist with a steady stream of hunky boyfriends. When they’re together, the friends are total chaos effortlessly moving from friendly to argumentative, often in the same scene.
The discovery that their rent money has been stolen kicks off a chain of ridiculous, but very entertaining, events that continually escalate. As they try to get their money back so they don’t get evicted, their situation worsens; from a woman with a big booty and an axe to grind, through to an attempt to sell some expensive trainers landing them in the crosshairs of a criminal, Dreux and SZA are put through the ringer. With each passing minute things get crazier and if you turn your brain off and go along for the ride, you’ll have a blast.
The film works in large part due to the chemistry between Keke Palmer and SZA, who makes her acting debut. They are believable as best friends and they have a short hand on screen that works well. Whether they’re trading barbs, comforting one another or fighting for their lives, Palmer and SZA are always watchable. Palmer has always been fun to watch and she’s matched by an impressive turn from SZA. There’s a nice supporting role for Janelle James, best-known for her role in ‘Abbott Elementary’, that elicits some of the film’s biggest laughs.
‘One of Them Days’ is the kind of comedy that I didn’t think got made any more. It reminds me of the 90s when films were just entertaining rather than pushing a social and/or political narrative. It’s genuinely funny and a joyful slice of popcorn fluff that is likely to end up becoming a cult favourite. The fact that a sequel is already in the works shows that audiences responded to the film, and if you just want to be entertained for 97 minutes, this film would be the perfect choice.
Cast: Keke Palmer, SZA, Maude Apatow, Joshua David Neal, Janelle James, Patrick Cage Director: Lawrence Lamont Writer: Syreeta Singleton Certificate: 15 Duration: 97 mins Released by: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Release date: 6th May 2025 Buy or rent ‘One of Them Days’ now
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