Written by Marina Coates
One of Them Days is a wonderful buddy comedy starring the brilliant Keke Palmer and SZA in an outstanding feature film debut. Despite its absurdity, the screenplay (written by Syreeta Singleton, also her feature debut) is tight, and even when a character is introduced initially as a joke (see Maude Apatow’s Bethany), they all have integral roles to play in the story.
Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) are best friends and roommates just trying to make it in LA. When they discover Alyssa’s boyfriend, Keshawn (Joshua David Neal), has blown their rent money (on his t-shirt business, no less), the best friends find themselves in a race against the clock to avoid being evicted by their intense landlord. The hijinks that ensue include a very bloody fight at a blood bank, a comically unrealistic electrocution as Alyssa tries to retrieve Jordans from a telephone wire, a biscuit bandit, and a ridiculously predatory loan company that won’t even loan to Druex because her credit score is so bad. Plus, all of this is happening the day Druex interviews for a promotion to become a franchise owner of Norm’s Diner.
It’s absurd, but to be fair, the most ridiculous scenes are the parts I had the most fun watching. The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, allowing the audience to suspend expectations of reality and fully enjoy the insane comedic situations the friends find themselves in.
The film’s main downfall, however, is its inability to stick to one antagonist. Sure, it often makes sense for a new villain to enter the story later on, but One of Them Days has a few too many and devoted much of its 90-minute run time to these storylines. The subplot showing “Big-Booty” Berniece (Aziza Scott) hunting down the friends alongside Keshawn constantly felt like it was pulling us away from the main action we wanted to see.
Palmer was, admittedly, the main draw for me and her brilliant performance carries this film and makes it what it is. The supporting cast is equally entertaining, each with their own impeccable comedic timing, but Palmer sells the story. She has an ability to create great moments out of even the smallest interactions, keeping up the film’s pacing. Likewise, SZA excels in her role as the flighty, artistic, Keshawn-obsessed Alyssa, playing off Palmer’s energy while letting Palmer shine as the main star. The biggest thing this film gets right is the chemistry between SZA and Palmer. Despite their downfalls, you’d be crazy not to fall in love with their dynamic by the end of the film and I think we’ll all relate to Bethany’s desire to be their friend.
One of Them Days will resonate with anyone who has ever been a broke young adult trying to find their place in the world. It is a love letter to Los Angeles and those unbreakable—sometimes questionable—friendships we create with our childhood best friends. We don’t get many great buddy films these days (especially female-led), and One of Them Days, although not a timeless classic, provides a much-needed 90-minute break from reality that feels like hanging out with your best friends.
