Alyssa (SZA) and Dreux (Keke Palmer) in One of Those Days
One of Them Days
Cinemark Buckland Hills 18 HD and IMAX
Manchester
Jan. 21, 2025
One of Them Days has a very simple premise: what kind of shenanigans would two women get into to raise $1,500 by the end of the day?
As it turns out, quite a spectacular array of them.
The movie stars Keke Palmer as Dreux and singer SZA as Alyssa in her acting debut. The two are best friends/roommates who have mere hours to come up with their rent money after Alyssa’s no-good boyfriend Keshawn spends it to kick start his label of designer T‑shirts, branded Cucci (see what they did there?).
One of Them Days (henceforth OTD) is clearly inspired by the cult classic Friday, another movie where the best friend duo struggles to come up with enough money in one day to stave off disaster. Where Friday’s Craig and Smokey are pothead ne’er do wells, Dreux and Alyssa are smart, capable, upwardly mobile Black women who actually come up with a successful plan — which they manage to blow because they’re also ne’er do wells.
OTD is quite funny, thanks to a hilarious script from Syreeta Singleton (she also wrote for Issa Rae’s Insecure, who helped produce) and snappy direction from Lawrence Lamont, who worked with Singleton on a since-canceled HBO Max show called Rap Sh!t. No scene lingers for too long, and the movie moves briskly through its 97 minute runtime, keeping the complications piling up and the laughs coming.
Of course, comedy requires talented performers to lift the jokes off the page, and the movie’s dynamic duo is more than up to the task. Keke Palmer is a national treasure, and despite only being 31 years old, she’s been performing in comedies for 20 years. Her comedic exaggerations as Dreux are tempered by experience, and she knows how to draw out the absurdity of a situation without becoming heavy handed in her delivery. Palmer is in the company of Regina King, Jim Carrey and Robin Williams, as performers who can transition seamlessly from vaudeville to pathos when the moment calls for it.
SZA is enjoyable as Alyssa, a flighty but well-meaning artist/mystic who is constantly seeking guidance from the universe to both lead her to peace and happiness, and cover for her numerous screw-ups. SZA plays Alyssa as an outlandish caricature of that person we all know who is always looking to the stars for explanations instead of looking in the mirror, but the film doesn’t treat her with contempt or disdain, which saves the character from becoming annoying. It simply laughs at her as the universe makes her and Dreux pay for their $1,500 with massive interest.
Movies like this also burn through supporting cast members, as there is constant need for new complications to keep the plot moving. OTD shines in this area too. Joshua David Neal’s turn as Keshawn, a wannabe bad boy who’s actually quite timid is great for some laughs, and Aziza Scott is both hilarious and menacing as Berneice, one of the heavies who has decided to make Dreux and Alyssa’s day from hell even worse. Lil Rell Howery and Janelle James have cameos that made me laugh out loud, and Keyla Monterroso Mejia has one of the funniest scenes I’ve seen in years.
The scene stealer is none other than Kat Williams. Williams plays Lucky, a homeless man who acts as a sort of Cassandra for Dreux and Alyssa, imploring them to “take heed” of his warnings as their plans for making money become more and more nonsensical. Lucky is the only person looking out for the pair’s best interests, and Williams is sure to have the audience in stitches while doing so.
One of Them Days is a great movie that showcases the talents of some of the entertainment industry’s best and brightest African American stars, both in front of and behind the camera. If you have 100 minutes on your hands, I strongly recommend that you check this movie out.
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