During the featurette “Dream Team,” first-time feature director Lawrence Lamont (Rap Sh!t) describes to producer Issa Rae (Insecure; The Lovebirds) the homages within One of Them Days, referring to both Friday (1995) and Superbad (2007). Each of these comes from a long line of “one crazy night” films in which, over the course of a single day (or night), the protagonists must overcome several obstacles to reach their goal. The two mentioned in the featurette make sense as a jumping off point for both director Lamont and screenwriter Syreeta Singleton (So Jaded; Insecure) as these two comedies are significant for the age ranges of the leads — Keke Palmer (Nope) and SZA (Insecure) — as well as the target audience for One of Them Days. When it comes down to it, Palmer and SZA have the chemistry to carry the entirety of One of Them Days, which is what makes any comedy worth watching. Yes, the film clings a little too close to its homages for its own good, but what it gets right is strong enough to make the adventure worth the chaos.
L-R: SZA as Alyssa and Keke Palmer as Dreux in Tristar Pictures’s ONE OF THEM DAYS. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
On one of the hottest days on record in Los Angeles, Dreux (Keke Palmer) is set to have one of the biggest, most important days of her life as she’s set to interview for the chance to become a franchise manager of the restaurant chain she’s spent years working in. Unfortunately, the interview is set for the first of the month and that means also dealing with the landlord, Uche (Rizi Timane), who’s looking for any reason to throw out delinquent renters. That’s ok, though, because Dreux’s got the rent covered as she gave it to her best friend and roommate Alyssa (SZA) to turn in. Except it seems Alyssa made the mistake of trusting her live-in boyfriend, (and general freeloader) Keshawn (Joshua David Neal), to turn it in and now the rent’s gone. With her interview at 4 p.m. and a deadline of 6 p.m. to make rent, these two are going to go through hell and back as they have one of them days.
Pure and simple, One of Them Days is a straight-forward buddy comedy and you get exactly what you expect from one with the kind of talent attached. This means you get a scene-stealer like Janelle James (Abbott Elementary) to play a newbie employee at a blood bank, Lil Rel Howery (Get Out; Vacation Friends) as a sneakerhead, and the Katt Williams (Friday After Next; For the Love of Money) to play a harbinger outside of a predatory money lender who also manages to pop up nearly every place Dreux and Alyssa go. The important thing, though, is that, for the most part, their presence doesn’t detract from Palmer or SZA in their scene work, but seamlessly supports it. It’s a difficult task bringing in guests like these to play supporting roles because sometimes the pop of their arrival overshadows anything else in the scene, the drama or hyperreality of the moment, when you want the audience to remain present. Thankfully, each is used in such a way that their presence is minimal but effective so that the pop can happen without removing the audience so far from the narrative elements that they can’t latch back on.
L-R: Director Lawrence Lamont and producer Issa Rae and actor Keke Palmer on the set of TriStar Picture’s ONE OF THEM DAYS. Photo Credit: Anne Marie Fox. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
A lot of this is due to the performances from the leads, which, are nothing short of hilarious. Palmer is an experienced performer and through her creation of Dreux makes sure to give the character dimension within her drive that makes her more than the “straight-laced” one of the pair. This empowers Palmer to play within the space so that she’s not always the butt of the joke and can take control of various situations. SZA made Alyssa come to life with low effort or strain, matching Palmer’s naturalness line for line, beat for beat. One really believes in the relationship between the two as the leads are in lockstep throughout. SZA has, to a large degree, a harder job than Palmer as Alyssa is meant to be the “wacky” one of the two, but SZA’s performance (much like Palmer’s) never comes off as any kind of caricature or stereotype. Rather, SZA, like Palmer, has room to play within the expectation of what an artsy, possibly too-trusting person who reaches for energy from the universe might do in any given situation. Of course, the script by Singleton does go to the usual places of conflict that one expects a buddy comedy to go, but it’s the way that the leads make us believe in the characters’ abilities to rise above each of the obstacles and come back together in the end that makes One of Them Days remain engaging regardless. Small hat-tip to Neal and Aziza Scott (Insecure; Home Before Dark) in their antagonist roles (this bitch would absolutely not, respect only) and Patrick Cage as love-interest Maniac for giving the necessary smaller obstacles the heat they needed.
L-R: Keke Palmer as Dreux and SZA as Alyssa in TriStar Pictures’s ONE OF THEM DAYS. © 2024 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Unfortunately, despite all that’s good with the film, the bonus features are few and brief. “One of Them Gag Reels” offers an idea of the cast chemistry as we observe them trying different takes or reacting to a performer’s work (was there an intimacy coordinator on this set?!), the aforementioned “Dream Team” focuses on the a larger view of the production led by Rae and Lamont, “Block Party: The Cast” offers some shine on the supporting players, and “What’s In My Bag with Lucky” just offers Katt Williams a bit more shine. These featurettes are more interested in the energy on set than giving home audiences something to learn about the production. Good for marketing, not so good for those with more interest in the making of the film.
One of Them Days is a familiar film. You may not know the specific circumstances or the location, but you know folks like them. The cast makes the whole thing work, leaving one feeling satisfied in the experience. It does feel too often like it leans on the homages, perhaps even inspiring audiences to cue up some others, but the fun within One of Them Days doesn’t inspire a desire to turn this off and jump to the other films so much as put them on to keep the good times rolling. If nothing else, if we’re lucky, this would be the start of a solid partnership between Palmer and SZA for a few more films, whether in this narrative universe or in new ones.
One of Them Days Special Features:
- One of Them Gag Reels (3:28)
- Dream Team (3:03)
- Block Party: The Cast (4:21)
- What’s In My Bag with Lucky (1:12)
Available on digital February 11th, 2025.
Available on Blu-ray and DVD April 1st, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Sony Pictures One of Them Days website.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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