One of Them Days is a charming and funny buddy comedy starring Keke Palmer and SZA as best friends navigating financial woes and hilarious schemes.
I have had some version of the conversation about how they just don’t make comedies the way they used to with anyone who will listen more times than I can remember. Growing up in the Nineties and 2000s, you could count on a few laugh-out-loud comedies to be released every year.
Perhaps because of changing cultural tastes or an evolving movie industry that had to reckon with streaming platforms, the reliable stream of R-rated comedies just seemed to run dry at some point, leaving myself and countless other movie fans thirsty for a good laugh. So, you can imagine my excitement when I found out Keke Palmer and SZA would be teaming up for a Friday-style, Issa Rae-produced buddy comedy. I can happily say it lived up to my expectations. One of Them Days reminded me of the classic comedies I grew up on — fun and over-the-top at times while, at others, relatable and heartfelt. It follows Dreux (Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA), best friends and roommates living pay cheque-to-pay cheque in Los Angeles. Dreux is a waitress but things are looking up because she’s got an interview lined up at 4pm that could lead to a management position. Trouble is, Alyssa trusted her free-loading boyfriend Keshawn (Joshua Neal) to pay the rent but he’s squandered Dreux’s hard-earned money. Their landlord gives them until 6pm that day to come up with the $1 500 in rent or be evicted immediately. And so the stage is set for a harrowing day that will see Dreux and Alyssa turning to loan sharks, blood-donation banks and other ill-advised avenues in an attempt to get out of their predicament. I’ll be honest with you, through all the high jinks, the story is fairly predictable, so don’t expect any huge surprises, but what you can expect is to enjoy the undeniable chemistry between Palmer and SZA. I believed in the authenticity of their friendship and rooted for them from the first frame they shared. And, at only 97 minutes, the ride went by so quickly it left me wishing I could spend more time in Dreux and Alyssa’s world, beautifully rendered by first-time film director Lawrence Lamont. You’d be forgiven for thinking their apartment complex, The Jungles, is the same one that’s in Issa Rae’s brilliant comedy series Insecure — it has the same feel and aesthetic. Also, Alyssa and Dreux’s friendship is reminiscent of the love-hate dynamic that made Insecure’s Issa-and-Molly friendship so compelling. Or even Mia and Shawna’s rocky partnership in Rae’s other hit show about childhood friends trying to make it as a rap duo in Miami — Rap Shit. The supporting cast is also terrific. You’ve got Katt Williams playing a prophetic homeless man, Janelle James of Abbott Elementary fame as a stripper-turned-nurse and even Lil Rel Howery as a shiesty sneakerhead. But the standout supporting actor was Keyla Monterroso Mejia as a payday loan rep who roasts Dreux and Alyssa about their credit scores
COMEDY BUDDYCOMEDY KEKE PALMER SZA ISSA RAE LOS ANGELES
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