One of Them Days with Keke Palmer and SZA just dropped some time ago and Im not much into comedy so decided to watch with my wife and honestly I wasn't expecting much from another buddy comedy about broke people scrambling for rent money but this movie actually surprised me in the best way possible. The whole setup is pretty straightforward, Drew played by Keke Palmer and Alyssa played by SZA are roommates living paycheck to paycheck when Alyssa's trifling boyfriend takes their rent money and disappears with it, leaving them exactly nine hours to come up with fifteen hundred dollars or get evicted by their landlord who clearly means business since we see another tenant already getting thrown out on the street. What makes this work so well is the chemistry between Palmer and SZA, they really feel like two friends who genuinely care about each other even when they're making questionable decisions left and right, plus the movie takes place in Los Angeles which gives us some great scenery of neighborhoods that don't usually get the spotlight in mainstream cinema. The supporting cast is solid too with appearances from Katt Williams as this street wise guy named Lucky who hangs around the payday loan office warning people about the dangers of high interest loans, Maude Apatow as the new gentrifying neighbor who actually ends up helping them out, and even Lil Rel Howery shows up to buy some stolen Jordans which adds another layer of chaos to their already hectic day.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32221196/
- Platform: Netflix
Rottentomatoes Rating
I would have to say that the first half is the best part of the movie when the comedy feels natural and the situations escalate organically, Drew has this job interview at four in the afternoon for a franchise manager position at Norms which adds extra pressure since she's trying to better herself while dealing with all this craziness. Meanwhile Alyssa is more of the free spirit artist type who believes everything will work out through good vibes and positive energy, which obviously drives the more practical Drew up the wall when they're facing homelessness in a matter of hours. Their desperate attempts to raise money lead them through various LA locations including a blood bank where Janelle James has a cameo as a first day phlebotomist who accidentally lets Drew give way too much blood, resulting in some pretty funny physical comedy as she stumbles around in this ridiculous outfit they gave her from the donation clothes pile. The movie does does great at showing how drastically money can affects communities through the character of Bethany played by Maude Apatow, when she moves into their building all the longtime residents literally stop what they're doing to stare at her like she's some kind of exotic animal and you can feel the tension of a neighborhood in transition.
Where things get really interesting is when they find some expensive Jordans hanging from power lines and decide to take them down and sell them, not realizing these shoes belong to the local intimidating guy everyone calls King Lolo who definitely doesn't appreciate people messing with his property. This leads to probably the most tense parts of the movie as they now owe him even more money on top of their rent situation, and the actor playing King Lolo brings a genuinely menacing presence that makes you believe these women are in real danger. The whole sequence where SZA climbs the electrical pole to get the shoes is both hilarious and terrifying, especially when she gets electrocuted like a cartoon character but somehow survives, which gives you an idea of how the movie balances realism with more outrageous comedy elements. Bernice, played by newcomer Aiza Scott, becomes another highlight when they track down Alyssa's cheating boyfriend to her house, she's got this larger than life personality and when she chases them down the street after they disturb her afternoon, the way she runs like a track star while completely focused on revenge had me cracking up in the theater.
[Source](https://tinyurl.com/2mse2uum)
It more like towards the third part of the movie, very close to thee ending is where the movie had its most ups and downs, dont want to exaggerate neither, its a bit as it tries to wrap everything up with coincidences and conveniences that feel a little too neat or I would say too rushed, like when Bethany suddenly becomes the solution to their art selling scheme or when the job interviewer shows up at their imprompt gallery opening. I have to admin that the movie does earn a lot of credit on the emotion side of the story and how the actors perform those parts, particularly Palmer who becomes the one who is both the responsible friend trying to keep everything together and the awkward woman who can barely form sentences around the cute firefighter she has a crush on. SZA holds her own as an actress even though this is basically her film debut, she brings a natural quality to Alyssa that makes her feel like a real person rather than just the "irresponsible friend" stereotype, and when the two friends have their inevitable falling out you actually care about whether they'll work things out. The movie also does nice work with its LA locations, from the Norms diner on La Cienega to various neighborhood spots that give the film an authentic feel for people who actually live in these areas rather than just visiting for Instagram photos.
One of Them Days isn't going to change cinema forever but it succeeds as exactly what it sets out to be, a funny hangout movie about friendship that happens to have something to say about economic anxiety and neighborhood change without being preachy about it. The direction by Lawrence Lamont keeps things moving at a good pace even when the plot gets a little contrived, and the script finds ways to give the supporting characters actual personalities rather than just making them plot devices. Palmer and SZA carry the movie with their easy rapport and comic timing, they feel like real friends who've been living together long enough to know exactly how to push each other's buttons, and even when they're making terrible decisions you're rooting for them to figure things out. The movie clocks in at about an hour and forty minutes which feels just right for this kind of story, it doesn't overstay its welcome or try to be more important than it needs to be, it just wants to make you laugh and maybe think a little about what it's like to live one financial emergency away from disaster. If you're looking for something light and entertaining that also happens to showcase some great chemistry between two performers who clearly enjoyed working together, One of Them Days delivers exactly what you'd hope for from a Saturday night comedy, nothing crazy and its hard for me to score comedy although this one is not one that I would constantly be looking for when I want to watch some comedy, feels like we just had to.
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