Written by: Syreeta Singleton
Starring: Keke Palmer, SZA, Katt Williams, Vanessa Bell Calloway
Rating: [3/5]
Everyone has their bad days when nothing seems to go right and we just need them to end. Unfortunately for the characters we follow in One of Them Days, they not have the luxury of wishing the day away, given they have until that evening to gather enough money to avoid eviction. Not typically the type of story that would have a comedic perspective to it but leave it to Keke Palmer to make it work as well as it can.
Roommates for many years, Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) have a strong friendship that at times gets tested with the latter having her boyfriend, Keshawn (Joshua Neal) leeching off of them. When Dreux receives notice from the landlord that their rent has not been paid and she finds out Alyssa let Keshawn hold onto that money, the chase now begins to get that money back and avoid being kicked to the curb.
Very much knowing what it wants to be, One of Them Days sets out to put these two friends together on a quest to accumulate enough to keep their apartment. It does raise the question of what are some immediate ways one could make money, seeing the desperate situation Dreux and Alyssa find themselves in. Therefore, we have the hijinks of this film as most of their ideas go really wrong from trying to donate plasma for a quick buck but even their experience in a payday loan establishment.
This particular element carries the most interest to me because of the prominence of the scene but also the real-world parallel to how lower-income individuals often rely on these predatory centers in order to avoid horrific situations such as eviction. It therefore puts them in a bad cycle with eye-watering interest rates they can rarely escape. This film very much acknowledges this reality in the way everything at this establishment plays out. From Lucky (Katt Williams) pleading for them not to go inside in a comedic manner to the very sign on the door promoting the 1,200% interest rate on the loans. It makes it all the funnier how much difficulty these women have in acquiring a loan, where one usually just needs a pulse to qualify for.
Everything this film has to offer comes with this heightened sense of ridiculousness from the payday loan center to the comical drive thru bandit that does not allow anyone, evidently, to get their food at Church’s Chicken. It helps define what makes this film entertaining to watch, but then also drags it down a bit when we come towards the conclusion and it begins to wane and get a bit tiresome. This especially happens when a certain dangerous gangster gets involved where the film began to lose me.
To no one’s surprise, Keke Palmer came in and ate up this entire film. She had to do all the heavy lifting, especially in helping pull along SZA. Certainly her first time operating as an actor for a feature film, you could feel the wooden nature in her acting, and pairing her up with someone as energetic and talented as Palmer made it stand out all the more. Being too critical of SZA’s acting feels a bit unfair but everyone’s fair game here especially the other supporting actors who did not do much better.
Therefore, we have Keke Palmer carrying this whole thing and she ultimately becomes the sole reason to check out this film. A complete ray of comedy and charisma, she takes everything in stride as she demonstrates why she deserves more roles as a comedy lead and that she can headline a film.
Ultimately a fun film with many flaws, One of Them Days fills that void if someone needs some good laughs and plenty of levity. Ultimately unserious from beginning to end, this feature provides the goods with its fairly simple story that gets ratcheted up with what remains at stake for these women if they do not scrounge up enough money by their set deadline. Keke Palmer, as always, does a splendid job of continually reminding us of her bountiful talent and ability to make us laugh. Hijinks galore and while it may not have much staying power, it does just the trick.
Films with Josh 
