“One of Them Days,” starring Keke Palmer and SZA, is director Lawrence Lamont’s first feature-length film release. Palmer and SZA play Dreux and Alyssa, respectively — a best friend and roommate duo in a scramble to scrounge up their rent money after Alyssa’s boyfriend spends it all. Though the movie follows a straightforward main plot, there are a handful of hilariously chaotic subplots sprinkled throughout. The movie came out early this year and has received stellar reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. 

The movie relies on a combination of Palmer and SZA’s magnetic chemistry and a phenomenal ensemble cast. Patrick Cage II, Lil Rel Howery, Janelle James and Katt Williams are a few of the iconic actors that bring the movie’s vibrant story to life. “One of Them Days” is classified as a “buddy comedy” movie, so the comedic ability of the actors is crucial. While there were certainly funny moments throughout the film, I didn’t find myself laughing out loud. However, this can likely be attributed to personal comedy preferences and not poor writing. The emotional scenes and plotlines were more intriguing than the comedic ones. This movie floats between comedy and drama, and I think it would be better suited as a one-genre film. While I would have enjoyed either a deeper dive into the dramatic elements of the movie’s story or a true buddy comedy, it was still a refreshing and enjoyable watch. 

The world that this movie lives in is a slightly heightened version of reality. The apartment building that the main characters live in is an uber-tight-knit community, the outfits they wear are all full of bright colors and the hijinks that characters get into are situations that would likely never occur in real life. For example, in a rush to make rent, Dreux and Alyssa donate blood. The nurse assisting Dreux was working her first-ever shift at the blood donation center and encouraged Dreux to donate four times the allowed amount. The encounter ends in blood bags exploding all over the donation room and its inhabitants. The scene is reminiscent of a campy, cheesy horror film. 

Featuring Thee Sacred Souls, Doechii, Jackson Sisters, GloRilla and Flo Milli, the soundtrack to “One of Them Days” is exciting and varied. The songs playing during chase or fight scenes often maintained the lighthearted tone of the movie, which is a difficult feat. Keeping a scene silly when the character’s life is at stake is hard to do tastefully, but this movie adequately accomplished that. Audience members will almost certainly leave with “TGIF” by GloRilla or “Nissan Altima” by Doechii stuck in their heads for the foreseeable future. 

For the duration of the movie, Dreux and Alyssa are working against the clock counting down to their eviction. As they try different outlets for income, the best friends and roommates find themselves in some insane situations. Between Alyssa climbing a power line pole to steal a pair of Jordans and Dreux attending her job interview in a lime green crop top and see-through pants, the friends break and mend their friendship. In one of the best scenes of the movie, Alyssa and Dreux argue while standing on the sidewalk after a full day of insanity. They bring up qualms that they have with each other, with valid arguments from each character. Dreux is mad that Alyssa doesn’t have any income as a struggling artist and refuses to break up with her horrible boyfriend, while Alyssa is mad that Dreux refuses to listen to her advice or accept her help. While “One of Them Days” is an action-packed movie, this scene reminds the audience that it is also a story about two best friends. 

By the end of the movie, the roommates have made up. Dreux has found love and Alyssa has found success as an artist, but they are still at risk of death on top of the preexisting threat of eviction. In order to come up with the $7,000, the community that Dreux and Alyssa live in help Alyssa’s art get sold in a homemade art show in their apartment’s courtyard. The duo makes enough money to secure safety for themselves, and the movie ends with a beautiful testament to the power of community and connection. 

Though this movie did not necessarily change my perspective on life or friendship, it provided an interesting commentary on the racial divide in LA and female friendships — both of which are better suited for an in-depth film analysis. “One of Them Days” is a fun, enjoyable movie. It is exciting to see buddy-comedies make a return, along the lines of “Cheech and Chong” or “Dumb and Dumber”. The acting quality is consistent and high bar, with a captivating — and occasionally messy — plot line. I would confidently recommend “One of Them Days” to someone looking for a quick, fun watch.