One of Them Days

The trailer to Lawrence Lamont’s buddy comedy, One of Them Days, shows great potential, but does it live up to it? Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (Sza) are best friends living in a low-rent apartment in Los Angeles. Working as a server at the popular SoCal restaurant chain Norms (love Norms), Dreux is being considered for the chain’s young franchise program.

Vibing off the energy of the offer, Dreux heads home with Alyssa, where her life slowly unravels. First, Dreux finds out from her landlord, Uche (Rizi Timane), that the rent hasn’t been paid, and she and Alyssa have until the end of the day to pay it, or they’ll be evicted. Second, Alyssa’s live-in boyfriend Keshawn (Joshual David Neal) spent their rent on a harebrained t-shirt business. Lastly, Keshawn’s girlfriend, Berniece (Aziza Scott), doesn’t like Alyssa sleeping with her man and threatens to beat them down.

Dreux and Alyssa must now come up with the rent through schemes such as taking out a 1900% personal loan, selling blood, and auctioning premium shoes hanging on power lines for quick cash. Every time the duo gets close to making the money, something invariably takes them out.

SZA and Keke Palmer in Tri-Star Picture’s ONE OF THEM DAYS (Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures)

“…must now come up with the rent through schemes such as taking out a 1900% personal loan, selling blood, and auctioning premium shoes…”

One of Them Days is one of those movies that should be 1000 times better than it actually is. Not only do Keke Palmer and Sza have incredible chemistry together, but they also have charisma on screen. It’s hard not to fall in love with these ladies and root for them to find that rent money. They are personable, likable, and rarely annoying in all their antics. They come across as great friends.

The story is a typical buddy comedy where they roam L.A. looking for a way to make money. Though there’s really nothing wrong with the story, where it falls short is the comedy. The best thing I can say is it’s not bad comedy. The jokes will not make you groan or roll your eyes. At the same time, the jokes will not make you laugh out loud. As silly as things get, the humor lacks the punch needed to truly land. In other words, it’s too safe. Using a baseball analogy, we’re bunting and hitting singles when we need at least a dozen home runs.

I would like to recommend the movie One of Them Days. It features likable characters, and though it may not offend or make you laugh, it ultimately leaves you smiling. However, you can’t help but feel a sense of loss regarding the potential the film and its story had to be truly great.