One of Them Days (2025) review

Dir. Lawrence Lamont

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★

Can you remember the last comedy you saw in theaters? Not a superhero movie that made you laugh. Not a self-aware horror movie with some ribbing here and there. I’m talking a movie that’s primary genre is comedy and its number one goal is to make you laugh. 2024 gave us desperately few. My favorite last year was Ricky Stanicky, but I was forced to laugh at that one in the comfort of my own home.

One of Them Days is not only the rare theatrical comedy, but it’s one that’s so enjoyable, it reminds you how great it feels to laugh in a theater. Where the industry has marginalized comedies, relegating them to streaming services, and where comedians ostensibly seek the podcast route to tell jokes that would draw the ire of our outrage culture if told on the big screen, director Lawrence Lamont’s directorial debut fearlessly embraces everything from the ribald to the gross-out and the earnest, all in one brightly colored package headlined by two heavy-hitters.

Credit where credit is due to writer Syreeta Singleton, who fills this movie with personality and humor from the jump. Taking place all in one hectic day, One of Them Days centers around Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (R&B singer SZA in her acting debut). Dreux is the responsible one, busting her ass at a restaurant in hopes of becoming a franchise manager. Her roommate, Alyssa, means well, but is messy as hell and struggles to get motivation to get her art career off the ground. She’s also too busy tending to the third leg of her broke-no-joke boyfriend, Keshawn (Joshua Neal) to get her priorities in order.

Alyssa is so irresponsible that she trusted Keshawn with the rent money, which he instead used to buy his own brand of shirts. Now, the two women have until 6pm to come up with $1,500, or else they’ll get evicted. It goes without saying, the two don’t have two nickels they could rub together. In their pursuit of money, they of course encounter many different set-ups, including running into Keshawn’s hot-headed side-chick Bernice (Aziza Scott), resorting to a blood bank (which results in more blood being spilled than in most PG-13 horror movies), flirting with a local bad boy they call “Mania” (Patrick Cage), and trying their luck with one of those “fast cash” strip-mall places only to be belittled by the smug receptionist (Keyla Monterroso Mejia of Curb Your Enthusiasm fame, continuing her streak of playing annoying yet hilarious characters).

One of the keys to a great buddy comedy is the chemistry between the buddies. Palmer and SZA are immediately dynamic early on, so the sympathy is earned from the jump. Since her days on True Jackson, VP, Palmer has oozed charisma, and Singleton draws her character with layers. Dreux can be buttoned-up, but she’s also casual, not so high-strung where we wonder how/why she’d ever hang with someone like Alyssa. SZA shines too. A performer through and through, she sings her lines. Her sentences run together with a rhythm and musicality. This is a bigger stage than any on which she’ll perform, and she’s here for it. Her comic timing is natural. I’ve heard she’s that way with a microphone in front of her too.

Popping up for cameos, both extended and brief, are Maude Apatow as the new white neighbor with a dog named Shooter, Lil Rel Howery as a buyer interested in a dusty old pair of retro Jordans (long story), and Katt Williams as a grungy drifter who tries to warn people going into the aforementioned “fast cash” joint that they’re making a big mistake signing up for a loan with 1,009.5% APR. Williams has taken on a new life since his appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay podcast, so even when he plays a dopey character like this, it’s as if we hang on his every word, anticipating more wisdom and unexpected humor. Williams delivers here.

Fittingly enough, One of Them Days has the energy and vibes of a Friday movie, and Williams was a big part of the third film, Friday After Next. When I name-drop a series like that, you know a movie is in great company.

A film predicated on so much mischief and incredulous circumstances needs to be carried by its personalities and energy. Last year’s House Party failed for a number of reasons, but the two leads lacked chemistry, and thus their antics felt weightless and inconsequential. Conversely, Palmer and SZA are up to the task, as we’ve established, and the variety of humor throughout keeps you unsure of where exactly the next scene is headed. Moreover, the needle-drops are divine, particularly Migos’ instantly infectious “Fight Night” blaring during the film’s surprisingly brutal fight scene.

The first Black female-led comedy released in theaters since Girls Trip in 2017, One of Them Days deserves success because it’s not the seldom-seen theatrical comedy in this cinematic climate, but it’s consistently funny, rife with color and charisma, and reminds an increasingly demanding public that tried and true formula is still successful, no high-concept required, when the right people are involved.

Starring: Keke Palmer, SZA, Joshua Neal, Aziza Scott, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Patrick Cage, Maude Apatow, Katt Williams, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Janelle James, and Lil Rel Howery. Directed by: Lawrence Lamont.