‘One of Them Days’ Review: Keke Palmer and SZA Make a Rowdily Funny Duo in Issa Rae-Produced Comedy
Few moments provoke more anxious dread for residents of The Jungles, the vibrant Los Angeles locale in which the hilarious new film One of Them Days is set, than the first of the month. Their surly landlord lurks around the apartment complex collecting rent on units in need of desperate repair. Looking for any reason to evict his long-time, mostly working-class, tenants, Uche (Rizi Timane) enforces a strict policy: If you don’t pay, you can’t stay.
So it’s a real problem when Uche tells Dreux (Keke Palmer) that he hasn’t received her rent. The fatigued waitress answers her landlord’s harsh knocks in a state of half-sleep. Uche must be mistaken, she insists, because her best friend and roommate Alyssa (SZA) paid him. It turns out that Alyssa tasked her unreliable boyfriend Keshawn (Joshua David Neal) with delivering the payment. And he, a failing serial entrepreneur, decided to “borrow” the funds to invest in his faux designer t-shirt line. Uche, of course, doesn’t care about the details of this betrayal or the young women’s predicament. He just wants his money, and Dreux and Alyssa have eight hours to get it to him.
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Directed by Lawrence Lamont and written by Syreeta Singleton, One of Them Days follows Dreux and Alyssa on a high-stakes adventure to make rent. As the two women conjure new and increasingly outrageous plans to get $1,500 by the end of the day, and to help Dreux ace her interview for a job promotion, their story morphs into a quintessential American tale of surviving under capitalism.
The duo start by trying to steal back the money from Keshawn, but only succeed in making enemies with his new lover, Berniece (Aziza Scott). They consider donating blood, which leads to a traumatic visit to the clinic, and even weigh the cost of a payday loan, those exploitative advances made by predatory agencies. And while on this wild quest, the women must face themselves, the reality of their dreams and the truths of their friendship.
One of Them Days, produced by Issa Rae, is the kind of big-laughs, mid-budget theatrical comedy that used to be more common; it’s a shame TriStar scheduled a January release, because the film had the potential to be a summer hit. Its two charismatic leads alone make it worth seeing in a theater, surrounded by a crowd primed for a good time. Palmer aces her performance as Dreux, a hardworking and pragmatic waitress gunning to become franchise manager of her diner. The actress’ winning charm and sharp comedic timing make this straight-edged character, who lives or dies by a plan, endearing.
SZA, the Grammy award-winning artist known for her heartbreak anthems, holds her own as Alyssa, a talented but capricious painter in need of professional direction and better taste in men. In many ways, this free-spirited character seems plucked from a SZA record — the subject who pines to be just like other girls (“Normal Girl”) or refuses to acknowledge challenging parts of reality (“Blind”). More than anything, these two seemingly diametrically opposed ride-or-dies inspire nostalgia for the female friendships from Rae’s previous projects, from Molly and Issa in Insecure to Shawna and Mia in the canceled-too-soon show Rap Sh!t.
Like those other women, Dreux and Alyssa help each other get out of chaotic situations, coach one another in their quest to find ridiculously attractive boyfriends (while Alyssa tries to get over Keshawn, Dreux crushes on her neighbor Maniac, played by Rap Shi!t’s Patrick Gage), and work through the inevitable tensions of long-term friendships. On that last point, One of Them Days shares the struggle of many comedies in trying to earn emotional poignancy. A key scene in which Dreux and Alyssa wrestle with their differences lands stiffly; Singleton’s otherwise fine screenplay doesn’t give the moment enough runway, so its tone doesn’t have enough time to settle. But that’s a forgivable disappointment considering how high the rest of the film soars.
Dreux and Alyssa’s adventures take them through South Los Angeles, first in Alyssa’s car and then by foot and public transportation. Their story unfolds against the backdrop of a city besieged by gentrification. Maude Apatow makes a memorable cameo as Bethany, a new tenant in Dreux and Alyssa’s apartment complex. Bethany is a brand manager initially unaware of the singularity of her special treatment: Her air conditioning works, and her unit features crown molding and new kitchen counters. In its more overt moments of commentary, One of Them Days’ tone echoes the wry humor of The Vince Staples Show and They Cloned Tyrone.
Many of the best scenes punctuate social analysis with ribbing humor. Memorable examples include the payday loan excursion — which features a scene-stealing Keyla Monterroso Mejia as a mocking agent and Katt Williams as a former loanee, and a pop-up event that brings the residents of the Jungles together for a meaningful night. In both these scenes, especially the latter, One of Them Days highlights a particular kind of working-class solidarity. It serves as a good reminder that rent day haunts us all.
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