by Cain Noble-Davies
Worth: $14.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Keke Palmer, SZA, Aziza Scott, Lil Rel Howery, Maude Apatow, Katt Williams
Intro:
… as hilarious as it is casually nerve-wracking …
If SZA had just left her impact on the year 2025 with her scene-stealing appearance at the Superbowl Halftime Show (standing out against the haterade typhoon that is Kendrick Lamar is no small feat), it could be considered a solid year for her, even this early on. But instead, she is now making moves on the big screen, teaming up with fellow vocalist-cum-actor Keke Palmer for a buddy comedy that is as hilarious as it is casually nerve-wracking.
Teeing itself up as a flip on the classic Friday, with its story of two best friends racing against the clock to scrape enough cash together to get through the day, the production is built around the chemistry between the two leads. And quite frankly, Keke and SZA could be stuck at the DMV (RTA for us Australians) for an hour and a half and they’d still make it seem like the best thing one could choose to be watching, judging by their stellar rapport here. They work well inhabiting their individual roles, with Keke as the stressed-out and level-headed Dreux and SZA as the more laidback and spiritual Alyssa, but on top of immediately selling that they are ride-or-die as friends, they flow through the script’s not-infrequent contrivances in a way that still makes it come across as natural.
The bigger narrative, aside from the ticking clock, mainly exists to shuffle these two from setpiece to setpiece, whether it’s dodging the human-shaped rampage that is Aziza Scott’s Berniece, a suitably messy trip to the blood bank, or fishing for Air Jordans on nearby power lines. The slapstick is knowingly cartoonish for the most part, and again, the grounding from the leads helps a great deal, but there’s a sense of free-for-all fun that feels like it’s been missing from American studio comedies over the last handful of years.
While the presence of capable women actors at the forefront is part of that charm (and if there is one thing this film excels at, it is being charming), there’s also the genuine feeling of sisterhood exuding from the story being told. Along with avoiding the more forced conflict plot beats that end up polluting a lot of female-led cinema in the mainstream, it has a clear-eyed perspective on life in Baldwin Village (or ‘The Jungles’). Predatory payday loans, street crime, and classism all poke their heads at key points, but the main thing that shines through is the notion that communities have a knack for looking out for each other in times of turbulence, if not outright crisis. It’s a potent message, especially given the film’s initial U.S. release in the middle of the California wildfires.
One Of Them Days is a fun and occasionally anxious romp that soars off the glistening wings of its lead actresses, given a greater updraft by how salient the script is concerning the sociology surrounding them. This is the kind of effort that screams “Franchise me!”, because Keke Palmer and SZA’s chemistry is too damn good to be confined solely to this. Add to that a myriad of entertaining supporting roles, pacing that is both chill and tense, and a level of earnestness that smooths over even its more overdone moments, and you get a film worth checking if you are indeed having One of them Days.
