One of Them Days (2025) is directed by Lawrence Lamont and written by Syreeta Singleton. It stars Keke Palmer, SZA, Joshua David Neal, Gabrielle Dennis, Maude Apatow, Patrick Cage, Katt Williams, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Lil Rel Howery, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Janelle James, Amin Joseph, Dewayne Perkins, Aziza Scott, and Rizi Timane. When best friends/roommates Dreux (Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) discover that Alyssa’s boneheaded boyfriend, Keshawn (Neal), has blown their rent money just hours before their strict landlord’s deadline, the two set out to make a quick $1500 by any means necessary. As the two friends implement different money-making techniques to varying degrees of success, they cross paths with various over-the-top characters who either help or hinder their schemes. As the situation becomes more dire, their friendship is tested in ways neither could have imagined. 

The script is a lot better than I expected, but I don’t think it would work as well as it does if not for Keke Palmer’s spot-on lead performance. SZA’s good as well (especially for this being her first lead role), but it’s clear that Palmer is on another level. After seeing her as the lead in Jordan Peele’s Nope (2022) and now this, it’s clear that she’s one of the more capable and charismatic black actresses working today. She displays great comedic timing that elevates even some of the more basic jokes but also transitions into dramatic moments in a way that never feels jarring. I think this is because the film takes its time to before anything else ground her and SZA’s characters squarely in reality. Sure, they each have a few goofy idiosyncrasies, but none that feel over-the-top/unrealistic. The script relegates most of the comic absurdity to its wacky supporting cast, but it works because they’re balanced by the more grounded protagonists. It also never goes too far with its satire of American economics. Instead of feeling message-driven, its comedic sensibilities lean more toward the kind of fun-loving U.S. satire common in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise. For example, I couldn’t help but laugh at the comic absurdity of a payday loan business that happily advertises 2000% APR financing in big, bold letters. The only thing that makes me scratch my head about the cast is that Katt Williams (who’s rightfully treated as a comedy legend) has almost no memorable lines/moments. It’s as if the film is so focused on basking in his greatness that it forgets to show us WHY he’s so great.  

I think the script mostly does a great job of letting the film primarily act as a fun, Friday (1995)-style comedy, but there’s also some great real-world subtext that informs the humor – yet another reason the film feels so grounded despite its zany nature. Although told through a black lens, the jokes are more specifically focused on finding the humor in the often predatory nature of modern-day American capitalism and how those with the least money are sometimes targeted the most relentlessly. This allows the central themes to work equally for most viewers, regardless of whether or not they share a similar background. Most people know or at least remember what it feels like to be financially powerless. The script also toes the line effectively with its mandatory “oblivious white character in a black comedy” character. No viewer of any background wants to see their particular nationality portrayed through unfavorable stereotypes or pseudo-racist digs. Instead of skewering the character’s whiteness head-on in a way that would’ve felt inevitably ham-fisted as well as mean-spirited, the script sources its humor through the fact that she’s a clear fish-out-water in her new apartment complex yet maintains an aura of near superhuman positivity that a majority of the black characters either look down on or look to take advantage of. Is she an idiot? Kinda, but at least she’s a genuinely lovely person. That being said, the film does trigger the intriguing idea that the character’s carefree, generous attitude is something afforded to her by her financial stability. It seems that in both this film and the real world, the wealthier a person becomes, the more they detach themselves from the culture/struggles of the more financially challenged. This doesn’t always mean the rich are malicious, they simply just don’t understand or have forgotten (and need to be taught/reminded) what it means to grind for chump change day after day. 

Overall, the film features a strong script that’s consistently fun and fast-paced, but I have to admit that the jokes aren’t as laugh-out-loud funny as a full-blown comedy such as this needs to be in order to fully stick the landing. That being said, it’s objectively funny enough to where I can say that the extent to which a person laughs will mostly just come down to taste. Your opinion of Friday (1995) is a good way to gauge whether One of Them Days will be your cup of tea, but even then, it’s a more female-centric version that is sure to alienate the more toxically masculine subset of that movie’s fans. That being said, anyone who’s matured past the age of 15 is sure to appreciate the disarmingly smart script as well as Keke Palmer’s uncommonly charismatic lead performance. B