A certain magic exists when two comic talents slide perfectly in sync, which is exactly what happens in One of Them Days. Keke Palmer and SZA, the latter making her acting debut, play Dreux and Alyssa, roommates facing unfair eviction from their apartment. Given one day to come up with rent money, they embark on a race across Los Angeles to scrounge up the cash. Palmer’s experience shows—she creates a fully realized character in Dreux, a tireless worker using smarts and wit to survive in an economy arranged to exploit her—yet there’s no gap in talent when Palmer and SZA share a scene together. Their rat-a-ta-tat exchanges not only elicit a laugh nearly every other second, they also speak to a shared understanding that Dreux and Alyssa have of each other, their community, and the larger world around them. Just when you think Dreux should dump Alyssa for her part in their predicament, Alyssa offers a rhythmic word of encouragement (“You’re a 1, not a 2”) before a job interview, making you realize that such authentic support is crucial to Dreux’s resilience. At the same time, One of Them Days is clear-eyed about the odds being stacked against these two, especially in a darkly comic running gag involving a destitute man named Lucky (Katt Williams) who camps outside of a payday loan office and warns people to run away as fast as they can. (Consider him Lucky the prophet.) One of Them Days is propulsively directed by music-video veteran Lawrence Lamont, who knows how to frame a punchline, from a sharp script by Syreeta Singleton, who wrote many episodes of HBO’s Insecure. The same mixture of hilarity and humanity is on display here.
(4/10/2025)
