“One of Them Days” is an original comedy movie from the writers of Issa Rae’s “Insecure” that will most likely stand as one of the best comedies released in 2025.
The film follows two friends, Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA), as they try to track down rent money before they are evicted at the end of the day after Alyssa’s boyfriend (Joshua David Neal) runs off with the money. Throughout the day, problems compound on problems and insane hijinks ensue.
This movie was surprisingly amazing. I walked in expecting a run of the mill R-rated comedy, but it quickly overcame that assumption and grew into a fantastic watch. The movie feels a lot like 1995’s “Friday” in almost every way. The stories are similar and the type of comedy that they utilize is also relatively the same. Each event is almost always caused by a prior event in the movie and that leads to a ton of really funny moments.
The performances are also great with Keke Palmer and SZA’s chemistry being off the charts. Keke Palmer is amazing as always, but SZA is the real standout performance. “One of Them Days” is SZA’s feature length debut and her acting is surprisingly good and incredibly fluid. You wouldn’t be able to guess that she’s never acted in a movie before unless you already knew beforehand. The supporting roles are also well-cast and hilarious with some major standouts being two all-timers in Janelle James and Katt Williams and a relative newcomer Joshua David Neal.
The comedic timing is superb in this movie and there weren’t really any moments where I thought that it faltered. It also did what many modern comedy movies don’t do by knowing when and when not to make jokes of a situation. There are plenty of serious heartfelt moments, especially in the last half, and the movie really lets you feel the weight of them. The main factor that helps this is that Keke Palmer and SZA talk, joke, and fight like actual friends do. The movie is well-balanced and creates a multilayered watching experience that elevates it quite a bit.
I don’t know what executive thought of releasing this movie in January, but it really deserved a late spring or summer release. It’s everything you’d want as a nice throwback to ’90s R-rated comedies. “One of Them Days” is an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a good laugh in the near future.
Directed by Lawrence Lamont
Starring: Keke Palmer, SZA, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Keyla Monterroso, Maude Apatow, Katt Williams, Joshua David Neal, Janelle James, Aziza Scott, Lil Rel Howery, Amin Joseph
Rated R
Runtime: 97 minutes
My Rating: ★★★★½
This article originally appeared in the February 2025 edition of The Commuter.