Keke Palmer and SZA Prove to be Perfect Duo
It has been some time since we’ve had a real comedic tale from the hood, with headline actors. Issa Rae has her fingerprint all over the new box office smash “One of Them Days,” featuring Keke Palmer and singer SZA.
Dreux and Alyssa are on what appears to be an impossible quest to retrieve their “rent money” after Alyssa’s charming, yet manipulative boyfriend steals the $1,500 and takes up with another woman.
After a failed attempt to take the money back from the finesser and his overly aggressive new woman – the two women find themselves in the most humiliating payday loan scenario, donating plasma for cash and even selling the sneakers of a neighborhood gangster online.
Despite the consistent failed efforts to avoid eviction, the two navigate one of their worst days in the name of true friendship. Dreux, a waitress - desperately wants to make it to an interview for a position that will surely advance her career. Alyssa, an artist who tends to pour encouragement into her friend is on a road to self-discovery and appreciation for herself.
There are several meaningful messages and lessons enveloped in the laughs. The two women share an apartment in the Jungles that is in desperate need of maintenance. Their African landlord takes pleasure in evicting tenants but rolls out the red carpet for an incoming white resident. Her apartment is complete with all the renovations that the property boasts online.
The storyline unfolds with familiar Los Angeles backgrounds and sporadic cameos by the likes of Katt Williams, Gabrielle Dennis, Janelle James (Abbot Elementary) and Vanessa Bell Calloway.
Situational comedy serves this production well. The narrative provides chapters on sisterhood, community, love, lust, deceit, greed and so much more.
There is no unnecessary complexity with this plot. The film flows and is hilarious from start to finish. Although the two women struggle throughout the film, there is no doubt that their efforts will be rewarded in the end.
There are moments that One of Them Days is reminiscent of legendary 2002 film Friday After Next, staring Ice Cube and Mike Epps. Perhaps it’s both the Los Angeles scenery and the comical “hood happenings.”
One of Them Days is a “feel good” film for sure. SZA doesn’t disappoint in her debut acting role, as her pairing with a very likable Palmer proves to be a duo we never knew we needed.
