The Reel Review
When Dreux and Alyssa, two broke besties and roommates, discover that Alyssa’s boyfriend has spent their rent money, they have only hours to come up with the cash to avoid eviction from their Los Angeles apartment. Keke Palmer and SZA star in this buddy comedy that goes from one absurdly bad situation to the next.
Palmer and SZA have great onscreen chemistry in this silly comedy that also addresses the real challenges of working-class people living in the city’s predominantly Black neighborhood of Baldwin Village. Nevermind that the eviction is illegal, with Dreux’s important corporate job interview looming later in the day, the duo try their luck with a shady loan shark bank with astronomically high interest rates, giving blood for cash at a dodgy blood bank, and dealing with a thief at the Church’s fried chicken drive-thru, all before resorting to try to take and sell some high-price Michael Jordan basketball shoes off of a power line to come up with the cash.
Chocked full of silly, predictable moments and fun characters like Ruby (Abbott Elementary‘s Janelle James) as the inept phlebotomist, Betthany (Maude Apatow) as the apartment complex’s lone white girl, and Katt Williams as the homeless man warning the women against taking out a loan and a hilarious Asia Scott as bad-ass bully Berniece, this rambunctious comedy is a fun addition to the likes of such female buddy comedies as Bridesmaids, GirlsTrip, Pitch Perfect and Bad Moms.
REEL FACTS
• Issa Rae, who is a producer on the film, has a brief cameo as the intercom voice at the shady loan shark bank.
• One of Them Days is the film debut of Janelle James (Abbott Elementary).
• One of Them Days director Lawrence Lamont says he drew inspiration from such 1990s films as Friday, B.A.P.S. and Superbad.
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