In “One of Them Days,” the start of the month creates a sense of stress for two best friends living in South Los Angeles. Dreux and Alyssa set out on a frantic, day-long mission to raise $1,500 after being stuck between past-due rent and a landlord’s unyielding demands. This idea reflects contemporary struggles, where survival becomes a spectacle and is full of chaotic humor and unpredictable twists. A reminder of the fortitude needed to persevere, the film’s humor provides a rare glimpse of joy amid the weight of economic hardship.
With the energy of standards like Friday, this film harkens back to the 1990s urban comedies. The story takes place in Baldwin Village, where the lively community and interesting characters bring it to life. Keke Palmer plays Dreux well, while SZA’s Alyssa is a free-spirited and spontaneous artist. Together, their chemistry captures the delicate balance of friendship and survival, fusing connection with brief moments of chaos.
Time as Tyrant: The Relentless March of Debt and Desperation
A cruel and indifferent force that looms over Dreux and Alyssa and presses down on them with each passing second, the plot of One of These Days develops as a frantic race against time. The situation is clear and serious, with $1,500 at risk of losing their home.
A job interview that might provide a tenuous lifeline from her exhausting loop of inability gives Dreux added weight to the day. A day that won’t slow down, no matter how badly they need a moment to breathe, is reflected in the countdown structure’s use of freeze frames and moving clocks, which reflect the overwhelming urgency of their situation.
Each encounter on their journey veers between absurd comedy and painful truth. The attempt to get back the stolen rent money from Keshawn, Alyssa’s untrustworthy boyfriend, turns into an argument with his new girlfriend, leaving the two friends broke and more desperate.
With its high interest rates and deceitful friendliness, the payday loan industry shows how institutions take advantage of people in need. What seems like a good deed at a blood donation center can quickly turn into chaos, taking away the dignity of even that moment. Alyssa’s focus on a pair of Air Jordans hanging from a power line adds a strange touch to her close call with electricity, highlighting how far people will go for a small chance of hope.
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The humor in the film has a double weight: it lightens up the characters’ lives and highlights the absurdities of their struggles. Its laughter feels strange, reflecting how humor frequently hides life’s deeper wounds. In a world that constantly threatens to swallow its most vulnerable, every misstep and setback serves as a reminder of how fragile survival is. The story’s episodic structure captures this chaos and establishes a pace that feels unpredictable and all too familiar.
The Fragile Ties That Bind: Friendship in the Face of Chaos
The relationship between Dreux and Alyssa, two women whose lives cross in a delicate act of survival and loyalty, is where One of Them Days gets its emotional gravity. Dreux is a practical waitress who holds onto her dreams for a better life even though life keeps undermining her efforts.
Keke Palmer portrays her with expert precision. Palmer’s acting captures Dreux’s wit and the quiet exhaustion of someone under too much pressure for too long. Her ability to switch between sharp sarcasm and unspoken sensitivity creates a character who feels achingly real on screen, and her presence is electrifying.
The counterweight to Dreux’s control-led drive is Alyssa, whom SZA brings to life in her acting debut. Alyssa, a painter without a plan, moves through life with an almost childlike impulsiveness. Her unwillingness to think ahead often pulls her and Dreux deeper into chaos. SZA’s natural charm, which shines through, makes Alyssa’s mistakes all the more frustrating and relatable.
While SZA’s inexperience as an actor is evident in some moments, her ability benefits the character by adding layers of unpredictability and warmth. Their connection feels more like a complicated dance between two people who know each other too well to walk away, no matter how much conflict arises. It doesn’t feel like a planned relationship.
Dreux and Alyssa’s relationship is the film’s main focus, providing stability, AmigaOS. Their frustrations with one another are based on pain and love, and they argue with ferocity that only comes from deep care. The kind of humor that results from shared struggle is sharp and constant in their banter. In the quiet moments, when life slows down and their weaknesses show, we see how deep their connection is. This isn’t the perfect, rosy version of Friends that is so frequently portrayed on screen; it’s messy, flawed, and beautiful in its flaws.
A group of characters who add to the chaos and humor of the main characters’ journey are present around them. While Keshawn, Alyssa’s careless boyfriend, becomes an annoying obstacle in their quest, Rizi Timane’s Uche, the unyielding owner, constantly reminds them of how precarious their situation is. Berniece, Keshawn’s new love interest, is injected with a storm of pettiness and absurdity by Aziza Scott, who also raises the stakes with her outrageous behavior.
Katt Williams, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, and Janelle James all make short but memorable appearances in the film, each delivering a moment of comedic brilliance that sticks with you long after their scenes are over. Maude Apatow’s character, Bethany, the neighbor who doesn’t understand her surroundings, offers a sharp look at luxury. Her innocent but ignorant attitude makes her both funny and frustrating. Together, this group gives a clear reflection of the world that Dreux and Alyssa have to deal with: a strange, harsh, and all too recognizable world.
Laughter Beneath the Weight: Humor as Survival
One of These Days exposes the drudge work of living paycheck to paycheck, where each month becomes an unplanned act of survival, and rent looms like the death penalty. The film doesn’t just show the struggle; it makes you feel it, pulling you into the harsh reality of predatory loan offices and landlords who use bureaucracy as a weapon.
Baldwin Village used to be a model of community and independence. Still, it’s suffering from gentrification as new shops and yoga studios take over places where people used to know each other personally. Despite the problems in our world, there are still signs of people coming together. Even when everything else falls apart, the community is held together by small acts of kindness, such as sharing food or a moment of shared anger.
The film’s core, which drives every misstep and argument, is Dreux and Alyssa’s relationship. Years of shared laughter and unspoken complaints have shaped their friendship, which is messy, stubborn, and very human. Dreux has a strong urge to control what she can, which often leads to conflicts with Alyssa, who has a carefree and dreamlike attitude toward life.
Their differences show something important: love between friends can be comforting, but it also makes them face their fears and shortcomings. The film subtly asks: What does it mean to show up for someone when your life feels like it’s coming apart? as the day spirals further out of control.
One of Them Days uses humor to help the audience deal with the story’s weight, not to avoid it. While addressing a contemporary audience’s struggles, it channels the absurdity of 1990s comedies—films that found energy in the daily pain of being broken and unseen. A reflection of how humor can serve as a survival strategy in the face of unrelenting hardship, the film’s world feels alive, raw, and immediate. This is a reminder that even in tough times, laughter can be a way to push back against chaos, even if just for a moment.
The Absurd Dance Between Survival and Laughter
The humor in One of These Days comes naturally from the chaos in the characters’ lives. It feels less like a forced way to be funny and more like a way for them to cope with difficult situations. The payday loan situation shows this well—Dreux and Alyssa have a brief moment of hope that quickly disappears because of the unfair terms. Their frustration is shared as they trade sharp comments back and forth.
Then there’s the blood bank situation, which is almost a grotesque spectacle where the simple act of donating turns into a humiliating farce, adding physical comedy to the humiliation of their position. The sharp conversations between the characters and the growing absurdity of their situation make these moments even more memorable because they are grounded in the struggles of everyday life.
Infusing moments of silliness with a truthful undertone, the film distinguishes between comic absurdity and emotional honesty. The comedy is usually not too much, even when it gets strange—like when Alyssa is determined to get sneakers stuck on a power line.
This scene is both funny and confusing. Even aside, at the end of the story, it fits in quite well with a silly villain, which could have messed things up. It captures the feeling of a world that is always just a little out of control, where humor serves as a coping strategy and reflects the characters’ fortitude. The deeper undercurrents of survival and connection are always present, and the laughter is never fake.
The Architecture of Chaos: A City That Breathes and Laughs
Under Lawrence Lamont’s guidance, One of Them Days showcases the intense energy of people struggling to control a world beyond their grasp. Everything feels like it’s just one step away from being too much in urban life’s chaotic yet purposeful pace. Baldwin Village, also known as “The Jungles,” is described thoughtfully.
It’s not just a background; it is a vibrant place that influences and affects the lives of the people there. The place feels tense and full of history. Its winding streets and walls covered in graffiti tell stories of struggle, loss, and survival. Every corner serves as a reminder of survival and struggle, creating a raw and intimate world.
The film makes fun of 1990s sitcoms like Friday, pulling from their grounded absurdity and ability to find humor in the ordinary. However, the tone of Lamont’s approach represents the crushing weight of contemporary urban struggles and feels more direct and immediate.
Since each misstep and mishap reveals more about the characters’ lives, the humor, while chaotic and frequently ridiculous, never feels out of place. The style strikes a balance between grit and playfulness, taking inspiration from its forebears while creating a modern look firmly rooted in its cultural moment.
The Weight of Laughter: A Comedy Rooted in Survival
Dreux and Alyssa, who play a relationship that feels chaotic, broken, and completely real, are the strengths of One of Them Days. A reminder of how shared struggles can forge bonds that can flex but never quite break; their connection is a muddle of frustration and love.
The absurdities of their lives, where desperation and the ridiculous go hand in hand, are where the humor, restless and relentless, appears. The bad guy in the final part of the story may take things too far, but it all feels justified because it reflects how unpredictable life can be. A quiet ache that stays even as the audience laughs lies hidden beneath the humor.
One of Them Days feels like an unpolished gem in a world of spectacle and safe, sanitized stories. It gives a viewpoint frequently ignored in mainstream film as a comedy shaped by the realities of Black urban life. It accepts its flaws, highlighting the chaos in the characters’ lives and the conflicts in their world.
The film enters a space where laughter turns into resistance, humor develops out of necessity, and survival itself is a form of resistance. The story creates space for voices that need to be heard; its presence feels current and timeless.
One of These Days has a raw beauty that is difficult to ignore. It’s energetic, emotional, and full of life because of its characters and the world they live in. A comedy like this should be seen in a theater, where laughter spreads throughout the audience and serves as a reminder of how humor unites people even during difficult times.
The Review
One of Them Days
One of Them Days is a raw and chaotic comedy that finds humor in even the most difficult situations in life. It captures the absurdity of survival with grit and heart, thanks to strong characters and a strong sense of setting. Although some exaggerated moments can interrupt the story, the film's raw appeal and strong connection to its characters and setting make it enjoyable to watch. Lawrence Lamont builds a world that feels real—messy, unpredictable, and profoundly relatable. This comedy will make you laugh while leaving you with a lasting memory.
PROS
- Energetic and natural performances by the leads
- Relatable humor rooted in everyday struggles
- Evocative portrayal of Baldwin Village as a living, dynamic setting
- Balances chaos and heart with an authentic tone
- Fresh representation of urban Black life in a mid-budget comedy
CONS
- Some moments feel overly exaggerated or caricatured
- The third act's antagonist lacks depth
- Pacing occasionally falters amid the relentless humor
