One of Them Days

So, if you've seen the previews, then you've seen the movie. It's not much relevant content that fills in the blanks in the full movie.

Even though the movie was made to cater to a particular demographic of people, I feel like the budget for the film was sourced from another particular demographic of people because of the amount of stereotypes that were abundantly reinforced in this film for no seemingly reason at all. It just came across from the producers as "This is how we have to portray these characters if we want to get the money to make this film" and it shows. The comedy was scripted and you could tell due to the amount of force presented in the delivery. Katt William's role came across as more of an anomaly and I didn't understand his relevance other than to attract more viewers.

The best way to describe this movie overall is to think of it as a car. A 1995 Honda Accord vs. A 2025 Accord. Sure, the newer model is more advanced, cleaner, and has some minor upgrades but at the end of the day, it's still a Honda Accord.

It's being compared to the 1995 film, "Friday", but the reason why some of Us can look back at a film like "Friday" and think "That was a great movie" because some of Us have evolved since then and are no longer living that way. So, the movie is just a newer model Honda Accord compared to "Friday", in a sense. The film production and technology looks cleaner. You can tell that the film and edit crew used skin smoothening filters in the final cut. I liked it. It made everyone look pretty. However, the overall message is still the same for Us: "We're financially illiterate and hypersexualized but let's laugh at Ourselves about it anyway."

The weight of this star rating is thanks to Gabrielle Dennis who I thought delivered the best performance, overall. This type of role was appropriate for her style of acting but I also found it to be beneath what she's actually capable of portraying. She's definitely underrated in my book.

We need to learn how to tell new stories because the old ones aren't funny anymore. Entertaining, sure, but it's just not where comedy should be for Us as of today.

"One of Them Days" is a fun, chaotic romp with vibrant visuals and quirky characters. The story balances humor and heart, exploring themes of friendship and community, though it sometimes stretches believability. I didn't know the cast except for Keka Palmer and Lil Rel, but everyone played their roles well, and SZA brought the heat. Stereotyped characters like Alyssa and Berniece shine, while Dreux is less engaging. Strong performances, amusing dialogue, and colorful design and clothes keep the energy high. It's not groundbreaking, but offers an entertaining experience worth a rewatch or two.

This was a feel good movie! I was really happy to see a lot of young, new Black faces. It was also refreshing to see Keke play a character that seems closer to who she is in real life. I feel like the plot with rent eviction has been done before but it was modern and still engaging. The comedy wasn't too over the top or raunchy either. SZA did a great job with her debut as an actress. Overall, I'm proud to see my people coming together and making movies that we, the culture can appreciate. I expected no less with the individuals who were involved. My only critique would be not enough on- screen time for the number of cameos we got.

I have a great appreciation for Keke Palmer; she has truly blossomed into a talented and beautiful young woman. That drove me to watch her in a comedic role, hoping to see her shine. While I managed to find a few moments that made me chuckle, I found myself largely waiting for a genuine laugh throughout the film that never happened.

Unfortunately, it struggled to create a cohesive comedic experience, with humor primarily relying on niche references that didn't resonate with me. Additionally, the awkward pacing often disrupted the flow of the jokes, diminishing their overall effectiveness. To be honest, the film's tone was disappointing, and much of the humor felt outdated. Ultimately, the comedy just fell flat for me.

I like to think I have pretty eclectic tastes in movies but I'm not sure now considering how much people seem to like this one and it ended up making my very short list of movies I had to stop watching before the end. I found it profoundly uninteresting, unfunny, and just annoying overall. I know of SZA and hear of Keke Palmer before but I don't really know them; maybe you need to be a fan to appreciate this movie more? I hate that if that's what people find cool and funny now, that makes me an old fart completely out of touch, but here we are. I'm sure this will be downvoted to hell but as usual, I'm just writing this review for myself to go back to if I forget what I thought of this movie (though for this particular one, that's unlikely).