One of Them Days

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).

I haven't seen a good comedy like this in a really, REALLY long time. It's the best kind, it has both soul and comedy.

One of those days presents a situation we can all relate to and dread ever happening to us. The two protagonists, despite everything, just keep rolling with the punches. "Ok, what is this day going to throw at me NOW?".

They're both flawed characters, HUMAN characters. One should know better and keeps making mistakes that literally drag them both down just as they're about to finally "end" the bad situation they're in. But ultimately, is getting by enough?

Highly recommended.

"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.

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 (2025)' follows two best friends and roommates, Dreux (social anxiety final boss Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (Bill-killing international popstar SZA), who find themselves hours from eviction when Alyssa's well-endowed but generally no-good boyfriend runs off with their rent money. Taking inspiration from slightly absurd hangout films such as 'Friday (1995)', the feature presents a mixture of situational humour and ridiculous antics as its mostly real-time events play out like a series of skits comprising, well, one of them days. It's rarely outright funny, but it's often amusing and generally charming. The performers all understand the assignment, working in tandem to craft a tapestry of quirky characters and an ever-so-slightly unreal atmosphere that keeps the film feeling fresh even as it depicts ostensibly mundane activities and runs through its genre's expected tropes. For me, it isn't quite distinct or engaging as I'd like, and it generally just isn't quite my thing for reasons I'm not even all that sure of. It's fun enough for what it is, but it never quite hits that sweet spot of absurdist comedy that it kind of promises to. Still, it's an easy-to-watch and typically entertaining experience. It's decent.