- ONE OF THEM DAYS
- Starring: Keke Palmer, Sza and Katt Williams
- Directed by: Lawrence Lamont
- Rated: R
- Running time: 1 hr 37 mins
Our Score: 3.5 out of 5
Your rent is due and you’re late for a job interview that, if you get it, will change your life. But, of course, things don’t go the way you plan. It’s just one of them days!
Meet Dreux (Palmer). She has worked hard to move up the ranks at the restaurant she waits tables at and has finally been given the chance to interview for the opportunity to manager her own store. Things in her life are going good unless, of course, you add in her roommate, Alyssa (SZA), a woman more interested in hanging on to her boyfriend then helping her friend succeed. When Dreaux learns that Alyssa has given their rent money to the boyfriend, the two must devise a way to pay the rent before the clock strikes twelve or face immediate eviction. Let the hijinks begin.
Fast paced and quick witted, “One of Them Days” manages to stretch a one-joke story into a solid hour and a half. This is due, in part, to the outstanding performance by Ms. Palmer. She gives Dreaux a great mixture of both humor and seriousness that suits the character. As the roommate whose decisions always seem to be the wrong ones, SZA carries the bulk of the comedy and handles it well. The supporting cast is strong, from Maude Apatow as a new neighbor whose sunny disposition is very rare for the apartment complex to the always fun Katt Williams, who does all he can to dissuade the girls from getting a payday loan, cautioning “if you don’t have the money this month, you’re not gonna have it next month!”
The film does its best to cram a lot of antics into the 97-minute running time. I would have rather they stretch the adventures over a weekend then force so much into, by the script’s reckoning, was only a few hours. The film also serves as a great reminder that the Honey Butter Biscuits at Church’s Chicken are worth fighting for.
On a scale of zero to five, “One of Them Days” receives ★★★½