“Two broke friends. One desperate plan to survive another day.”
One of Them Days is exactly what Hollywood needed to bring back female buddy comedy films. Releasing on January 17 and debuting with a 95% on the Tomatometer, the film did exceptionally well for a January release. Films released in January/early on in the year are typically expected to do worse in the box office, and are often forgotten about by time Oscar nominations come around (Love Lies Bleeding, Lisa Frankenstein, I Saw the TV Glow, etc). While I could go on and on about Oscar snubs, that’s not what we’re here to talk about.
The film follows roommates Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA), as they race against the clock to gather enough money to pay their rent after Alyssa’s boyfriend (Joshua David Neal) takes the money and runs with it. The pair go on quite the adventure, trying any means necessary to get the $1,500 before 6 pm. Other notable cast includes Aziza Scott, Maude Apatow, Patrick Cage, Gabrielle Dennis, and Janelle James.
One of Them Days is the directorial debut of Lawrence Lamont, with original screenplay written by Syreeta Singleton. While Singleton has written and produced for television series in the past (Black Monday, Central Park, Insecure), this is her full length feature debut. This film did incredibly well with a team of people who do not have many other, if any, feature films under their belt.
For me, this was one of the funniest films I have watched in the past year. Syreeta Singleton did an incredible job with this script, making the characters feel so real. While this is a comedy, there are a few very touching scenes as well, and great character development from both Druex and Alyssa. The film did its job of getting you invested into the characters, their relationships, and their actions. Keke Palmer and SZA have incredible on-screen chemistry, and I would love to see them in more projects together. This was also the first movie I watched that was released in 2025, so I am taking this as an indicator that this will be another great year for movies.
One of the big criticisms for this movie was the marketing. While trailers played in theaters (which is how I learned about the film), not much else was done to get people talking. This was incredibly surprising to me, especially considering that the movie stars Keke Palmer and SZA, the later of which is one of the biggest artists at the moment. Deadline Hollywood commented on this, stating that the marketing team failed to “create electricity,” for the film.
Despite the lack of marketing, the film made $12 million opening weekend, and $14 million over a 4-day period. I am very excited that people are seeing and talking about this film, especially considering the lack of people discussing it before its release. If you are in need of a good laugh, I could not recommend this movie enough. (Rated R – 97 minutes)
