‘One of Them Days’ Review: KeKe Palmer and SZA are Just Trying to Make it Through the Day Alive but Obvious Madcap Comedy [B-]

We’ve all been there before. The hustle to grind away the few precious hours in the day in order to see the completion of a monumental task before us. It doesn’t matter if the consequences are mild or severe because nothing is more important than making that deadline. It’s a simple concept that, no wonder, has been applied to all sorts of stories; with a framework with a built-in destination, a ticking clock that forces characters onto a track that naturally builds momentum and stakes. The landscape encompasses a vast range of these tales, and One of Them Days builds from a foundation that will be quite familiar to audiences. It never sets out to reinvent the wheel with its storytelling but simply aims to spend time with endearing characters as they navigate one humorous situation after another. It’s not remarkable but charming enough to be compelling.

It’s an uneventful start of the day in Los Angeles for Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA), two roommates with a strongly forged friendship. Each is there to support one another, whether that be the former’s aspirations to be promoted into management level for the company that owns the diner she works at or the latter’s more carefree yet vibrant personality that is channeled into her artwork. However, right before Dreux’s big interview, a major problem arises. The responsibility to deliver the rent money was bizarrely given to Alyssa’s deadbeat boyfriend, who in turn spent it on his own investments. Now faced with looming eviction from a hardened landlord, the pair must race desperately around town to procure their funds by any means necessary. It’s a race to keep the roof over their heads while also making sure they survive the strain placed on their bond.

Like any buddy comedy, the strength of the final product ultimately lies within the chemistry the leads share. Fortunately, both Palmer and SZA are completely captivating with their boisterous aura. They craft a believable relationship between these two, feeding off each other in a manner that always brings out a smile. It’s not just the simple dynamic of the straight man being paired with the fool, though some of that is present as well. They are both capable of being intuitive and oblivious to their surroundings. It’s funny how Dreux can be enraged at an insult hurled her way but held back from a physical altercation by a nonchalant Alyssa barely making an effort to stand in her way. When Alyssa is wholly distracted by the good sex she’s been having with her skilled yet self-absorbed lover, the frustration that embodies Dreux’s demeanor is relatable and amusing. Yet, when the two pool their resources together to escape an ambulance and doge the massive costs, there’s a cunningness each tap into that emphasizes how silly but also perceptive they can be. There’s a genuine warmth to their comradery that’s recognizable in a pair of friends who have seen the good and bad in each other, and a comical dance they share on the street feels like two souls that are genuinely connected.

Palmer obviously captures a slightly more nuanced portrayal, given there are more financial consequences to her plight in securing this new job.Tthough not anything too complex for material that is ultimately meant to be played for broad laughs. But sometimes nothing more is needed than her watching a piece of hair roll by in the street and proclaim, “tumble-weave.” There’s an implicity to her observations that provide further evidence of her magnetic screen presence and captivating personality. The razor-sharp timing that delivers whips so effectively can even make the flat offscreen lines, so clearly the work of ADR, land with amusement. SZA matches her co-star’s energy, possessing a dedicated physicality that punctuates every moment with a fiery passion. She talks fast and glides through any space with reckless abandon. Her expressions can pull a face that lands just as effectively as any verbal punchline, especially in the friendly sparring arguments between them. These two are not only the driving force of the film’s momentum, but also the most engrossing aspects by far. Both give amusing performances that go a long way to keep you invested.

These leads are necessary to endure what is ultimately a standard narrative that hardly deviates away from a traditional structure. Once the mechanisms of the plot are set into motion, Syreeta Singleton’s screenplay takes a commonplace route of assembling individual set pieces to be strung along a path of chaos for these characters to follow. The segmentation leads to an episodic construction, disrupting a natural flow to the pacing that can eventually become stale. It’s also difficult to become more invested in this journey when the arcs and their ultimate resolutions can be spotted a mile away. You know that when the money disappears, their initial efforts to track down the boyfriend will not be successful. The attempts to participate in get-rich-quick actions, like payday services and blood bank donations, will not prove fruitful. You know that a wedge will manifest between these friends because of a fight that exposes their true feelings but will feel assuaged from any real peril because a mending of fences is inevitable and anticipated. Even though the film is not attempting to be innovative, the pedestrian assembly of the plot is not very engaging on its own.

The efforts from director Lawrence Lamont do not provide much assistance to elevate the material either. The filmmaking is fairly banal, rarely indulging in any interesting blocking or composition that would bring a more artistic sensibility to this world. Not that anyone expects the camera to be making any bold choices for a studio comedy, but Ava Berkofsky’s cinematography results in an aesthetic that is unremarkable in its staging. The straightforward execution is at best tolerable and at worst tedious, the latter especially felt as the pacing can occasionally drag on to interminable limits. Nothing kills comedy faster than over-extended improv, easily recognized as once charming banter becomes quickly deflating. The propulsive comedic energy becomes quickly diluted with a refusal to trim the fat of a bloated scene that goes on for one joke too many. At least there’s space for the performances to work their magic, and not just from the central figures. Aziza Scott plays a rival of Alyssa’s boyfriend, going on her own odyssey to find Dreux and Alyssa after a confrontation at her apartment. Her inclusion never really feels like a natural fit into the overall fabric of the story, but the ferocious tenacity she displays, like the T-1000 tracking its prey with frightening resolve and determination, is wholly entertaining to watch. The culmination of the fight that breaks out between the trio is sloppily filmed but ends with a great punchline when a plump ass is used with excessive force. She is emblematic of an underused ensemble that’s filled with great players, including Keyla Monterroso Mejia as the hostile payday lender and a woefully underused Janelle James as an incompetent nurse who deserved many more opportunities to land her brilliant comedic jabs.

This is one of those films that you pretty much know exactly what you are getting. The setup is familiar, the path does not deviate from what is expected and the ending leaves the audience with a traditionally good feeling. However, merely possessing the recognizable beats of a story that is meant to be satisfying is not the only component necessary to achieve success. Fortunately, Palmer and SZA carry much of the comedic gold on the backs of their performances, and a solid cast that surrounds them do their part as well. They all assist in uplifting a mundane screenplay and equally bland filmmaking, creating an enjoyable time. It’s an effort that is passable, a bit forgettable, but undeniably delightful in enough places to become a mildly pleasant endeavor.

Grade: B-

Sony Pictures and Tri-Star will release One of Them Days only in theaters on January 17.