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By Maya Mackey
I had the privilege of attending a free screening of One of Them Days on opening day, January 18th 2025 thanks to Issa Rae and her production company. I expected to laugh but not nearly as loud as I did.
I expected a goofy movie, rife with antics and ratchet shenanigans. And while this film delivers these things, it ultimately is much deeper and richer than advertised. A smart move on the creatiors’ end. Written by Syreeta Singleton, produced by Issa Rae and directed by Lawrence Lamaont, One of Them Days is Friday reimagined – the Girl Version, if you will.
Led by an electric performance from KeKe Palmer and a debut performance by Sza (born Solana Rowe), One of Them Days takes you on the journey of two besties/roommates, who are pressed for time and money as they face potential eviction. Alyssa, played by Sza, is “The Chill Girl” personified. She worries about nothing but then again shade doesn’t have much going on (which leads to a blowout conflict later in the film). Alyssa is the woo woo girl on steroids. Everything is pinned on “The Universe.” The Universe has your back, The Universe will take care of it.
This annoys the mess out of her more realistic best friend, Dreux, played by Keke Palmer. Dreux is a logical, practical, “you work hard and take strides until you reach your dreams” kinda gal. But they love each other and, for better or worse, they deliver to one another the much needed soul lessons for both of their evolution.
Alyssa discovers the benefit to having a clear intention for your life’s path and that sometimes The Universe is waiting on you to promote yourself and your talents so that it can reward you abundantly. Dreux learns that there is such a thing as Divine Chaos, Interruption and Intervention. You don’t have to control everything and it’s ok to stay open to life’s surprises. The spiritual undertones were definitely not something I expected in this film but it was a much needed message for myself and likely other viewers of the film as well.
I’m willing to bet that part of why KeKe and Sza were so dynamic in their roles is that they were playing alternate versions of themselves, what would Solana and Lauren (Palmer’s government name) do if they weren’t famous and rich but in a bind? Keke is a Virgo and Sza is a Scorpio after all. Virgos are known for being practical, logical, rational, and skeptical of “magic.” Scorpios are water signs. They’re sensitive and flow with their emotions. They’re less structured in nature but often struggling with their self-concept and drive. I wonder if playing these characters was a long shadow work experience for the actresses in real life.
Nevertheless, the movie packs a punch! The romance is fresh.The laughs are there and earned. This isn’t slapstick humor, this is relatable sitcom humor. The subliminal messages of how poor Black communities are victims of vulturesque cash-loan companies is undeniable (delivered by Katt Williams as Lucky). Ultimately, it’s a story about the love that stems from sisterhood, the power of alchemy and community and having faith in yourself.
One of Them Days has already made back the production costs during opening weekend, that’s $14 million to be exact. Walk Good LA, a non-profit spearheaded by Etienne Maurice, (Sheryl Lee Ralph’s son!) is giving another free screening of the film on Friday, January 24th at The Grove AMC theaters. You can RSVP through the link on the WalkGoodLA instagram account.