Coming off the back of SZA’s highly successful “Lana” album, “One of Them Days” immediately started marketing for her debut film as an actress. The buzz already surrounding the artist brought in a lot of excited fans for this movie, landing it at number one in the box office for the opening weekend. 

As fans ourselves, we had to see if “One of Them Days” would live up to the hype. 

Kaylie’s Review 

3 out of 5 stars 

When I left the theater after seeing this movie, I pondered what message “One of Them Days” was trying to convey. Was it friendship? Girl power?  

It hit me much later in the day that I had never seen a movie like “One of Them Days” before. At first glance, the film follows two young women through a day that just keeps getting worse, a day we have all experienced at one point or another. But I realized I have never seen a movie featuring two black female protagonists just getting through life. That is what makes this movie stand out.  

Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) get swindled out of their rent money by Alyssa’s deadbeat boyfriend, Keshawn (Joshua David Neal). They nearly lose their friendship trying to come up with ways to get the money back, and Dreux almost loses an opportunity for a promotion. With the help of their new neighbor, the two women successfully pull together a sale for Alyssa’s art, making the money they needed.  

The film shows something that hardly any other film I have seen does: women — especially black women — living on their own, dealing with the consequences of their actions without being saved by a man.  

Along with the social stance of “One of Them Days,” I thoroughly enjoyed seeing some of my favorite entertainers share the screen.  

SZA is absolutely perfect. I worship the ground she walks on and have never seen someone fail so badly at looking busted. Kat Williams’ appearance as Lucky was a pleasant jump scare, although I wish Lucky offered more comedic relief than he did.  

There were moments when I felt like the visual emphasis on the movie being in Los Angeles did not match the sound. The opening scenes featured sweeping shots of the city’s skyline and there were mentions of Crenshaw and references to other LA neighborhoods, but the music hardly featured any LA artists. I felt like the emphasis on Los Angeles deserved more musical homage.  

Some of the artistic choices were questionable. There were a couple of uses of cartoon script drawn onto the scenes (Alyssa getting electrocuted, the countdowns to eviction) that felt out of place. For a story that was supposed to be relatable, the cartoon touches seemed to distance the plot from reality. 

This isn’t a movie I would go out of my way to watch again. It could’ve used more humor (I laughed, but I wanted more) and further dedication to real-world Los Angeles. 

I appreciate the intention — an entertaining film featuring two black female leads solving their own problems — and hope to see more films in the burgeoning female gaze. Hollywood needs more women on screen who do not need to be saved.  

Zee’s Review 

4 out of 5 stars. 

The trailer for “One of Them Days” promised it would be the best comedy of the year. While it might be premature to call it that since it was one of the first comedies of 2025, I believe it was right. 

“One of Them Days” felt like a true ode to LA. Dreux and Alyssa felt like real people with real struggles who had to fight for themselves and each other when everything went wrong. 

While on a wild chase to get the money needed to pay rent, Dreux and Alyssa both have big personal challenges to overcome. Dreux has a job interview she is prepping for all day and struggles to find her confidence when she is incredibly qualified and competent. Alyssa is being taken advantage of by her boyfriend and is unable to set boundaries with him. By the end of the movie, Dreux gains confidence in herself, and Alyssa realizes her worth. 

The characters were relatable to everybody while also having a strong identity within their LA community. If you’ve ever had imposter syndrome, you can understand Dreux’s character. If you’ve ever been in a manipulative or toxic relationship, you can truly understand Alyssa. 

The success of these characters, not just in being able to succeed in the main plot but in their own growth, makes the pay-off feel very rewarding. There is nothing worse in a movie than when characters go through extreme life-altering events only to be the same person at the end of the movie that they were in the beginning. “One of Them Days” told Dreux and Alyssa’s story very thoughtfully. 

Chanda Dancy, an Emmy-nominated film composer with an extensive history of successful movies, worked on the soundtrack for “One of Them Days” and killed it. Songs from Doecchi, GloRilla, Flo Milli and Keke Palmer perfectly complemented the events of the plot as they popped up. I am ashamed to admit that I didn’t know Keke Palmer had a music career until after watching this movie. 

The costumes and make-up throughout the movie and the physical appearance of the characters reflected their changing wellbeing and stress levels. The only problem was casting Keke Palmer and SZA — there is just no way to keep them from looking flawless, no matter what they are wearing or how their hair looks. 

That said, Palmer and SZA were perfect in roles that greatly contrasted their actual personalities, and every scene felt convincing. Kat Williams and Gabrielle Dennis also gave standout performances as Lucky and Shayla. Janelle James had an iconic performance as Berneice that greatly contrasted from her role as Ava Coleman in Abbott Elementary — her range is truly incredible. 

This is a movie worth watching on the big screen but isn’t necessarily worth a rewatch once it hits streaming services. 

Photo courtesy of Screen Rant.