On the surface, One of Them Days Might look like a femme Fridaypairing no Star KiKi Palmer and Grammy Award-winning pop-R&B diva SZA play best friends navigating a wild and crazy day at home in Los Angeles. All in all, this buddy comedy from director Lawrence Lamont and producer Issa Rae is a lot like the 1995 stoner hit, but it’s also quite different and very funny in its own right.
like Friday‘s Craig and Smokey, Drew (Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) spend hours fighting the countdown to ruin until they get the money they’re owed. In their case, it’s not the drug dealer, but Uche (Lizzy Timane), a landowner who has reached the end of his patience. You won’t have to pay the rent until 6 o’clock, and they’ll quickly pack up all your belongings.
A recently evicted neighbor’s belongings piled on the curb is a horrifying incentive to take Uche seriously, one of the well-placed sight gags in a film full of them. be. Sometimes the gag is just a sudden cameo from a familiar funny face, such as Katt Williams, who plays street smart guy Lucky. abbott elementary school‘ Janelle James stars as Ruby, an unprepared blood bank nurse.
Working from a sound script by Syreeta Singleton (anxiety), Lamont liberally sprinkles cameos and comic bits as flavor to the main course of the acting duo of Dru and Alyssa.
A versatile entertainer, Palmer is goofy but maintains Dru’s dignity as a hard-working server at a gnome diner hoping to make the leap into management. SZA brings her own quirky pop star persona to quirky painter Alyssa, though she’s not as good at telling jokes as her film partner. He shined in his first starring role, and showed off some great sparring with Palmer during the dramatic scenes.
The yin-yang pair are incredibly repulsive as friends whose bond is tested by hardship. The rent crisis stems from Alyssa’s foolish decision to hand over cash to her extremely untrustworthy boyfriend Keshawn (Joshua David Neal). The chaos caused by her poor judgment brings a long-simmering conflict to the forefront.
Dru is driven, but Alyssa leaves things to the universe. But the film doesn’t bother to explore how the free-spirited and jobless girl sources the materials for the large-scale canvas paintings lying around her apartment.
What we do know is that Drew and Alyssa’s conflicting outlooks – “we need a plan” vs. “everything will be fine” – form their main point of contention, and here we use basic terminology It is expressed in Yes, of course, as the saying goes, sometimes it’s great to let go and let God, and sometimes it’s better to have a plan. It’s not rocket science, and ultimately the lessons the women learn aren’t all that moving, but the film’s story feels complete and the comedy is consistent.
Set to Doechii’s sexy speed rap “Nissan Altima,” Lamont sets a hectic car-on-foot chase full of great visual gags and involving the Roomies’ vengeful neighborhood nemesis Berniece (Aziza Scott). and assemble some outstanding set pieces. The bold character walks a fine line between realism and hood stereotypes, but Scott is so committed to the girl’s ferocious ferocity that he finds her hilarious and overused in the film. Some of the seasoning that seems to be added is added.
But the film doesn’t go overboard, deftly balancing broad comedy with friendship drama and allowing its stars, especially Palmer, to shine. Even if this well-tuned iteration of the formula doesn’t reach the classic level of Ice Cube and Chris Tucker, it was still a good day.
One of Them Days (★★★☆☆) Rated “R” and showing in theaters nationwide. visit www.fandango.com.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
