Have you ever had one of those days? The alarm didn’t go off, the subway skipped your stop, your boss suddenly turned on you, and to top it all off, your iced coffee spilled all over your brand-new jeans. And the day’s just getting started. We usually call it a “one of them days”—a day when everything that could possibly go wrong, will go wrong. But looking back, some of those disasters make for the best stories, especially when they’re served with a side of laughter and a pinch of raw emotion.
“One of Them Days” is exactly that kind of movie. A comedy, sure—but more than that, it’s like someone squeezed the chaos of a really bad 24 hours into a bottle, shook it up, and let it explode in the middle of an apartment shared by two broke best friends. The film, starring Keke Palmer and SZA and written by Rap Sh!t’s Syreeta Singleton, doesn’t rely on superheroes or world-ending stakes. It’s about two women just trying to make rent after a reckless boyfriend drains their account. What follows is a wild, ridiculous, and surprisingly heartfelt adventure that includes loan sharks, gangsters, and enough chaos to make your worst day look like a spa vacation.
Honestly, I have a friend named Jessica who once ended up playing underground poker in Chicago just to scrounge up rent. She lost her grocery money but met her now-boyfriend—a tattoo-covered bartender who weirdly loves Jane Austen novels. Life can get absurd, and One of Them Days leans fully into that absurdity. The magic of the film is that it isn’t trying to be a polished fantasy. It’s messy, loud, a little reckless—and refreshingly human.
Director Lawrence Lamont has a knack for capturing city chaos with rhythm and style. There’s a scene where the girls accidentally tick off a local gang boss (played with gleeful menace by Maude Apatow), and it plays like a Quentin Tarantino standoff directed by Donald Glover on a caffeine high. It’s unnerving, hilarious, and deeply weird—in the best possible way.
SZA, in her film debut, is a surprise standout. Known for her magnetic stage presence, she brings a kind of vulnerable, slightly unsteady charm to the screen. She doesn’t feel like she’s acting; she feels like she’s genuinely trying to figure out how the hell she ended up running from a drug dealer on a Tuesday. That nervous authenticity makes her character incredibly easy to root for.
And then there’s Keke Palmer. She’s the engine that keeps this mayhem moving. Sharp-tongued, quick-witted, and always one step away from losing it completely, her performance is both hilarious and grounded. You don’t watch her like a traditional movie star—you recognize her, like someone you once met at a busted laundromat in Atlanta who gave you unsolicited life advice while fixing her wig. That’s her power: she makes even the most ridiculous situations feel weirdly familiar.
What sets this movie apart isn’t just the laughs—it’s the bruises under the humor. Behind the antics, there’s a real look at the cost of survival in a big city, especially for women. There’s unpaid rent, sure, but also broken trust, emotional labor, and the unspoken weight of always having to hold it together for everyone else. As the girls hustle, hustle harder, and then get hustled themselves, what really forms is a kind of unsinkable sisterhood—the kind that says, “Don’t you dare leave me now, or I’ll fall apart.”
The film doesn’t end with a big heroic triumph. Instead, it ends on a note that’s ridiculous, a little unresolved, and totally believable. Some might find that unsatisfying, but I found it honest. Real life rarely gives us neat resolutions. Sometimes, all we get is a moment to breathe and laugh—and that’s enough.
With a 93% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 90% audience score, One of Them Days isn’t a “prestige” comedy, and that’s the point. It doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not. It just knows how to make you laugh, wince, and maybe text your best friend, “Hey, remember that time we almost got evicted because of your ex?”
If you’re currently in one of those days—maybe your card just declined at Starbucks, or you found out your boss accidentally sent a layoff memo to the wrong person (you)—this movie might be exactly what you need. Not a fix, but a funny, furious reminder: you’re not alone. The world is full of messes. Sometimes, all we can do is roll with it—and laugh our way through the chaos.
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