Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

One Of Them Days 

This is one of the most refreshing and genuinely funny films I have seen in a very long time! Now this film very much in the same vein as great comedies such as Girl’s Trip and very much like Ice Cube’s fan favourite Friday film. Now the film is not trying to steal plot ideas from that film nor want to duplicate what those films have done this is an entirely original and well thought out film but the style and influence from those films is very much felt when watching this fantastic comedy. SZA gives a star making performance of comedic brilliance in her debut work in this film and Keke Palmer brings great laughs and charm with her onscreen role as well both of them working off each other so perfectly and having electric onscreen chemistry. One Of Them Days is a 90 minute film that flies by not due to the well paced runtime but the sheer fun your having with these character and seeing the crazy antics they get up to while laughing at all of this comedy gold that is tremendously written. 

Firstly, Their has been a lack of comedies lately and due to the very serious nature of things it has been difficult to find a comedy that really has people forget their worries and just have a good laugh and this film is able to capture that feeling in such a well done way that will have you wanting to revisit it many times after its over. Now this film feels very much like the comedies we used to get back in the late 90’s and early 2000’s and I am not talking the raunchy comedy type but I mean the hood comedy genre. way back when we had films like Friday, Barbershop, even Soul Plane and the Tyler Perry films everyone loves. It was a sub-genre usually with African Americans and was comedically driven and then in the last 15 years we’ve had a few films in that vein like Girls Trip, Think Like A Man but it has become very rare to see these days. This film feels very reminiscent of that type of comedy we used to get and it isn’t borrowing plot points from the films that came before it and many will draw comparison to Friday’s plot but it is it’s own thing and I love how much fun the cast and creative team had at bringing this side splitting comedy to the big screen as you can feel it when watching it. The film has a great balance of anxiety brought into the lighthearted nature of the comedy to make the situation the characters are in feel that more engaging as you want to see these characters accomplish what their set out to do but everything gets in their way and one obstacle after the other you start to think will they pull off what they have to in time before their time is up and that whole uncertainty of knowing if they do they accomplish so well. As the plot is about them getting their money to their landlord before the time is over or their evicted so it creates a time crunch for them and it operates as a pressure cooker of a plot which is beautifully melded into the story and they go through many crazy ideas in order to get the money needed for their landlord but once you think something is going their way of obtaining that money something else comes in the way and its done in a way that is hilarious but has great tones of heart and depth to it without it becoming shallow or annoying. The film has a perfect mix of comedy and heartfelt emotion that balances it out greatly the film pops for many reasons if its the performances at hand, the amazingly well executed story and the tremendous pacing One Of Them Days is a callback to comedies of the past while finding modern ways to incorporate traditional comedy staples into this story. One Of Them Days is a terrific time in large part due to the creative teams’s sheer passion to bring laughs at a time when we need it more than ever. 

Secondly, The performances from its two leads is outstanding! First off anything Keke Palmer does is so fun as she brings her A game each time and finds new ways of exploring the characters she does in a well committed way that leaves a great mark onscreen with a memorable presence. She brings that great dominating charm to the character she plays here as out of the two leads she definitely leans more into being the person to assess the situation from a realistic point of view and can come across more stern as she is trying to keep her head above water in many ways. She wants to soar in her hopefully new career that can bring her ahead financially and Keke Palmer brings that burning need of wanting to be more in her life in such a great performance that also has great wit and humour under the surface of that dramatic nature of her role and she melds both in a way that is both fun but you also wanna see her succeed due to her passion of just wanting to be the best version of herself. Then you have SZA Who is a firecracker and chews up each scene she in! Now SZA has never done a film ever this is her film debut and she chose the best role to really work to her strengths as going in the direction of a comedy I think was great as audience members got to see her ability too act but also take a stab at comedy. She is a natural talent in front of the camera showing a very promising career as Ana actor she is already so talented on the mic but now we see first hand she can also carry a film as a leading personality their is nothing she can’t do. SZA walks away with this film in terms of performance and gives one of the funniest and most engaging comedic performances of the decade. Everyone else all gives solid performances especially a hilarious Kat Williams here who I didn’t expect to see but was a great addition to the cast. The films big hilgihts in terms of performances is its two leads giving sensational work. 

Lastly, One Of Them Days is one of the best comedies of the decade and I think will for sure end up being one of the years best comedies for sure as it gives so much great material in the writing, the performances and the terrific pacing. The film Is able to revisit a genre of the days of old while brining new elements to it to keep it fresh and interesting and a truly great screen dynamic between its both powerhouse leads Keke Palmer and SZA who both turn in great work. The film has amazing laughs that land and are greatly written in a way that made me laugh in ways I haven’t in a long time in terms of comedies and overall One Of Them Days is a film that will have you feeling great and wanting to rewatch it over and over this has future classic written all over it. 

This film centres on two girls barley making ends meet and when their told by their landlord to pay their rent which their past due on they have to get the money to him before the day is over or their evicted 

Rated R : Brief Drug Use|Sexual Material|Language Throughout

SZA : Now I cannot stress enough the fact that this is her film debut and she is giving such fully realized performance like this is crazy to think about and incredibly impressive. She is known for her extremely talented range as a vocalist not as an actor and with her new album and tour coming up this year and then somewhere in between she has been able to fit in a film as well she is incredibly busy. She plays this amazingly throw caution to the wind carefree character that knows things will fall into place when the time comes kind of person and wow does she do a great job at brining that role to the screen. The moment the audience meets her we know who she is within the first 5 minutes as she is trying to cheer her friend up and tell her to believe in herself and se her own self worth in whatever she does which is a mindset she takes seriously as a way to navigate her way through life. She is someone that will not take control of a situation but more instead let the situation take control of itself which its what makes Keke Palmer’s character want to pull her hair out of her head as she is not that way. SZA crackles as she is a talented artist just wanting to be there to support her friend and help her pursue her dream career while also kind of undermining her own talent at the same time. as the laughs in her performance are so well timed and perfectly well placed as she could of easily become a character that becomes exhausting fast due to the witty nature of the character but she steers clear of that due to her great ability to commit to showing more then just a single side of this person she is playing. As the comedy is so catered to her personality and she is able to execute it in a way that makes you genuinely laugh and does not become repetitive which is rare as most comedies would use this as a opportunity to just keep the audience seeing them as the sarcastic friend who is used mostly for comic relief. She does also shed layers of someone as like Keke Palmer wants to pursue her passion in what she is best at but underplays herself which is ironic as she tells her friend not to do that but she seems to have a tough time listening to her own advice. SZA plays this character in such a explosively fun and charismatic way you can’t take your eyes off of her I hope she does pursue acting more after her experience on this film as she comes across as a natural talent that I feel could excel in so many other genres if given the chance. She has a strong suit for comedy as this film showcases very well but I know she can do whatever genre she sets her mind too and just command whatever role she takes hold of next. Here she is a mile a minute sarcastic but also wise friend that chews up the scenery and when she isn’t onscreen you want more of her she is just that good. She gives very much a feeling of Tiffany Haddish in Girl’s Trip and She is magnificent in this film I cannot stop raving about her solid work in this film she gives a sensational comedic performance that is smart calculated and also very layered in ways you don’t see coming SZA turns in a comedically genius performance that will have you in awe of her the whole way through. 

Lawrence Lamont : Lawrence gives an incredible film debut with One Of Them Days! Now he has spent a lot of his career making music videos he has not made feature films before this and wow is his direction on this so impressive. Now their have been many directors that made the jump from music videos to feature films from Fincher to The Daniels so it isn’t unusual to see creatives make that transition and do it very successfully if I may add. Seeing Lawrence Lamont’s vision for this film was great as it felt like in a way so many cultures are being seen and a ton of people can relate to the material or the characters too. He surrounds the film in an atmosphere that is a direct line to audiences who can all relate to what it is like to make ends meet or chasing a passion and wanting to see it come to fruition or just try to be more of what you know your capable of. It is a film that feels like it is ripped straight from the streets of its setting and people can see themselves or they know someone that has been in similar or a same situation and that is a strong suit for the film is that connection between the material and its audience. Then you have the comedy which again could of landed flat if it was written or executed wrong as their have been multiple films of this genre but none or very few we have seen like this in a very long time. So the comedy is done in a way that never feels over the top sure their are moments that are very dramatic but you expect that from a comedy anyway but it never feels like its going into a realm of campy or cheesy humour not that its a bad thing but this specific kind of film would not benefit from that brand of humour injected into this. He was able to cater the comedy to the actor so it worked to their strengths and didn’t feel out of place which I thought was great just like how he sets up the obstacles that get in their way of achieving what they set out to do he sets up those barriers in a way that is realistic but also fun all at once. Then he grounds it with the nature of feeling you wanna be better then your current situation which has so much truth to that subject and it does not lean hard into it where it is very dramatic but it knows when to ease up on the comedy and shift gears to something more deeper so the audience can know them in another way that isn’t always strictly coming from a place of humour all the time which allows for growth and depth. The film operates as a comedy but has great elements of dramatic weight that works out fantastically and it is a film that fits in many genres it can be a late night film you can turn on and have a good laugh with and it also can be a film to pick you up when your feeling down Lawrence Lamont understood the right style and tone needed for this kind of film and he did it so well. I cannot wait to see what he does next but from what he delivers with this film he clearly has a great eye for comedy and I would love to see him explore that even more truly great direction from Lawrence Lamont.