
If there’s one scene on One of Them Days that will linger in your mind long after the credits roll, it’s its stars Keke Palmer and SZA taking one on the chin, literally.
“We got booty bounced in the forehead; oh, that was the best,” exclaimed Palmer. She is referring to when her character Dreux and best bud Alyssa (played by SZA) are slammed by another woman’s rear end during a fight. “We got twerked into submission. That was fabulous.”
Added SZA, “It was very soft and cushiony. I felt like I was in a cool situation.”
It’s all just part of the foolery in this female buddy action comedy. In classic Black film fashion (think Friday After Next), these best buds have to replace their stolen rent money by sundown or face the consequences. The ride to get there is one hilarious romp after another.
Even more endearing are the film’s themes of empowerment and keeping it real with your sisterhood. Our community hasn’t seen a female buddy adventure like this since Halle Berry and Natalie Desselle did their thang in the 1997 comedy B.A.P.S., something that wasn’t lost on One of Them Days director Lawrence Lamont.
“I instantly knew these characters, these women. I grew up with them; they’re my cousins, my aunts, my mom,” he shared. “I stepped back and was like, ‘Wait a second. We haven’t even really seen this.’ We got B.A.P.S., but that may be the only Black woman buddy comedy that’s existed. So the idea to create something original—a new age Black woman buddy comedy was exciting.”
Issa Rae, a producer on the film, is committed to bringing our faces to screen and not always under the guise of Black trauma. “There’s nothing more refreshing than seeing people you know and relate to on-screen…We just haven’t had, especially theatrically comedic movies, in this way before.”
Palmer’s all for bringing these zany moments alive. “The conversation around gentrification, friendship and community are things that I have cared about since Akeelah and the Bee,” she said. “To add even more crazy situational comedy into it; I was in the whole way.”
Having the chance to be a part of bringing Black comedy and laughs to screen is a blessing all on its own for SZA, who is making her movie debut in One of Them Days.
“[Keke and Issa], they are so important to the culture and me…and what’s made me the woman I am. Watching Insecure just really helped me navigate through,” she shared.
“Keke, obviously, is someone you wanna be friends with already, so it made immediate sense. I didn’t care about acting or wanting to be in a movie. I just wanted to be involved in something with two people who inspired me so deeply and were so important to the culture and humanity. It’s such an honor.”
One of Them Days took six years to get to the screen, something that’s got to change, according to Palmer. “We don’t have people spearheading these films, and that’s the reason why we need them. I’ve been in the industry for 20 years…Issa Rae, she’s the people that we need that have success, can say this is important and has the data to prove why it’s important to get it done,” she declared.
“To say Syreeta Singleton is the one to write it and Lawrence is the one to direct, we have to have more of us behind the scenes just as much as we have us in front of the camera.”
While making and supporting films like these is essential, Rae points out, “It’s not that serious. If you want to have a good time at a movie and see more movies like this, come see it. It’s that easy.”
One of Them Days is in theaters on January 17.
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