When R&B star Monica dropped her hit song “Don’t Take It Personal (Just One Of Dem Days)” in 1995, it became an anthem for irritated Black women globally.
Fast forward three decades later, a version of the lyrics is now the title for an outrageous day-in-the-life comedy produced by Issa Rae. One of Them Days follows two very irritated besties, Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA), as they embark on an absurd quest to pay their rent hours before it’s due.
The pair share an apartment in L.A.’s South Central neighborhood of Baldwin Village, which is colloquially referred to as “The Jungle” by locals due to its once palmy, banana-tree covered landscape, and historical reputation for criminal activity. Once Dreux discovers Alyssa handed over their rent money to her unfaithful, broke “entrepreneur” lover, Keshawn, who spent the cash on a line of “Cucci” tees, chaos ensues as Dreux and Alyssa scheme up a plot to make $1,500 in one day.
The movie is stacked with an all-star cast, including Maude Apatow (Bethany) who plays a well-meaning neighborhood colonizer with a dog named Shooter; Abbott Elementary’s Janelle James (Ruby), in the role of an ill-trained blood bank phlebotomist, and Katt Williams (Lucky), who stars as a corner store prophet warning against predatory payday loans. While the film is loaded with ridiculous, slapstick humor, the story about two Black women with no safety nets trying to make ends meet couldn’t be more timely, given the ongoing housing crisis shadowing L.A. county.
Black people represent only eight percent of L.A.’s total population but account for 34 percent of the city’s unhoused residents. Black women are grossly overrepresented in that number, stemming from an array of systemic factors including high-eviction rates, gender-based violence, and ballooning rent prices worsened by gentrification, without the income to offset housing expenses due to racial and gender-based wealth gaps. And natural disasters, like the recent wildfires that have destroyed over 12,000 homes in L.A. and counting, further exacerbate the city’s housing shortage, the brunt of which will be felt by the city’s most vulnerable demographics. Crafting a well-deserved, soft-life future for Black women in L.A. will take continued awareness, creativity, and community allies, which is exactly how Dreux and Alyssa pull off their make-rent-in-one-day stunt.
One of Them Days sparkles in its authentic telling of the power of loyal support between Black women, and that intention shines through in quiet, art-imitating-life choices surrounding the film’s leads. Two-time Emmy winner Palmer, who is a Virgo in real life, rocks a gold-plated Virgo necklace around her neck throughout the film, and four-time Grammy-winning SZA is comfortable in her film debut as a character who believes in positive affirmations and the benevolence of the universe, just like she does off-screen. These subtle winks let the audience in on a secret: There is a Dreux and an Alyssa in all of us.
Sony Pictures
SZA as Alyssa and Keke Palmer as Dreux in One of Them Days.
Rae said in an interview that she knew she wanted One of Them Days to be made from the moment she read screenwriter Syreeta Singleton’s script. Rae and Singleton have worked together on other culturally-shifting projects, including Insecure and Rap Sh!t.
“She writes the best female characters, the best female friendships,” Rae told Geeks of Color. “Given this was set in L.A. and was a buddy comedy I haven’t seen in awhile, I just immediately identified with the characters” she added.
The film’s director, Lawrence Lamont, who also directed four episodes of Rap Sh!t, said when he was making One of Them Days, he was inspired by ’90s Black cinema, like Friday and Baps along with the legendary work of John Singleton. Lamont said his goal in shooting the film in the heart of South Central was to keep the “essence of L.A. alive,” while making sure the world around the characters was universal.
That universal message is one of survival: that amidst the tumble-weaves, ringing sirens, eviction notices, and the relentless hamster-wheel of hustle, there is the magic of alchemy in our shared relationships.
Bestie pairs, like Issa and Molly of Insecure, Mia and Shawna of Rap Sh!t, and Dreux and Alyssa, are now immortalized in the pantheon of Issa Rae-produced media, which showcase fictional Black girls making it by any means necessary—with one another’s love and support.
One of Them Days is now playing in theaters.
