Aahana Swrup
Lawrence Lamont’s comedy film ‘One of Them Days’ follows the story of a wild misadventure that two best friends are forced to embark on to stay off a looming sudden eviction. It centers around Dreux and Alyssa, two best friends who have polar opposite personalities but share their perpetual broke-ness. However, their efforts are foiled when Alyssa’s good-for-nothing boyfriend, Keshawn, spends all their rent money from right under their noses. Consequently, the two women have no choice but to embark on an Odyssey through LA and its chaos to reunite with their money and avoid potential homelessness.
The film does a stellar job of bringing the central characters of Dreux and Alyssa to life as impossible odds are pitched against them. Their familiar dynamic as a comedy duo, paired with the easy world-building around them, adds a unique level of relatability and realism to their situation. However, is there any real-life connection behind their characters and storylines?
One of Them Days is an Homage to Black Cinema of the ’90s
Even though ‘One of Them Days’ does not hold any relevance to real-life people and events, the film has intriguing roots in the cinematic legacy of the past. It’s an original story penned by Syreeta Singleton about two best friends who are put through a rough day. Their ill-advised ventures involve every bizarre thing under the sun—from cheating boyfriends and precious sneakers to life-threatening criminals and loan sharks who are sharper than cops. Although this concept isn’t directly based on any off-screen instances, the filmmakers did take inspiration from some iconic films of the past. Notably, it plants several nods to the 1995 film ‘Friday,’ starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker.
Both films revolve around a chaotic friendship duo who must scramble for money to avoid looming doom. Furthermore, within this two-person dynamic, both pairs consist of one “go with the flow” individual and one Type-A personality. As a result, the central relationship in ‘One of Them Days’ inherently remains reminiscent and reflective of Craig Jones and Smokey’s dynamic in ‘Friday.’ In fact, aside from the narrative nod, the former movie also uses the wardrobe to reference the 1995 stoner comedy classic. Reportedly, one of the looks that Keke Palmer’s Dreux sports—a grey crop top with a flannel on top—is an homage to Craig Jones’ recognizable look.
Additionally, during the project’s development, director Lawrence Lamont also equipped a variety of other culturally significant comedies as a point of reference. Titles like ‘B.A.P.S’ and filmmaker John Singleton’s cinematography, including ‘Poetic Justice,’ ‘Boyz n the Hood,’ and projects from filmmaking brothers Albert and Allen Hughes were specifically part of the roster. Aside from 90s black cinema gems like these, Lamont also looked to more recent hits such as the 2007 ‘Superbad.’ As such, despite its lack of real-life resemblances, the film retains a vital cinematic familiarity through its artistic inspirations.
One of Them Days Opts For a Realistic World-Building
One of the primary storytelling strengths of ‘One of Them Days’ remains its potential for relatability. Within its LA-based setting, it liberally explores the various facets and nuances of the realistic lifestyle in the area. From the general environment within the area to Dreux and Alyssa’s chaotically varied experiences, the story possesses a consistent, realistic edge. This is visually translated to the screen through the filmmakers’ decision to use Los Angeles as the primary filming location.
Producer Issa Rae, who also comes from an LA background, discussed this in a conversation with Geeks of Color. “Believe it or not, fighting to shoot in LA, honestly,” she said. “Like, that’s huge; nobody’s really shooting stuff here, and so we felt privileged to be able to do that and represent the communities that we’re shooting in.” Therefore, off-screen realism directly paved the way for the storyline to hold onto a heightened sense of realism. Similarly, another aspect of reality informs the genuine ride-or-die dynamic between Dreux and Alyssa: namely, the real-life relationship between Keke Palmer and SZA.
Dreux and Alyssa Draw Realism From The Actors’ Real-life Dynamic
Similar to the overall movie, Dreux and Alyssa from ‘One of Them Days’ also lack inspiration from a real-life counterpart. Apart from any cinematic impacts of ‘Friday’ on both the characters, neither of the best friends retains any other outside influence. Even so, one off-screen element managed to bleed into the film’s on-screen narrative: the genuine bond that formed between actresses Keke Palmer and SZA during filming. Between the singer-songwriter-turned-debut-actress and the seasoned Hollywood veteran, the duo ended up forging such a strong friendship that it inevitably shaped their performances.
Consequently, many of the scenes between Druex and Alyssa’s characters ended up being moments of improvisation by Palmer and SZA. Likewise, the actresses also felt a connection to the story on an individualistic level, finding seamless relatability in their cinematic counterparts. Speaking about the same to Teen Vogue, Palmer said, “I actually do feel like I’m like Dreaux. I’m very ambitious. I want to try to figure it all out and feel like if I do everything right, it should turn out the right way, which, obviously, we know it won’t. But then you get back up, and you try again,” she adds. “I really do relate to her type-A personality.” Similarly, SZA also felt a kinship to Alyssa, particularly her vessel of chaotic nature. Thus, even though neither character holds a basis in reality, they achieve realistic personas.
Read More: One of Them Days: Is Baldwin Village a Real Apartment in LA?
