When it comes to children, people always emphasize the importance of representation in the media, which is understandable. It is extremely important for kids, specifically young black girls, to see themselves (in a positive light) on screen. This gives them images or lifestyles to aspire to. The compelling need to see ourselves on-screen never goes away and I was reminded of that after watching One of Them Days.
On opening weekend, my girls and I raced to the movies to see the long-awaited buddy comedy starring beloved veteran actress, Keke Palmer, and award-winning musician, SZA. A few minutes into watching, I could already tell that it was going to be one of my favorite movies of 2025.
Palmer and SZA starred in an episode of SNL together on December 3, 2022. From there, the two noticed a chemistry, which laid the foundation of this movie.
Palmer, who has been acting since she was nine, has taken on the nickname Keke “Keep A Job” Palmer. She has also served as an author, singer, songwriter, producer, game show host, talk show host (the youngest at that), and so much more. Her charismatic personality has allowed her to go viral several times across various social media platforms.
SZA is a Grammy award-winning artist. Rising to popularity after the release of her album CTRL in 2018, she has been continuing to grow rapidly ever since. The 35-year-old makes her big screen debut alongside several veterans and holds her own. Her character in the film is reminiscent of the themes and narratives that she incorporates within her music.
One of Them Days is a comedy centering two of this generation’s most popular celebrities. It was written by Syreeta Singleton and produced by Issa Rae. Rae has such a knack for telling black stories, in a way that is so humanizing. The characters in her projects are like humans, imperfect, and rarely do we get to see black women who aren’t completely put together in television and film. With Keke Palmer’s character Dreux, an ambitious, loyal, waitress, or SZA’s character Alyssa, an eccentric, free-spirited, painter who lets her fear stop her from fully committing to her dreams, we are living in a time where black women of all shades are depicted in various ways within mainstream media.
The premise of the movie is something that we’ve seen before in movies like Friday. There are two long-term friends, one type A, the other type B, trying to get the money that they need by the end of the day. It includes a neighborhood drug lord, the neighborhood bully, the setting of LA, and Katt Williams playing a ridiculous yet familiar character.
However, we’ve never seen it with two unambiguous black women, which makes this movie so revolutionary.
I would be remiss, if I did not also mention the star-studded soundtrack, featuring several black female artists like Glorilla, Doechii, Flo Milli, Foushee, and Keke Palmer, herself, aligning with the theme of black female empowerment.
This movie feels like a love letter to black women, and an understanding of “Hey, I know it feels hard right now, but you’ll make it through”.  It also reminds you of the importance of true friendship, especially in times of need. I encourage everyone to go out and watch so that we can have more movies like this one!