After nearly 30 years, ‘One of Them Days,’ a new buddy comedy starring multi-hyphenate star, Issa Rae, and Grammy-winning singer, SZA, marks a significant return to the genre for Black women.
When you Google “Black women buddy comedies,” the search engine’s What to Watch section only produces a handful of results. There’s 1997’s “B.A.P.S.,” 2017’s “Girls Trip” (which stars an ensemble of four) and, surprisingly, 1995’s “Waiting to Exhale” (a quartet-led movie that should technically be considered a romantic drama).
Beyond that, there are virtually no other examples to stack against the dozens of male buddy comedies or even the female buddy comedies starring white women released in the 21st century alone. From “Baby Mama” and “Bridesmaids” to “The Heat” and “Booksmart,” the list of movies with funny women duos and other variations is lengthier than that for Black women particularly. — written by “Rap Sh!t” showrunner Syreeta Singleton and directed by Lawrence Lamont — is the first buddy comedy led by Black women released in nearly eight years (and the first starring a duo in almost three decades). It reunites Palmer and SZA after their lauded 2022 “Saturday Night Live” appearance, and features a host of familiar faces and comedians, including Katt Williams, Lil Rel Howery, Maude Apatow, Janelle James, Vanessa Bell Calloway and Keyla Monterroso Mejia. The South Los Angeles-set film, co-produced by Issa Rae, follows a wacky day in the life of two broke besties/roommates Dreux (Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA, in her acting debut), as they race against the eviction clock after the latter’s freeloading boyfriend (Joshua Neal) blows all of their rent money. Tasked with conjuring up $1,500 by the end of the day — and helping Dreux nail a corporate job interview that could change their lives — the pair’s quick cash pursuit results in a ridiculous set of adventures that make for a rousing laugh-out-loud treat. In usual buddy comedy fashion, the chaotic plot in “One Of Them Days” is filled with hilarious hijinks, all courtesy of Alyssa and Dreux’s doomed-to-fail money schemes — from a messy blood bank blunder and power-line sneaker sale to a last resort attempt to borrow funds from the local payday-loan spot.The campy comedy also carves out a semi-heartening arc, spotlighting the two women’s ride-or-die friendship and the challenges they struggle to overcome, both as a pair and as individuals. While Dreux’s no-nonsense attitude drives her to aspire to become more than a lowly-paid waitress, free-spirit Alyssa grapples with getting out of her manifestation bubble to turn her full-time painter dreams into a fully realized reality. There’s a particular charm to “One Of Them Days” that finally revives the Black women buddy comedy for audiences who have been starved of one for almost 30 years, a fact that Rae pointed out in a “We haven’t seen Black female buddy comedies since ‘B*A*P*S’ and even ‘Girls Trip,’” she noted, “but buddy comedy specifically, where it’s a duo.”— when the “One Of Them Days” trailer debuted this past fall. Not only because it stars beloved multi-hyphenate Palmer, Grammy-winning singer SZA, and other Hollywood favorites, but also because it marks one of very few times two Black women are front and center in a high-profile buddy comedy. 'One Of Them Days,' co-produced by Issa Rae, marks the first buddy comedy led by two Black women in nearly 30 years.In 1997, filmmaker Robert Townsend introduced the idea of two Black actresses helming a buddy comedy when he cast Halle Berry and theas Georgia homegirls Nisi and Mickey, respectively, in “B.A.P.S.” (short for Black American Princesses). The movie sees the eccentric Southern duo fly to Los Angeles in hopes of landing a long-shot music video audition, only to find themselves getting duped into scamming a wealthy dying millionaire for $10,000, plus room and board, in his fancy Beverly Hills mansion.. It showed a range of Black women’s experiences, both joyous and fun, but also tough and riddled with hardships, in a comedic scenario (a happy-ever-after, no less) that went unappreciated when it was first released. Still, the endearing comedy became a cult classic years later for audiences who recognized the niche space it carved for Black women that hadn’t existed in comedic films before. Much of that is credited to Berry and Desselle’s undeniable synergy as a comedy duo, whose impact is still inspiring today.that there was “no true reference” for his movie — though it still makes nods to the “Friday” franchise and other Black ’90s classics — but Townsend’s “B.A.P.S.” “was the closest.”“That made me think about the times I saw Black women in prominent roles, how that made me feel,” he added.The other instance of Black women featured prominently in that film canon is “Girls Trip,” which arrived 20 years after “B.A.P.S.” tried to make its mark. The Malcolm D. Lee-directed film upped the ante this time with a college bestie foursome — affectionately nicknamed the Flossy Posse — that reunites at Essence Festival (Black women’s annual summer pilgrimage to New Orleans) to rekindle their longtime bond
BUDDY COMEDY BLACK WOMEN FILM ENTERTAINMENT ISSA RAE SZA ONE OF THEM DAYS
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One Of Them Days: A Fresh Take on the Buddy Comedy'One Of Them Days' is a hilarious and heartwarming buddy comedy starring Keke Palmer and SZA as roommates facing eviction. The film is a refreshing take on the genre, with a stellar cast and a script that pays homage to classic Black comedies while offering a fresh and modern perspective. Directed by Lawrence Lamont, 'One Of Them Days' is a celebration of Black female friendship and a must-see for fans of the genre.
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