One of Them Days: A Debut Feature Weighed Down by Absurd Twists and Juvenile Humor (Blu-ray)

The Film:

There have been plenty of films in the past that have had rather simple plots or set-ups, ones that act more as a foundation from which to build the story. While films like these may not be particularly in-depth or complex, they can still lead to something quite effective if that foundation is used in a compelling manner. This is exactly what screenwriter Syreeta Singleton and director Lawrence Lamont attempt to do with their feature debut "One of Them Days," a film that simply has its two main characters trying to pay their rent. It certainly sounds like a basic premise where anything could happen, but the big question remains as to whether they'll be able to use it to deliver something more impressive than its simplicity might suggest.

The story centers on waitress Dreux Jones (Keke Palmer) and her roommate Alyssa (SZA), an aspiring artist, who live in a shabby apartment with Alyssa's boyfriend Keshawn (Joshua Neal). Their rent of $1,500 is due, and while Alyssa has assured Dreux that it's been paid, the landlord shows up demanding it or else he will evict them. Alyssa eventually admits that she gave the money to Deshawn, who blew it on a business idea, leaving the women desperate for a way to come up with the money. With complications that include a vengeful woman that Keshawn has been cheating with, a local deranged gangster, and an important interview Dreux has for a management position, can they possibly replace the rent money before the landlord's deadline of 6 PM?

As mentioned, "One of Them Days" is one of those films that takes a basic concept and tries to build on top of it in order to develop and tell a compelling story. In this case, we have Dreux and Alyssa trying to scrounge up some money to pay their rent before getting tossed out on the street, leading them to try a number of things to get it, including getting back the original funds from Deshawn, giving blood, getting a loan, and even selling a random pair of shoes they find, all while dealing with the aforementioned complications along the way.

Whether the film is successful or not really comes down to how effective these pieces of the story are in building up the original concept into something entertaining and engaging. When it comes to "One of Them Days," unfortunately the pieces just don't add up to very much when all is said and done. The film basically turns into a series of wacky, highly-unlikely events, laced with some rather juvenile humor that doesn't do much in the way of eliciting laughs. Naturally, if one's taste in humor lies in sex jokes, blood spraying everywhere, and lots of bickering, there's a chance of having a decent time, but for the most part, the jokes just fall flat throughout these 90 minutes of increasingly absurd plot twists.

Again, this was the first attempt at a feature from both the screenwriter and the director, so it's understandable why it basically feels like one. In a sense, it feels like someone practicing at telling a feature-length story, trying to take a simple idea and pad it out with enough interesting events to get there, but sadly, with the eye-rolling progression of its narrative and childish level of humor, "One of Them Days" doesn't quite accomplish it. It may not have worked out for them this time, but at least it gave them the chance to work on their craft, which will hopefully lead to something much better down the line should they attempt a second feature.

Video/Audio:

"One of Them Days" comes to Blu-ray in a 2.39:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality, featuring a picture that remains perfectly sharp and clear throughout the film's entire 90-minute duration. Likewise, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue and music in outstanding quality. Overall, Sony has done a great job in both areas for the film's physical home release.

Special Features:

Dream Team (3 Minutes): A very brief look behind the scenes of the film.

Block Party: The Cast (4 Minutes): Another brief featurette that takes a look at the film's ensemble.

One of Them Gag Reels (3 Minutes)

What's in My Bag with Lucky (1 Minute)

Conclusion:

"One of Them Days," the feature debut for screenwriter Syreeta Singleton and director Lawrence Lamont, attempts to take the simple concept of getting rent money and turn it into a compelling tale, but with its juvenile level of humor and progression of increasingly absurd, eye-rolling events, it ultimately comes up far too short to accomplish that task, making for a 90-minute outing that's forgotten rather quickly.

Score: 2.5/5

Available on Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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