Dreux and Alyssa are best friends and roommates who are in a pickle and need money fast in “One of Them Days”, a female buddy comedy from first-time feature film director Lawrence Lamont. Even more, the script is from first-time feature screenwriter Syreeta Singleton. What’s best is that despite their film’s flaws, you get the sense you’re seeing two emerging filmmakers with big things ahead of them.

“One of Them Days” gets a lot of its comic energy from its terrific cast. Keke Palmer plays Dreux and SZA plays Alyssa and both share a fun chemistry that is essential to making the movie work. Dreux is a hardworking waitress who’s about to interview for a franchise manager position. Alyssa is a talented and aspiring artist who is struggling to get her work noticed. The pair share a Los Angeles apartment with Alyssa’s deadbeat sneaker-obsessed boyfriend, Keshawn (Joshua Neal).

Dreux and Alyssa find themselves in trouble after Keshawn takes their rent money and disappears. They plead for more time, but their impatient landlord (Rizi Timane) only gives them nine hours to pay their rent or they will be evicted. This sets the best buddies on a whirlwind adventure across town that starts with finding Keshawn. To no surprise, they discover he has blown their money which means they need some way to make $1500 before 6PM or they’ll be out on the streets.

“One of Them Days” is highlighted by an entertaining collection of supporting characters, from the other tenants in Dreux and Alyssa’s apartment complex to the colorful variety of people they meet across town. Some add hilarious sparks including an obnoxious loan officer, Kathy (Keyla Monterroso Mejia), a pseudo street prophet, Lucky (Katt Williams), and their oblivious white neighbor, Bethany (Maude Apatow). But others can be overcranked to the point of being one-note caricatures.

As far as the humor, the film delivers some legitimate laugh-out-loud gags and there are funny lines scattered throughout the dialogue. At the same time not everything works, most notably some cringe-worthy raunch and a few instances of slapstick that falls flat. But Palmer and SZA keep the comedy anchored and afloat. Either individually or together, they both are well-calibrated for what the filmmakers are going for.

The movie is almost undone by an over the top final act and an ending that’s way too tidy. It’s unfortunate and a bit deflating, but it doesn’t fully undo the better parts that come before it. And it doesn’t undermine how good Palmer and SZA are or how much promise is shown from Lamont and Singleton – two legitimate up-and-comers worth keeping your eye on.

VERDICT – 3 STARS