Warning: SPOILERS ahead for One of Them DaysLawrence Lamont’s 2025 buddy comedy One of Them Days has been riding high in VOD and Netflix charts, thanks to a razor-sharp script by Syreeta Singleton and electric onscreen chemistry between its two lead actors. Keke Palmer and SZA are perfectly cast as Dreux and Alyssa, roommates unexpectedly behind on their rent with only one day to raise the money for it. The jokes come thick and fast in this R-rated laugh-fest, ranging from slapstick physical comedy to sizzling one-liners.
Ultimately, what ties movies like One of Them Days together is the support its two buddy protagonists give each other, in this case on their mission to avoid eviction, but the scrapes that Dreux and Alyssa get into also produce plenty of hilarity along the way. The movie is fundamentally good-natured, but it occasionally pushes the boundaries of good taste for even better laughs. Thanks to winning performances from Palmer, SZA, and One of Them Days’ supporting cast, which includes Katt Williams and Dustin Ybarra, a great script zips off the page to become one of 2025’s most quotable comedies.
1
“I’m Not Built For This – Neither Was That Wall”
Joe’s Accident In The Kitchen Of Dreux’s Diner
Keke Palmer’s brilliantly funny One of Them Days character Dreux works long hours and night shifts in a low-paying job at a diner, where one of her colleagues is kitchen ᴀssistant Joe, played by Dustin Ybarra. Joe has a torrid time trying to get the diner’s dishwasher to work, instead of leaking water all over the kitchen floor.
This short scene sets the tone for the other laugh-out-loud moments to come later in the movie.
In the first of several standout moments of slapstick comedy in One of Them Days, Ybarra’s character thinks he’s fixed the dishwasher only for it to explode with steam, shooting him across the room and into a wall. “I’m not built for this,” Joe groans. As he picks himself up, he notices that a crater has formed in the plasterboard behind him. “Neither was that wall.” This short scene sets the tone for the other laugh-out-loud moments to come later in the movie.
2
“You Look Real Alopecious Today”
Dreux Trying To Compliment Her Landlord
Out of all the performers in One of Them Days, Keke Palmer is the driving force behind the movie’s comedy, with her comic timing and delivery on point throughout its 97 minutes. Her character, Dreux, is also responsible for several of the movie’s best quotes. This one is what Dreux says to her landlord upon finding him at her door.She pauses before the word “alopecious”, apparently looking for a verbose way of complimenting the person who collects her rent, before instead insulting his lack of hair.
“Alopecious” isn’t even a real word, which makes this joke even funnier, as it underscores how hard Dreux is trying (and failing) to present herself properly. This reference to the hair condition alopecia (which causes baldness) comes immediately after Dreux has been shunned by her hairdresser, too, and she’s becoming increasingly frantic about her bad hair day when she answers the door. The one-liner she delivers is characteristic of the kind of offbeat, slightly edgy humor that’s made One of Them Days such a record-breaking success.
3
“Interest Rates? Damn, I Thought That Was The Year Of Establishment”
An Easy Mistake To Make When Interest Rates Are 1900.5%
Out of other options, in sheer desperation Dreux and Alyssa decide to borrow money from a payday loans company to pay their overdue rent. Things seem to be going well initially, until Dreux asks the loan advisor serving them, “What are the interest rates?” The advisor points to a sign on the storefront that advertises interest rates of 1900.5%, a comically appalling figure.
“Palmer is especially great at turning random lines into comedy gold, and her reactions to everything happening around and to her are top-notch. Truth be told, Palmer’s Dreux is the strongest character in the film, and you’ll laugh and feel for her in equal measure.” – Mae Abdulbaki – ScreenRant’s Review of One of Them Days
“Damn, I thought that was the year of establishment,” Dreux exclaims. This joke is one of the cleverest lines in the whole of One of Them Days, and demonstrates that Keke Palmer isn’t just giving a smart performance in the movie. Dreux herself is a smart person, with a wicked sense of humor even in a moment of catastrophic crisis.
4
“My Bags!”
Dreux’s Bags Of Blood, That Is
Arguably the funniest scene in One of Them Days is one in which Dreux is selling her blood for money at a blood donation clinic. Since she’s desperate for cash, she ends up donating four bags of blood, which is more than enough to send most people into a coma. When Alyssa notices how much blood Dreux’s hapless nurse is taking from, she runs over and pulls the intravenous tube from her roommate’s arm.
Keke Palmer’s character is most concerned about the money she’s losing with each burst bag, in a way that seems completely incongruous with sensible concerns for her own health and the hygiene of everyone in the room.
Inevitably, a fight ensues, in which everyone in the room gets sprayed with Dreux’s blood. In the raucus, Alyssa and the nurse accidentally step on the bags already filled with blood, bursting them and splattering various donors, including Dreux herself. Of course, in light of her rent situation Keke Palmer’s character is most concerned about the money she’s losing with each burst bag.
“My bags!” she cries, in a way that seems completely incongruous with sensible concerns for her own health and the hygiene of everyone in the room. There are various likes in this scene that make it so hilarious, but this one surely takes the top spot.
5
“I Used To Have Homing Pigeons, But They Were Homeless, Too”
The Best Line From Katt Williams’ One Of Them Days Character Lucky
On their way into the payday loan store, Dreux and Alyssa become acquainted with Lucky, a homeless man who’s already fallen victim to the loan company’s interest rates. Katt Williams’ character in One of Them Days is reminiscent of a Tyler Perry creation in some ways, yet he’s one of the funniest things in the movie, which is no mean feat. Almost every line he speaks is funny, but the best quote of the lot is this absurd explanation for why he can no longer navigate his way around.
When Dreux runs into Lucky by coincidence, she asks him if he used a GPS tracker to locate her and Alyssa. “No,” he replies. As if to clarify his answer, he adds, “I used to have homing pigeons, but they were homeless too, so they kept flying around…” This utterly preposterous explanation feels like the kind of line that stand-up comedian Williams might have ad-libbed himself. It goes down a treat, as do so the overwhelming majority of the jokes in One of Them Days.
