Ranking Every 2025 Movie: Wolf Man/One Of Them Days
Wolf Man and One Of Them Days are drastically different movies but the reason they work (or don't) comes down to a simple thing: chemistry.
In Wolf Man, you have a married couple that you can't believe even know each other, much less are in love. Christopher Abbott (from Girls) and Julia Garner (Ozark) are a terribly mismatched pair who are supposedly having a marriage that is on the rocks. But that isn't explained well nor is it believable when they are supposed to care about each other later on in the movie.
On the other side, you believe Keke Palmer and SZA (in her first movie, no less) are best friends. You also care way more about their relationship just trying to get the rent paid than you ever do with the couple in Wolf Man, even though their lives are on the line.
I know we are only four movies in but Wolf Man is so shitty, it might wind up being one of the 5 or 10 worst movies of the year. This movie is especially terrible. We got Wolf Men in the woods for years still wearing clothes. We have another Wolf Man carrying jumper cables. This would have been a perfect MST3K movie if it had come about in the 90's. I'll say this, Wolf Man is horrendous but it's not boring. I found myself stunned at the poor dialogue and bizarre character decisions.
I know I keep hitting how bad the casting is but it almost demands re-mentioning. Garner's character reminds us quite a few times that she is a journalist (for no apparent reason). She could say it a hundred times and I'd never believe it. At another point in the movie, Abbott says he thought his was the only house in his town that wasn't on the power grid. It was actually the entire town. How would he not have known that? His friends at school never bitched about not having power? There are so many bizarre instances like that in the movie that kept me both stupefied yet oddly engaged.
This is a disappointing follow up to directer and co-writer Leigh Wannell's 2020 hit The Invisible Man. This is also the same guy who co-wrote Saw. He knows horror. I didn't expect something so lazy and stupid to come from him.
Meanwhile, One Of Them Days was pretty entertaining. This is a nicely paced comedy by first time director Lawrence Lamont with a perfect leading lady in Keke Palmer. If you've seen Nope, you know what a good actress she is. I also saw her in a movie called Alice where she plays a slave who time travels to the 1970's. The movie itself was kind of a mess but she was fantastic in it. Palmer can do drama, horror and comedy. She has the number one movie in the box office this weekend so she's already a big deal but someone needs to have top bill a movie with a huge budget and see what happens.
As good as Palmer is, it's more than just her. Lamont also creates an interesting world where the two girls are always meeting funny characters and the movie never takes itself too seriously. The third act has the stakes raised a bit (and it is the weakest act) but comedies are always difficult to end organically. Katt Williams is especially funny trying to warn Palmer and SZA not go into the check cashing store.
When the year is over, One Of Them Days won't be a top 10 movie of the year (unless 2025 is the worst movie year ever) but that's not the intention. It's supposed to be a light hearted comedy watching people you like do funny shit. It absolutely pulls that off.
One Of Them Days: B-
The Wolf Man: D
2025 Movies
1. The Damned
2. One Of Them Days
3. Den Of Thieves 2: Pantera
4. Wolf Man