As regular readers know, I can find personal finance lessons anywhere: action flicks, opera, monster movies, Westerns, sled-dog races, zombie shows, you name it. Today’s example is from the hit comedy “One of Them Days,” which gets bonus PF points from having payday loans as a major plot point.
Before I go any further, a warning: The film has salty language and a frank physical reveal involving male pulchritude. If modern urban speech and forthright discussions of sex wouldn’t sit well with you, avoid this movie.
But if you like buddy comedies – especially those with strong, intelligent women as the buddies – then this might be the film for you. Keke Palmer (“Nope,” “Akeelah and the Bee”) and singer-songwriter SZA play roommates and best friends who struggle to pay the rent while holding on to their dreams.
Like some of you, probably.
The two broke friends live in “the Jungle,” a neighborhood full of neglected apartment buildings and broken promises. It’s the kind of place where many folks can’t live live paycheck to paycheck without tacking on a side hustle like styling hair, selling T-shirts or running a mini-mart out of their apartment.
Also like some of you, probably. The Washington Post reports that 5.3 percent of U.S. workers had more than one job in 2024. That’s the highest level since the Great Recession. In some states, the number of multi-job workers is 10 percent.