Aubrey Plaza excels in this dramatic turn in Emily the Criminal! Shows how an ordinary person gets pushed into a life of crime in modern society.
Emily (Aubrey Plaza) doesn’t look like a criminal, despite the title. Because, she is not. She used to be an artist before being convicted of a crime and is now working as an independent contractor for a catering service. Drowning in debt, barely able to make ends meet, she happens into a criminal operation. It’s the old story of the good guy turning bad because of circumstance told from a new perspective that makes Emily the Criminal an entertaining crime thriller with a visceral lead performance.
The movie starts with Emily being interviewed for a job. She needs it badly but her confidence is unwavering. She loses the opportunity (and her patience, a bit) when her criminal record is brought up in the interview. On the other hand, Liz (Megalyn Echikunwoke), her best friend is doing great at her job and keeps reminding Emily of that whenever they meet. Liz tells her she wants to help her get a job but can’t right now, hanging out with Emily only when she needs something.
Introduced to the world of crime by Youcef (Theo Rossi, a great find and someone to watch out for), Emily is scared and excited. She is battling her moral stand at the lowest point in her life. But the money is enticing as it always is in crime.
Youcef takes a shine to her and shows her the ropes of turning her criminal venture into a small enterprise. Emily shows a knack for dealing with people bigger and tougher than her though she does face a few challenges along the way. What starts as minor credit card fraud escalates to a point where Emily’s life is at stake. When you are alone fighting elements bigger than you, how do you survive?
Emily is alert, with anger bubbling just under the surface. Her instincts are in their most concentrated form. The movie has the urgency of a Safdie brothers movie. Seeing someone start at the absolute bottom but has heart is always an exciting experience at the movies. Plaza presents the various facets of Emily’s personality with confidence and vulnerability. She has one of those offbeat personalities that have a natural screen presence. And this dramatic performance solidifies Plaza’s place in serious cinema.
This is the first movie of writer-director John Patton Ford. He shows a flair for visual storytelling and has left enough to keep us wanting more. The movie lands neatly between slow-paced and intense crime thrillers, a place where it can be viewed as a well-drawn character study. Given how relatable the writing makes Emily, it takes a while to question her actions. Once you start doing that though, it doesn’t end well. Right and Wrong are left out of the equation. Emily the Criminal succeeds in showing crime as a reflection of society but it’s no Crime and Punishment.
Interviewer – ‘Can you tell us what happened with the assault?’
Emily – ‘No.’
Interviewer – ‘No?’
Emily – ‘No, why would you trick somebody like that?’
Interviewer – ‘I…Oh! I did not trick you.’
Emily – ‘Yeah, you did.’
Interviewer – [chuckles] ‘What I did is very common. That’s a very common technique.’
Emily – ‘Oh, is that right? So, you do that all the time?’
Interviewer – ‘If people chose to be honest, then I wouldn’t have to do that all the time.’
Emily – ‘Well, you know what, fuck this, I don’t even want to work here.’
Interviewer – ‘Emily, I’m sorry you’re upset, but’
Emily – ‘No, you’re not.’
Interviewer – ‘Calm down, please.’
Emily – ‘I am calm. You asked me why I want this job. I got $70,000 of student debt. There’s your fucking answer right there. Actually, you know what? Give me that (grabs her reference check file).’
Interviewer – ‘Fine. Thank you.’
excellent job 👍