Aubrey Plaza is arguably the Queen of Sundance. Since her first leading role in Safety Not Guaranteed in 2012, she has had eight films premiere at the festival. The prolific actress returns this year playing Emily The Criminal.
Down on her luck and saddled with debt, Emily gets involved in a credit card scam that pulls her into the criminal underworld of Los Angeles, ultimately leading to some life-threatening consequences. While the premise might not sound like the most original screenplay in the world, writer-director John Patton Ford excels in making Emily’s descent onto the crime scene seem entirely plausible.
This is a woman who, due to a mistake in her past, is unable to move forward in her life. Laden with insurmountable student debt, her food courier job only pays enough for her to be able to cover the interest rate on her loans. only able to pay for the interest on her loans. And when Emily applies for better-paying jobs, she is either turned away for her felony charge or enraged by unpaid internship offers sold as a “position many would kill for”. So when she’s given a number to call to make some quick cash, while initially hesitant, Emily is too desperate for some extra income to resist the offer.
Plaza has always excelled in roles that have showcased her natural sardonic charisma and humour. Here, she proves equally capable of tapping into something a lot darker, showcasing a steeliness that drives the narrative with great force. Having developed a taste for the thrill and the rewards, Emily sets her sights higher and grows determined to become top dog – and she isn’t afraid to step over anyone who gets in her way, even if that person is her former boss and potential love interest Youcef (Theo Rossi).
The middle act is where Emily the Criminal finds itself stalled in a jam of crime genre tropes and clichés. Something is desperately needed to kick it into a higher gear. Even the darker turn the film takes in the third act is not entirely unexpected. When The Shining was released in 1980, some were critical of Jack Nicholson‘s turn as Jack Torrance in that “he already seemed crazy” so his dive off the deep end was not as shocking. Plaza’s Emily on the other hand, has previously demonstrated some anger management issues, be it her aggravated assault felony charges or vicious verbal takedown during an interview. Similar to the Joker and his theory “all it takes is one bad day”, there is a definite point of no return for Emily that Plaza sells convincingly. NB: How great would Plaza be as Joker?
Emily the Criminal is a decent thriller driven by an interesting character, but from the faltering pace to the predictable plot, the story overall fails to match the intensity of Plaza’s lead performance.
Emily The Criminal screened at the Sundance Film Festival. No release date has yet been announced.