It’s a familiar and well-worn assumption that when an actor known primarily for comedy starts doing serious drama, they will likely get instant acclaim for showing previously unseen range. However, that narrative doesn’t really hold water much these days with actors going back and forth between comedy and drama with little fuss. Aubrey Plaza may be best known for her scene-stealing role in the sitcom Parks and Recreation, but she has more than established herself as a versatile actor on film in slippery indie Black Bear, on television as a particularly demented supervillain in Legion or in acclaimed Sundance thriller, Emily the Criminal – out now from medium rare.
As such, she is unsurprisingly captivating as the titular Emily in John Patton Ford’s feature debut. The film opens with Emily struggling to get a job because of a single mark on her criminal record and desperate to pay off her student debt. A colleague at her food delivery job recommends looking into being a “dummy shopper”, which involves buying items with a fake credit card on behalf of a shady company. As is explained at the introduction meeting, she can take it or leave it; it makes no difference to the company, but, as you can probably guess, she takes the job, beginning a series of increasingly high-risk events.
[Plaza’s] chemistry with Theo Rossi really helps sell both the professional and personal sides of Emily’s relationship Emily with Youcef, one that on paper could seem trite
This sort of illusion of choice in capitalist America forms the foundation for the film, which wears its politics on its sleeves. Like its DVD release, the film is stripped back and bare-faced, but the sadly evergreen social issue of student debt adds a political bite to what is ultimately a fairly standard thriller, even if the bite doesn’t go as deep as one might like. Plaza fits in comfortably with a strong cast, never scene stealing or hogging the spotlight, showing consummate professionalism in serving the story and showing the complexities of her character. Her chemistry with Theo Rossi really helps sell both the professional and personal sides of Emily’s relationship Emily with Youcef, one that on paper could seem trite. Ford also shines in his direction with strong tension-building set pieces as the stakes get higher with every job.
My main criticism which isn’t really a criticism is that there’s an absence of comedy to lighten the tone, something Ford had managed well in his 2010 short, Patrol. But the film isn’t grim or dour enough to really muster much passion for what is essentially a nitpick. The most obvious comparison for Emily the Criminal is the work of the Safdie brothers, with their full-throttle energy and confidence in letting character decisions drive the narrative clearly evident in both of Ford’s films. Perhaps because this is a first feature, it feels more controlled and conscious of holding itself together to allow itself to get as free-wheeling as the Safdies and so is more formulaic in its plot. Far from a flaw, it shows promise for Ford’s future work and is another solid entry in Plaza’s filmography.
EMILY THE CRIMINAL IS OUT NOW ON MEDIUMRARE BLU-RAY
