Emily the Criminal — A Review
Surprisingly Good
I basically like everything Aubrey Plaza does, so I wasn’t surprised to be pleased with what she does as the titular character in Emily the Criminal. She has this ‘crazy girl you can’t trust but still want to be friends with’ appeal. I enjoy watching when she’s interviewed on talk shows. You just don’t know what she’s going to come up with, but it’s always pretty darn charming. If anything was a surprise, it’s that she was starring in a dramatic role in a dramatic picture to begin with. I’d only ever seen her in romcoms and such.
And, not just a drama, a crime-drama-thriller . Emily is a struggling twenty-something; eking out a meager living in Los Angeles with a catering service; taking any interview and filling out any application that she comes across. Until a co-worker gives her a tip to call a mysterious number if she wants to “make $200 in an hour”. She calls the number and makes the $200. There is an offer made to make even more money, if she wants to take a chance. And it’s a greased slide from there on out.
There are elements of other kinds of movies here: bits of the woman action hero; hints of gritty inner city shoot-em ups; even some titillating lovers/partners in crime action. But this movie stands out as unique. If you’re like me, you won’t expect some of the twists, or the ways Emily reacts to…
