One of my life’s little joys is seeing a listing of a previously unheard-of movie playing at one of my local theaters when I’m scanning over showtimes on a Friday as I plan for my weekend. The promotional poster is often enough for me to click and learn more. I’m even more intrigued when there are high critic and audience scores. The promotional poster and the scores encourage me, if nothing else, to watch the trailer. That was what I did with John Patton Ford’s debut feature. It took just 30 seconds before I stopped the trailer. I was convinced. Emily the Criminal was a movie that I needed to see.

I crave originality in films that realistically tell stories. Unfortunately, as much as I search these out, finding them has become challenging. Ironically, Emily the Criminal was the second 2022-released movie I watched in two days, with the other being the equally original I Love My Dad. Each film kept me from glancing at my cell phone during their 90+ minute run times, which has started to become a feat in itself over the last few years.

Since the start of our collective lives, we’ve heard that America is the land of opportunity. While this may be true for some, it isn’t necessarily true for all. Ford’s take, and what his film is at its core, is far more pessimistic and presents itself in various ways. Our protagonist is Emily (Aubrey Plaza – Ingrid Goes West, Black Bear), a young 20-something once aspiring artist. Her job as an hourly employee for a dime-a-dozen, hole-in-the-wall meal-delivery service in New York City isn’t able to even put a dent in the legal fees she owes or the interest (let alone the principal) of the $80,000 student debt she’s accumulated for the expensive art school she attended but failed to complete. Her DUI in college wasn’t as big a deal as her arrest for assault (the first, we learn all the details about; the second, we don’t).

However, the assault has inhibited her from securing more stable, higher-paying jobs because these companies do background checks. Emily’s checkered past is a major red flag, especially in the competitive job market for which she feels qualified. Liz (Megalyn Echikunwoke – Late Night, Night School), her best friend from art school, has offered more than once to get her an interview in her well-to-do company. And, more than once, she has failed to deliver. When she does get an opportunity, she learns, at the interview, that the position that she thought she was applying for is, in fact, an unpaid internship. Her living situation is a mess. To afford rent, Emily lives in a cramped apartment with people she doesn’t know. She can’t see out of her current predicament.

That is until a co-worker introduces her to the seedy, underground world of credit card fraud. Emily soon finds herself face to face with the intimidating yet endearing Youcef (Theo Rossi – Cloverfield, The Devil You Know). After verifying how Emily secured Youcef’s number and confirmed her identity, he leads her and a dozen others deep into a warehouse, where he delivers a direct, no-bones-about-it speech in which he promises $200 for an hour’s work. Very matter of fact, Youcef tells each of them that they will be doing illegal work but promises that they will be safe. He mentions that anyone who is uncomfortable with his words can leave, and he would understand. Emily stays. She is told that she will use one of many credit cards that Youcef manufactures on the spot, using a list of stolen numbers. She’ll then walk into a store, purchase a $1000 television, and deliver it to him. He will then sell the television on the black market. Youcef gives her a driver’s license with her photo and a name to match the credit card and sends her to the assigned store.

Emily succeeds in her task and, as a result, is offered bigger, riskier jobs with a more significant payoff. Under Ford’s pinpoint direction and Plaza’s deep dive into Emily, we root for our desperate lead character, who has unsuccessfully tried to do things the right way, only to feel more exasperated by a society that seems adamant about punishing her for her misdeeds. With this new opportunity, Emily sees a way to free herself of her insurmountable debt. But with her unique circumstances come increases in threats and danger, both ones she could have foreseen and those she could have not.

While at first appearing disciplined and cold-hearted, Emily soon discovers Youcef to be a kind and gentle man who has failed to achieve the dreams he set out for himself since moving from his native country in the Middle East. The two form a bond that neither would have anticipated and while we might have seen this from a mile away, it diverted to a path we might not have suspected.

Emily is a powerful character. Together, Ford and Plaza flush out a character who will give anyone the initial benefit of the doubt. But as soon as she feels disrespected, taken advantage of, or put in harm’s way, she’s not afraid to unleash herself verbally or physically. Better, Emily does so without a whole lot of hesitation. She’ll attempt to rationalize the behavior of the infracting party for 30 seconds or so before she becomes, at times, unpredictably defensive and goes on the attack. She’s confident in who she is, and while she may not have all of the answers or a defined path, she is as determined and resolute as any character on film through the first half of 2022.

The deep dive into the corrupt world of “dummy shopping” was new to me, as I’m sure it will be to most of those who give Emily the Criminal a chance. Nevertheless, it is fascinating to see the back end of what we experience when our credit card company notifies us of an unauthorized charge on our credit card (on a completely unrelated side note, five years ago, having our card compromised was a huge ordeal. That’s hardly the case anymore. It takes about five minutes to get a new card sent to us and then less than an hour to update all of our automatic payments and such).

I adored the originality of Emily the Criminal. Ford gave one of the best debut directorial efforts in recent memory and picked the perfect lead character in Plaza, who, unknown to most, has a filmography of over 25 (mostly independent) movies. Plaza’s chemistry with Rossi was enough to make that side story worth including and drove the somewhat predictable final act to a wild finish line.

Plot 9/10
Character Development 9/10
Character Chemistry 8/10
Acting 8.5/10
Screenplay 8/10
Directing  8/10
Cinematography 9/10
Sound 9/10
Hook and Reel 10/10
Universal Relevance 10/10
89.5%

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