Aubrey Plaza has had quite the indie career since her first leading role in Safety Not Guaranteed in 2012. She’s been a part of ten Sundance Film Festival premieres over the last ten years, earning her place as “America’s Indie Sweetheart.” With audience hits like Ingrid Goes West (2017) and Black Bear (2020), Plaza has been one to root for on the small screen. That continues with her newest film Emily the Criminal.
While the film premiered with another of Plaza’s, Spin Me Round, the former has been shining with its rave reviews. The film will be given a limited theatrical release in mid-August. However, until then, here’s what viewers need to know about Emily the Criminal.
Emily the Criminal: The Plot
Plaza has tackled many roles in her time as an actress. She’s done the sardonic humor during her time as April Ludgate in Parks and Recreation (2009-2015,2020). She even showed she could be quite unhinged with roles like Ingrid Thorburn in Ingrid Goes West and Tatiana Darcy in Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016). In Emily the Criminal, fans will get to see the actress conquer drama in a whole new light.
Emily is an art school graduate with mounting debt and a criminal record. She’s struggling to make ends meet, so what does she do? She gets involved in a credit card scam as a “dummy shopper.” However, this soon proves not to scratch the itch Emily has gained for the criminal game, and she, along with middleman Youcef (Theo Rossi), set their sights on higher ambitions. But will it be too big of an undertaking for young con? Audiences will have to find out the answer to that question in theaters.
Emily the Criminal: The Cast & Crew
Aside from Plaza, the film also has quite a decent cast. Theo Rossi plays Youcef, the partner to Plaza’s Emily. Fans will instantly recognize him from his time on Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014) as “Juice.” Megalyn Echikunwoke, instantly recognizable from her time on 90210 (2011-2012) as Holly Strickler, is also starring in the film. Other actors on the project include Gina Gershon (Riverdale, 2018-2019), Jonathan Avigdori (The Lincoln Lawyer, 2022), Bernardo Badillo (Queen of the South, 2019), and Brandon Sklenar (Westworld, 2022).
The upcoming indie will serve as John Patton Ford's directorial debut. Ford has directed shorts and commercials but hasn’t yet had his big break. Needless to say, he has indeed broken with this film. Ford also served as the writer for the project. He discussed his fear with Collider of being new to the business and the fear that he might not be able to pull it off. That fear only pushed him to write.
“I’m a big believer in every movie you make is kind of a thesis about whatever your life is at that moment. I think those typically create the best movies. At the time I was writing this, there was just a lot of uncertainty and insecurity in my life. I was trying to get a career going, and it was tough and things were expensive, and I didn’t have any money, and I think one of the big fears is that the more time I put into this career was time that I was losing potentially doing something else. I was constantly going, ‘Do I want to put another six months into trying to get this movie made? Because that’s six months I could be studying for the LSAT and doing something that would pay off in a much more predictable fashion.’ And I was scared that I’d end up a middle-aged person suddenly looking back going, ‘What was all that time spent for?’”
Plaza served as a producer on the film along with Tyler Davidson (The Beach House, 2019) and Drew Sykes (Galveston, 2018). The score for the film was composed by Nathan Halpern (Watcher, 2022).
What the Critics Are Saying
Plaza discussed in an interview with IndieWire that the film comments on the modern fascination with con artists, especially women scammers. “There’s an underlying theme in this film about making your own rules,” Plaza said. “The system, the economy, the man, whatever you want to call it, is the villain of this film. You have someone who was punished by the system, and she has to make rules.” She continued, “I think people are interested in it because it’s fun to break rules, and it’s fun to watch someone break rules. It’s dangerous.”
The film certainly is attracting a crowd. Kate Erbland, a writer at IndieWire, writes that while Plaza’s character has “got an edge, but dammit if you can’t root for her. The problem with Emily: No one has rooted for her for so long, and it’s high time she start doing it for herself. Plaza’s performance only grows more nuanced, more compelling, more thrilling. Is she likable? Is she redeemable? Is she a hero? As Emily might ask who [cares]? With a film and a star this in control of its pitch-black material, she’s not wrong.”
Another critic from The Film Stage wrote, “Reaching into darker territory as of late, from Ingrid Goes West to Black Bear, her latest film, Emily the Criminal, takes things to a logical next step, placing the actress in strictly thriller territory as her character’s job prospects dwindle and she’s faced with getting into a dangerous, underground world of illegal activity. John Patton Ford’s debut as writer-director is simplistically crafted in both plotting and form, but Plaza’s committed performance carries us through the increasingly dire journey.”
The consensus is that this film will take viewers on a wild ride. And it’s one they won’t want to miss.
Release Date
The film will be given a limited theatrical release on Friday, August 12, 2022.