Emily the Criminal (2022, Blu-ray, Netflix Rental) Review

[SRW1000]

Studio:  Low Spark Films/Roadside Attractions/Vertical Entertainment
Release Date:  8/12/2022
Rating:  R
Film Grade:  B+

The Story:  Emily is in a tough place.  With a bumpy history she can't get past and saddled with huge student debt from art school, she desperately needs money.  Working as an independent contractor for a catering company isn’t cutting it, which leads to a newfound opportunity – credit card fraud. 

My Take:  This is the feature debut for writer/director John Patton Ford, and he’s put together a compelling little crime thriller that’s filled with a number of twists, all while maintaining a good amount of tension in its 97-minute runtime. 

Aubrey Plaza does a solidly credible job playing Emily, with the right mix of desperation and chutzpah, and never falling back to her comedic nature.  Keeping pace with her is Theo Rossi, who shows a remarkable amount of charisma as the person that introduces her to this new criminal undertaking.  The rest of the cast is just as good in their smaller roles, with each of them breathing life into their characters and making them believable.

Video: There’s nothing remarkable here, either in a good or bad way.  While I’ve never visited Los Angeles, the film did a good job of making it feel like one would expect, with lots of sun along with shady areas.

Audio:  This is another simple Dolby 5.1 soundtrack.  Even so, there’s a good sense of the different spaces that the movie takes place in, with ambient sounds as needed.  There are a few bass hits scattered throughout, but it’s not demo material.  This isn’t the kind of movie that needs it.  Dialog is easy to understand throughout.

Special Features:  None.

Final Verdict:  While this isn’t the type of movie I generally like, it’s the kind of small budget film that really deserves a larger audience.  The story is involving, even if the main character isn’t totally likeable (by design).  While the story is propelled by student debt, it’s not a major theme, and the movie never gets preachy about it.

Instead, the film is about some of the choices and mistakes we all make in life and the resulting consequences.  Tonally, it struck me as a lower-key version of the Adam Sandler movie Uncut Gems, even if the stories are different.  Anyone that enjoyed that film is encouraged to give this one a go, and I believe it’s available on Netflix streaming right now.

My only real gripe is the ending that I wasn’t totally happy with.  While it didn’t ruin the movie for me, it did undercut the narrative. 

Both my wife and I enjoyed this, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for more work by John Patton Ford, as he displays a good deal of talent putting together this movie.

Fun Quote:  “Why don’t you do something else?”

My Review System:
JVC DLA-RS420 Reference Series D-Ila Projector with 4K eShift4
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup

[bmoney]

Thanks for the review. Inmay check it out 

[AVSCraig]

Great movie- love it. I have the Blu-ray and have been meaning to watch it again. I'd give it an A- personally. 

Got great reviews elsewhere too - Emily the Criminal - Rotten Tomatoes

Personally, my audience and I LOVED the ending! 

Check out Aubrey Plaza in Ingrid Goes West - Ingrid Goes West - Wikipedia

[David Vaughn]

I may have to seek this one out. Thanks for the review Scott. 

[SRW1000]

Personally, my audience and I LOVED the ending!

I wish this forum software had a spoiler feature, so I could reply for anyone that's seen the movie, but I don't want to say anything more for fear of wrecking the ending for those that haven't had the chance yet, so PM sent.

Scott

[bmoney]

Watched the first hour before having to turn it off. Looking forward to finishing it 

[AVSCraig]

Watched the first hour before having to turn it off. Looking forward to finishing it

How do you watch 1/2 a movie, and then re-start it? Doesn't that ruin the flow of the story?

[David Vaughn]

How do you watch 1/2 a movie, and then re-start it? Doesn't that ruin the flow of the story?

I know a lot of people who do this. I do it occasionally as well on really long movies that I can't get through in one night. 

[bmoney]

I usually NEVER do this. But I had to go pick up a prescription for my son and didn’t feel like firing everything up again 

[AVSCraig]

I know a lot of people who do this. I do it occasionally as well on really long movies that I can't get through in one night.

I save really long movies for Saturday or Sunday nights and start early! 

[Paul Heroy]

Finishing a long movie all the way through or not is a funny topic. My wife usually wants to split a long movie in 2 even on a weekend. But there have been times where we've binged multiple episodes of a TV show that are a similar time or longer. I've heard other folks express similar experiences. Seems to point out a basic feature (or flaw depending on how you view it, lol) with human mindsets - give shorter spaced out goals to achieve and a longer time can be spent. This works in other areas like training or games.

[AVSCraig]

Finishing a long movie all the way through or not is a funny topic. My wife usually wants to split a long movie in 2 even on a weekend. But there have been times where we've binged multiple episodes of a TV show that are a similar time or longer. I've heard other folks express similar experiences. Seems to point out a basic feature (or flaw depending on how you view it, lol) with human mindsets - give shorter spaced out goals to achieve and a longer time can be spent. This works in other areas like training or games.

My wife can watch Cloud Atlas in one sitting ( with pauses for pee breaks ) any time. Even though it's just shy of 3 hours. 

[David Vaughn]

My wife can watch Cloud Atlas in one sitting ( with pauses for pee breaks ) any time. Even though it's just shy of 3 hours.

The new Avatar film is almost 3 hours as well. I didn't have any liquids for 2 hours before the film when we saw it in theaters so I didn't have to have a bathroom run  It worked out well for me...not so much for my wife. She had to leave at about the 2 hour mark to relieve herself. 

[AVSCraig]

The new Avatar film is almost 3 hours as well. I didn't have any liquids for 2 hours before the film when we saw it in theaters so I didn't have to have a bathroom run It worked out well for me...not so much for my wife. She had to leave at about the 2 hour mark to relieve herself.

That's why Lawrence of Arabia and the Lord Of The Rings Extended cuts are on 2 discs - show my bladder mercy please!  

[SRW1000]

You guys are lightweights.  I don't think I've taken a bathroom break during any movie more than once or twice in my life.