Emily the Criminal

Aubrey Plaza in Emily the Criminal

A terrific vehicle for Aubrey Plaza and a pretty good first feature, John Patton Ford's Emily the Criminal is an LA sunshine noir that chronicles career opportunities in credit card fraud. Plaza's Emily already has a record, so her job options vary little amongst the low hanging fruit of the gig economy ranging from Uber to DoorDash. A humiliating job interview at the film's opening puts the audience on her side even when she, on a tip from a co-worker, embraces criminality. She ends up romancing her criminal superior and causes his downfall. In an earlier era, Emily would have been the femme fatale in this scenario, A good point of comparison is Lawrence Kasdan's Body Heat, a 1981 retro noir, in which Kathleen Turner's female lead also ends up abroad, beyond US justice. In Emily the Criminal, the woman is as much victim as complicit moll. In Body Heat she is the bitch supreme in a fever dream, a master criminal and ultimate ball breaker.

The change in emphasis is a sign of the times. Ford's directorial style is realistic. Kasdan's is a foray into expressionism. Each style has their plusses and minuses. I was more impressed with Ford's screenplay than his direction which serves the script, but does little more. The action sequences lack a visceral sense. I also have issues with some side orders on the menu. Emily's art background offers a clunky back story, a good example of what Manny Farber called the "Gimp". Similarly, Megalyn Echikurnwoke's character is so bland she seems to exist solely to provide Emily with a non-criminal friend. I did enjoy the contributions of Theo Rossi, Gina Gershon, Jonathan Avigdor, and John Billingsley. 

Most of all I enjoyed the film because Ms. Plaza has delivered the performance of the year. Mostly utilized in comedies, her talents include a flair for the sinister found in Legion, Ingrid Goes West,  Black Bear and, now Emily the Criminal. Even if her career goes to hell on a sled, which I doubt. this performance already caps an impressive career.