EMILY THE CRIMINAL (2022) – A must watch for all present and future fans of Aubrey Plaza
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Fans of White Lotus Season 2 who cannot get enough of the excellent Aubrey Plaza who played Harper, the wife of the wealthy professional on vacation in Sicily, will be delighted see more of her in this feature-length movie. Aubrey plays the title role of Emily, a young woman struggling to earn enough to live and pay off her student loan. In her quest to earn enough money to survive, she finds herself involve in the business of fraud.
Aubrey is fantastic as Emily, who is portrayed as a strong, independent, and likeable woman who just happens to be unlucky. In some ways, she is a victim of society and the system we live in today, and she represents what could happen to any of us under the circumstances depicted in the film. Because the film is a character study of Emily, Aubrey is in almost every scene from beginning to end, and it is to Aubrey’s credit that she manages to keep our attention throughout the film. We remain invested in her character and root for her even as she gradually gets herself into more and more trouble. The other supporting characters are no less effective even though they command a much smaller screen time.
The atmosphere of Emily the Criminal is that of a small, understated independent film with a sense of uncertainty. When combined with a “to your face” storyline, outstanding all-around acting, and a tight pace within the film’s brief running time of just over one and a half hours, this quality always makes for riveting viewing. Writer / director, John Patton Ford, deserves praise for doing this. He also has to give credit to his leading lady, Aubrey Plaza, for bringing Emily to life so vividly and making her appear like a person we can relate to. Aubrey is definitely a rising star to watch in the future.