by John Zenoni
Ok, who's ever heard of the movie, ‘Emily the Criminal?’ Yeah, that's what I thought. I hadn't either until I took a chance on it last night and needless to say, it was worth the risk. Not necessarily as an overall picture, but from the performances on display. The movie is about Emily (played by Aubrey Plaza, of ‘Parks and Recreation’ and ‘Legion’ fame), a young woman who is trying to catch a break and get a real, decent paying job to help pay her debt and student loans, but is constantly turned down due to a minor criminal record. One evening, covering a shift (food delivery) for a co-worker, he gives her a number to call to become a ’dummy shopper.’ What this entails is using fake credit cards provided by crooks to go and buy merchandise and return it to them (who in turn, resell it on the black market) for a pay of $200.00 (or higher, depending on the purchase). Needless to say, this quick way of making money becomes attractive to Emily and she begins to learn the business. She also becomes close to the crook who hired her, Youcef (played by Theo Rossi), and they quickly become an item. Without giving anything away, you can only imagine that things do not go exactly as Emily would like. But I will say I was somewhat surprised by the ending.
While the film does have some entertaining moments, it is by no means something one should see if looking to lift their spirits. However, the performances by Rossi and Plaza are very good. She was captivating in every scene she was in and was not someone you would want to mess with. I had never seen her previous work before but I will definitely watch her in any future films. She stole the show for sure!
No comments:
Post a Comment