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Emily the Criminal
2022 97 min United States of America R 12+
★7.1
Crime, Drama, Thriller
Director: John Patton Ford
Trailers
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EN
Description
Desperate for income, Emily takes a shady gig buying goods with stolen credit cards supplied by a charismatic middleman named Youcef. Seduced by the quick cash and illicit thrills, they hatch a plan to take their business to the next level.
Budget:
$2M
US Gross:
$2.16M
Worldwide:
$2.16M
Starring
Aubrey Plaza
Actor
Theo Rossi
Actor
Bernardo Badillo
Actor
Awards
9 wins & 25 nominations total
Key opinion
Emily the Criminal is widely praised as a grounded, taut crime thriller that owes much of its success to Aubrey Plaza’s compelling lead performance. While opinions on the narrative's resolution and pacing are mixed, the film is generally regarded as an entertaining and realistic exploration of economic desperation.
| Acting | Aubrey Plaza anchors the film with a powerful, charismatic performance that successfully transitions her into gritty dramatic territory. | |
| Theme | The film effectively grounds its crime-thriller premise in a realistic portrayal of millennial economic struggle and debt. | |
| Acting | Theo Rossi provides a notable and grounded supporting performance that adds significant depth to the Los Angeles underworld setting. | |
| Pacing | The film's pacing is a subject of debate; some find the escalating tension engaging, while others criticize inconsistent momentum and mid-film lulls. | |
| Ending | The conclusion is divisive, with viewers split between appreciating its bleak refusal to provide easy catharsis and feeling it lacks sufficient resolution. | |
| Originality | While the story is praised for its grit, some reviewers find the underlying plot beats and criminal progression to be derivative or unoriginal. |