All through human civilization, there has been a consistent consensus around the issue of crime. We all frown at it, we believe (and rightly so) that it endangers the very existence of our species and breeds, injustice, and chaos in society. But for entertainment and cinema, there always seem to be stories that get viewers mildly sympathetic to the plight of a character trudging down a path of crime. For whatever reason, we can see how life has been unfair to them and wish them some luck and good fortune along the way. John Patton Ford’s Emily the Criminal makes it hard to blame the lead character Emily for her life choices.
Saddled with mounting debt and a criminal record that keeps her away from decent jobs, Emily finds herself involved in a credit card scam and slowly and steadily drifts into the criminal underworld. Aubrey Plaza doubles as both lead actor and producer. Plaza has so far had a successful career that has seen her take part in ten Sundance Film Festival premieres over the last ten years.
The upcoming crime drama will be John Patton Ford’s directorial debut after trying out his hands with short films and commercials. Emily the Criminal is produced by Tyler Davidson, Aubrey Plaza, and Drew Sykes. Check out this guide to find out everything we know so far about Emily The Criminal, including the cast, release date, plot, and trailer.
When Is Emily the Criminal Releasing?
Emily the Criminal premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival on January 24 alongside another of Plaza’s movies, Spin Me Round, with the former earning rave reviews. The film will be given a limited theatrical release on Friday, August 12, 2022.
A 2:14-minute trailer for Emily the Criminal was released on July 6, 2022. The first scene starts with a question posed to Emily, asking what she would do with some money, she responds that she just wants to be free. The next couple of scenes show how precarious her position is, she needs a job to pay off her loans and the mounting interest rates. While she figures out what to do with her life, she runs into a group of guys who look like fraudulent people, and soon she is introduced to a life of crime.
Who’s In the Emily the Criminal Cast?
Aubrey Plaza plays the lead character Emily Benetto, a young woman who is encumbered with student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for a decent income, she agrees to take up a job as a dummy shopper, and soon finds herself neck deep in a world of crime. Plaza has been popular in indie circuits making her first appearance as a lead in the 2012 film Safety Not Guaranteed. Her other films include Ingrid Goes West, Black Bear, Monsters University, Life After Beth, and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.
Theo Rossi plays Youcef, the man that introduces Emily to a life of petty crime. Rossi is best known for his role as Juan Carlos Ortiz on the FX series Sons of Anarchy. His other film credits include Vault, Bad Hurt, and Army of the Dead.
Megalyn Echikunwoke plays Liz. She starred as Nicole Palmer, daughter of David Palmer, on the Fox series 24. Her other film credits include A Good Day to Die Hard, An Actor Prepares, Who Do You Love?, and Night School.
Jonathan Avigdori stars as Khalil. You might remember him from his appearances on The Lincoln Lawyer, The Blacklist, FBI, and The Equalizer. Gina Gershon stars as Alice. She is better known for her supporting roles in FX’s Rescue Me and HBO’s How to Make It in America. Other members of the cast include Bernardo Badillo, Brandon Sklenar, John Billingsley, Kim Yarbrough, Kara Luiz, Janice Sonia Lee, Wesley Han, and Ben Rodgers.
Who Is Making Emily the Criminal?
Emily the Criminal is John Patton Ford’s feature directorial debut. In an interview with Collider, he shed more light on the struggles he encountered trying to break into the industry. The original screenplay was penned by Ford with Chelsea Ellis Bloch and Marisol Roncalli as casting directors. Jeff Bierman serves as the cinematographer while Amanda Wing Lee is the costume designer. The production designer is Liz Toonkel and the editor is Harrison Atkins. Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment won the bidding war to handle distribution within the US while Universal Pictures distributes the film globally.
What Is Emily the Criminal About?
Emily the Criminal follows the life of an art school graduate and aspiring painter who is burdened by the interest on her student loans, let alone the principal. Add that to a couple of minor, years-back criminal charges that have closed off a world of employment, and what you have is a young woman drifting precariously close to a life of crime. Just in the nick of time, she runs into what looks like a simple gig for extra income. The drill is simple. She is given a cloned credit card and has to walk down to the local shop and buy a TV. Upon success, she gets a commission of $200. It looks simple, but this turns out to be the beginning of a journey into the criminal underworld. After a few runs as a dummy shopper, her appetite for the criminal game enlarges, and she is willing to try her hands at bigger stunts.
With every passing day, the risk involved grows, and as a criminal, her skirmishes and close shaves with law enforcement and other “occupational hazards” make for charged moments of suspense. Incredibly engaging and fast-paced, Emily the Criminal, though small in scale, manages to cover all the bases required for a great crime movie.
Here is the official synopsis:
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.
