Emily the Criminal

"High risks come with even higher rewards."

2022 1h 37m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

🔥

93%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 1,072🍅93%Rotten Tomatoes●75Metacritic★6.7IMDB · 66,628

CrimeDramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“High risks come with even higher rewards.”

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Cast

Aubrey Plaza
Emily
Theo Rossi
Youcef
Megalyn Echikunwoke
Liz
Gina Gershon
Alice
Jonathan Avigdori
Khalil
Bernardo Badillo
Javier
Craig Stark
Chip
John Billingsley
Office Manager

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Patton Ford
Writers: John Patton Ford
Languages: Arabic, Armenian, English, Korean, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 5 languages: Arabic, Armenian, English, Korean, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Patton Ford, shot by Jeff Bierman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Nathan Halpern. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Harrison Atkins shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi and Megalyn Echikunwoke carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "High risks come with even higher rewards.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Patton Ford directs. Jeff Bierman behind the camera. Nathan Halpern scores. Harrison Atkins cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Arabic, Armenian, English, Korean, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 4 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 5 languages: Arabic, Armenian, English, Korean, Spanish.
4Directed by John Patton Ford, shot by Jeff Bierman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Nathan Halpern. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Harrison Atkins shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi and Megalyn Echikunwoke carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "High risks come with even higher rewards.".
9IMDB entry: tt15255876 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "job interview", "organized crime", "los angeles, california", "criminal underworld".

The technical file

Cinematography: Jeff Bierman
Original score: Nathan Halpern
Editing: Harrison Atkins
Production design: Liz Toonkel
Costume design: Amanda Wing Yee Lee
Makeup / hair: Renae Goodhew
Sound: Roland N. Thai
Stunt coordinator: Mark Riccardi
Runtime: 97 min · 1h 37m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,000,000
Box office: $2,157,673
Return: 108% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Emily the Criminal (2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 75/100
IMDB rating: 6.7/10 · 66,628 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

9 wins & 25 nominations total

Also by

John Patton Ford

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Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2022-02-21
★ 5/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/other-films-watched-spoiler-free-review-sundance/#emily "Emily the Criminal boasts two phenomenal performances from Aubrey Plaza and Theo Rossi, but its by-the-numbers crime-thriller narrative lacks sufficiently creative ideas to make it more than just an average viewing. The actress proves her immense talent once again, but it's actually the actor who surprises in a more grounded role that breaks many stereotypes related to this particular type of character. A good ending may leave the audience with an opinion more positive than what the film warrants, but it's admittedly entertaining and interesting enough... for a home release." Rating: C
Nathan2022-08-17
★ 8/10
Emily the Criminal is a brilliant look at the stakes a person will go to in order to dig themselves out of crippling student debt. I had a really good time with the film, Aubrey Plaza is fantastic as the lead, she carried this movie and made it an absolute treat to watch. The story hits on a lot of elements that the resonant with millennials while exploring them in a way that feels genuine. The plot is pretty good, although the main story points are almost all revealed in the trailers, which was a bit disappointing. There were times where I was having a hard time believing she could continue to get away with all the illegal activity she was getting up to without even raising suspicion, but I was able to turn my mind off and still have a solid experience. Score: 75% Verdict: Good Theater Verdict: See It
The Movie Mob2022-09-23
★ 5/10
Emily the Criminal's intriguing story and committed performance from Aubrey Plaza brought great high notes, but slow sections and a sad conclusion added some low notes. Emily the Criminal chronicles a woman's impossible struggle to find work and survive with the insurmountable burden of her criminal record standing in the way. Eventually, honest employment seems impossible, so she turns to a more lucrative but more illegal method of income. Her path to success in the credit card fraud racket was interesting, with all the dangers of her new work and the pressure of avoiding getting caught. Unfortunately, the plot's pacing ebbed and flowed between long sections of an engaging and exciting story and long sections of slower, less interesting content. The title's meaning transformed as the movie progressed and the characters developed, but the final moments just saddened me. The character growth came at the expense of others and kept me from being able to cheer for where everything ended.