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Emily the Criminal is now up for sale on Amazon for just 9.99. And so last night I ponied up the digital sawbuck and watched Aubrey Plaza let it rip.
So let’s see what I can say without spoilers. Aubrey Plaza is the center of the movie in her eponymous role. This is a character study, as well as an indictment of modern American society. Having just recently read Hand to Mouth by Linda Tirado, I was primed and ready for the indictment of the treatment of those who fall into the labor class despite a college education. There is a scene where Emily eviscerates the concept of internships and I wanted to stand up and cheer.
Okay now the spoiler section, so if you don’t want spoilers I completely understand and you can go now.
Can I go on?
Great. The above is actually a paraphrase of the speech both given to Emily and given by her later on as she prepares others for an entry into crime.
Her first job is buying something with a fake credit card for which she receives 200 dollars for about an hour of her time. She wants more. Her next job is 2k but with a higher level of danger. This time it ends up with a physical altercation with her mark. Her mentor and love interest Yusef ends up holding ice to her nose.
Then Yusef teaches her how to do what he does. But he gives her warnings like never…
