Emily the Criminal            4 stars

I saw this surprise of a movie during my return flight from Sundance, but had not written about it before. When I saw the awards coming its way I thought I should correct that. While completely fictional it represents the situation that many young people find themselves in today’s economy where one cannot escape their past. Emily (Aubrey Plaza of Parks and Recreation) has a load of student loan debt and needs a good job. The trouble is she has a minor record that keeps coming up in job interviews, thus preventing her from reaching her goals. (Background checks can follow you everywhere.) She has to take menial service jobs in the gig economy that allow the employer to take advantage of the workers. So what is she supposed to do? The answer is in the title. She meets a Lebanese man (Theo Rossi) who runs a theft ring where the participants make purchases using stolen credit cards and fake id’s. Emily gives it a try, has some success at it and is undeterred even when getting beaten up a bit in the process. Things escalate when she finds that she is actually good at it and rises in the ranks of this criminal enterprise leading to some dangerous experiences. The movie has an interesting premise, perhaps taking it in an implausible direction, but it is entertaining and keeps your interest mainly due to Plaza’s excellent performance as Emily. Most of her roles have been in comedies, but here she shows that she is equally talented in dramas. The movie received nominations for both Best Lead Performance (Aubrey Plaza) and Best First Feature (Aubrey Plaza and John Patton Ford) at this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards. I am glad I gave it a try.