Hooray! A movie that tackles the evil scheme that is (was?) the unpaid internship* and illuminates the particular economic headwinds endured by the millennial cohort. But “Emily the Criminal” also functions as an entertaining thriller, with the irresistible Aubrey Plaza in the title role. The New York Times has given it a very favorable review:
Humility, however, doesn’t come easily to Emily, whose instinct is always to snap back — as Liz’s smug boss (Gina Gershon) learns when she suggests Emily ought to be grateful for an unpaid internship. Scenes like this spike the film with millennial fury, their realism grounding this chilly, assured thriller.
. . . Emily’s belligerence seems an appropriate response to the economic trap sprung on a generation of graduates exploited by gig work and corporate internships alike.
It’s always good news when Gina Gershon shows up. (Aubrey Plaza and Gina Gershon? That’s a lot of face for one movie.) The plot of the story in brief:
Emily (Aubrey Plaza) is saddled with student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for income, she takes a shady gig as a “dummy shopper,” buying goods with stolen credit cards supplied by a handsome and charismatic middleman named Youcef (Theo Rossi).
Directed and written by John Patton Ford in his feature debut. Rated R “for stealing, stabbing and swindling up a storm.”
Running time: 93 minutes! There’s another very promising sign. Let’s bring back good editing and economic storytelling. It’s just better movie-making.
Hours daily: 4:15pm and 6:20pm.
Runs through August 18, Avon Cinema, 260 Thayer Street, (directions)
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*Unpaid internships allow businesses to weed out everyone who can’t live for a year with no income and keep wages depressed for everyone. “Intern Nation” by Ross Perlin finally exposed this evil system of unpaid labor ten years ago. Since then, lawsuits have forced certain corporations, like Condé Nast, to eliminate their internship programs. Perhaps the realities of the current job market have already made these a thing of the past. This is why we need more unions.