Roadside Attractions
There was a liminal moment in history where the esoteric and the futuristic were at war with one another. I’m, of course, talking about when movie rental stores were on their way out and the Redbox machine in your local CVS or grocery store was the hottest spot in town on a Friday night.
Too often when standing at that little red kiosk, we’d be saddled with a weak selection of two or three new releases—already taken by a more proactive customer—and an assortment of indie movies and mid-to-low-budget, direct-to-DVD alternatives. But, occasionally, taking a chance on the leftovers would prove fruitful, introducing you to an unexpectedly smart and exciting new favorite.
If you’ve ever rummaged the far reaches of Redbox for residual entertainment, you’ll recognize Emily the Criminal. It’s a movie that you’ve seen before, a crime thriller cloaked in a slick disguise to make it a little more appealing than similar fare of scratched DVDs past. But there can be comfort in the familiar, and Emily the Criminal capitalizes on its unassuming nature with a gripping, secret-weapon performance from Aubrey Plaza in a role that feels scarily relatable.