In the past eleven years, I’ve had many, many job interviews. Every single one was awful in its own way. Some went well. Some went poorly. In a select few of them, I knew the exact moment I wasn’t getting the job. I wish I had the balls to do what Emily the Criminal did in her two disastrous interviews in this film: walk away on the spot.
Emily (Aubrey Plaza) has $70k in student debt. She has to claw her way out with a gig as a caterer (not a chef, of course, just one of those poor saps who sets up meals in offices for ungrateful business people). Ugly circumstance has saddled her with no degree and an assault conviction (bad boyfriend). It’s hard enough getting a job when those things aren’t part of your story.
Hurting for cash, Emily takes a tip from a coworker about a job as a Dummy Shopper. Essentially it involves purchasing items with stolen credit cards. Sure, it’s illegal, but let’s look at the benefits compared to food deliverer: interview was less of a hassle, boss isn’t a dick, shorter hours, better pay, and something intangible – there’s nothing condescending about her new job situation. She is told, up front, what she will be doing is illegal. Period. There’s no negotiation about pay or hours or health benefits or being told she’s an “independent contractor” which is code for: we don’t owe you shit.
OK, so the downsides of Dummy Shopping are a little more real; most catering people aren’t carrying weapons and you aren’t likely to flee a catering job for your life. Well, not in California, at least. And there’s the part where you accept you’re no longer Emily the Aspiring Artist, you have become Emily the Criminal. Is the stigma enough to turn you off?
As Emily slowly devolves into the kind of person she might have scorned earlier in her life, the movie questions: Is she really worse off? And it’s a legitimate question. The more horrible interview comes later in the film where Emily still feels her straight life can be salvaged. And this interview is a brutal reality slap-in-the-face. Personally, while I never thought unpaid internships were legitimate business, I never considered exactly how white supremacist they are. You, business person, want me to work for you –full time, no less- for NO PAY? And I will be doing this for a series of months on the promise that maybe, just maybe, I’ll command more responsibility and a better salary in this field? Do I have that correct? Exactly whom do you expect to spend working 40+ hours per week for no pay, hmmmm? Anyone who needs to make rent or survives paycheck-to-paycheck? No way. These are jobs for people who don’t need money.
Let me put this as kindly as I can: if labor is valued, it needs to be compensated. Period. Volunteerism is the only exception, and even then, don’t be a dick, Massah.
Suffice to say, Emily didn’t land that job, and got called a “spoiled child” to boot. I have no doubt this is how people who offer internships see the world, but wow, are you manipulative bastards exactly what’s wrong with employment in our capitalist system.
Emily the Criminal is a scathing indictment of employment in America. It never begs the question directly, but asks at every turn whether Emily-and thus the audience- is better off as a criminal. And
there’s a fair argument that she is. This is film a for people who have been pushed into unreasonable working situations or hold a ton of debt because they bought into ideas that never panned out. That’s a lot of us … or a lot more than there should be for being citizens of the richest country on the planet. While the film is presented as a personal journey of a sort, it is much sharper in its identification of societal pressures and reactions. We feel for Emily because, hey, that could be me. And, more often than not, employment in the United States sucks even when you have it good. Unheralded and sharp, Emily the Criminal is one of my favorite watches of the year and certain to be somewhere on my Best of 2022 list.
This is a new look for Aubrey Plaza; the comedic actress is generally 50 Shades of Scorn and then it’s trailer time. It’s not like this role is substantially different on its face than your average Aubrey vehicle, but her approach is not of a comedienne, but as genuine actress, which dang me feels like a first. Aubrey, if this is your future, I’m all for it.
Emily’s life knew significant grief
When she embarked on profession of thief
Sure, her future ain’t swell
Probably inside a cell
But the interview proved quite a relief
Rated R, 93 Minutes
Director: John Patton Ford
Writer: John Patton Ford
Genre: Have you taken an honest look at employment in the United States?
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Anybody who has ever had bad job prospects
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Employers
