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Aubrey Plaza is top of mind thanks to The White Lotus Sicily, but before playing Harper in the HBO series, the Parks and Rec actor played the lead in Emily the Criminal. The Sundance Film Festival release came out in theaters in August 2022, but it’ll be available to stream on Netflix in December 2022. Find out more about Plaza’s Sundance Film role and when you’ll be able to watch Emily the Criminal on Netflix. 

Emily (Aubrey Plaza) in the Sundance Film 'Emily the Criminal,' coming to Netflix Dec. 7
Aubrey Plaza as Emily in ‘Emily the Criminal’ | Sundance Institute/Low Spark Films

What is ‘Emily the Criminal’ about?

“You can’t make money any other way?” Emily the Criminal, produced by and starring the versatile Plaza, is a film that showcases how far someone will go to clear themselves of personal debt. When Emily uncovers an opportunity to make a lot of money fast by joining the dark underbelly of the scamming world, she seizes it. With $70,000 in student loan debt — an all-too-relatable plight — and a minimum-wage job, who wouldn’t consider joining a scam operation? 

Buying goods with stolen credit cards is a near-flawless system in writer and director John Patton Ford’s world of Emily the Criminal. But what starts as a simple scam quickly becomes a whirlwind career for Emily, who partners with Youcef (Theo Rossi) in the timely heist thriller. 

After discovering how sophisticated Youcef and his cousin Khalil’s (Jonathan Avigdori) operation is, Emily feels comfortable enough to venture out on her own. But as her criminal enterprise grows, so does the danger. In the end, Emily is forced to make a choice between saving a life and taking the money. 

Watch ‘Emily the Criminal’ on Netflix beginning Dec. 7  

Emily the Criminal has been available to stream through video on demand, but Netflix subscribers will have access to the film starting Dec. 7, 2022. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 94% critical approval rating. As if that weren’t reason enough to tune in, Plaza’s performance is show-stopping. 

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Showbiz Cheat Sheet had the pleasure of screening the film at Sundance Film Fest 2022. Plaza, who is extremely popular right now thanks to her work in The White Lotus Season 2, does an incredible job making the audience feel like they can and should be rooting for her, no matter how skewed her moral compass is. 

‘Emily the Criminal’ cast includes ‘Sons of Anarchy’ actor Theo Rossi 

Plaza stars alongside Rossi in Emily the Criminal, who most will recognize as Juice Ortiz from the FX series Sons of Anarchy. More recently, Rossi has also had roles in Luke Cage and Army of the Dead.

Other actors you might recognize in Emily the Criminal include: 

  • Bernardo Badillo
  • John Billingsley
  • Kim Yarbrough
  • Kara Luiz
  • Janice Sonia Lee 
  • Wesley Han
  • Megalyn Echikunwoke
  • Brandon Sklenar
  • Ben Rodgers 

Watch Emily the Criminal on Netflix beginning Dec. 7, 2022.

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