If you can imagine a mash-up of Superbad and Get Out...
There have been some great entries into the subgenre of teen comedies that revolve entirely around our heroes wanting to get into the biggest and best parties at the end of high school or college.
That is where Emergency kicks off, with two best friends Sean (RJ Cyler) and Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) planning a record-breaking night out on their college campus, with the plan to hit up every single major party taking place on the last night of the school year.
However, when they get home to quickly change before heading out for the night, they discover their front door is open... and inside there is a young woman passed out on their floor... neither of them know her and why she's there.
What they do know is how it will look to any police they might call to their home: two men of colour with an unconscious woman in their home. Wanting to avoid trouble, they decide to simply drive her to the closest hospital and dump her there, unaware that the girl's overprotective sister (Sabrina Carpenter) is tracking her down...
By smashing together the party-chasing comedy of Superbad and Booksmart with the cutting edge topicality of Get Out and Sorry To Bother You, Emergency ends up with a unique and brilliant vibe all of its own.
The movie has a score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, as the critics have been absolutely loving it:
The Washington Post - "The classic college party-crawl comedy gets a smart, self-aware refresh with Emergency, a funny, adroitly executed satire that manages to find genuine laughs in the unlikeliest places."
IndieWire - "Every interaction is rip-roaringly funny — even the more disquieting ones — resulting in a film where you can’t help but laugh at the riveting absurdity."
SlashFilm - "The result is a chaotic, surprisingly funny, and intense night gone wrong that masterfully balances comedy, drama, and suspense."
The Guardian - "A ride somehow both warm and stressful, and an inviting mashup of familiar beats made fresh by a trio of grounded, endearing performances."
San Francisco Chronicle - "'It’s not what it looks like' is both the marketing tagline for Emergency and an accurate description of this ingenious independent film."
Emergency is available to watch on Prime Video right now.
Clip via Prime Video
