Emergency is a 2022 comedy drama film directed by Carey Williams from a screenplay by KD Dávila. It is a feature-length adaptation of Williams and Dávila's 2018 short film of the same name. The short film won the Special Jury Prize at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2018 SXSW. Dávila's screenplay also made the 2020 Black List of most popular un-produced scripts from up-and-coming screenwriters. Emergency premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival where Dávila won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award.

Ready for a night of legendary partying, three college students must weigh the pros and cons of calling the police when faced with an unexpected situation.

The cast includes RJ Cyler, Donald Elise Watkins, Sabrina Carpenter, Sebastian Chacon, Maddie Nichols, Madison Thompson, Diego Abraham, and Melanie Jeffcoat.

Emergency made it’s debut in limited theaters on May 20th, and became available to stream on Prime Video May 27th.

THE GOOD

Emergency sort of snuck up on me when the trailer was first released, but once I saw that it had the one-two punch of a massive debut at the crème de la crème of film festivals, that being the Sundance Film Festival of course, as well as the underrated and frankly underappreciated RJ Cyler in a leading role. And with that, like a stone-faced poker player, I was ALL IN. The initial critic response to the film was insane, and you were hard-pressed to find anything negative about it. Plus considering the fact that it would be available to stream on Prime Video only a week after a limited theatrical release for awards consideration, the anticipation was building by the day. Was it worth the excitement? Keep reading to find out!

Bottom line, Emergency was fantastic, and is an absolute cinematic treat. I was laughing hysterically within the first few minutes of the film, and right away I could sense the creative direction it planned to take and I was excited to be along for the ride. I won’t give anything away, but the opening scene is by far the most entertaining and hilarious take on racism in recent memory. Try not to get hung up on the fact that it does shine a bright light on several issues that absolutely exist within our society, because it does so in such a way to avoid excluding anyone. Perhaps tasteful is the right word, but somehow they manage to make a powerful message extremely entertaining while still getting the point across. I wouldn’t even refer to it as social commentary because it just all feels so authentic and grounded. Plus, somehow Emergency finds a way to never take itself too seriously which is a huge benefit in terms of the overall entertainment value. I never once glanced at my phone and was fully immersed in the film from start to finish. Plus, the film absolutely left a lasting impression on me.

I like to give credit where credit is due, and without question, the primary strengths of Emergency are the writing and the acting. Considering it is the foundation of the film, I’ll start with the writing and what I felt was a masterful screenplay from Mexican-American screenwriter K.D. Dávila. Everything about the story feels very intentional and genuine for a reason thanks to the fact that the film is based on Dávila’s 2018 short film of the same name, which netted director Carey Williams several awards at various film festivals including the Special Jury Price Short Filmmaking Award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Fast forward to the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and Dávila took home the Waldo Scott Screenwriting Award for a U.S. Dramatic film. It is undeniable the impact Williams has had behind the camera, but for the feature-film version to work so well the screenplay had to take center stage.

You really have to experience it for yourself, but the tone is just so, so good. I’m not quite sure how they were able to find such a great balance, but Emergency never feels too funny, too serious, or too anything really, just like one of the many fantastic jokes during the film, it feels just right (Goldilocks and the Three Bears reference, obviously). But seriously, I laughed a ton, and when it was necessary I sat back and just took in the power of the moment. Nothing felt forced which is often a difficult balance with a film that touches on serious societal issues, and everything resonated with me. During one scene a very suburban “white” couple, and I can say that because I am very white myself, come out of their house and begin filming with their phones what they perceive as drug dealers on their property while yelling at them to leave before they call the cops. Once they leave the couple retreats to their home, seemingly satisfied, as they pass by their Black Lives Matter sign. I mean, hypocrisy at its finest.

Now it is time to talk about the acting and my guy RJ Cyler, as well as the rest of this fantastic cast. Cyler won me over after his role in the 2015 coming-of-age comedy-drama Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and because of that incredible film, I will always refer to him as Earl (I hope that’s okay with him). I’ve seen that movie easily 15 times, and it just gets better with every viewing, just be prepared to shed a few tears. I am a huge fan of a well-made coming-of-age film regardless, but it also has a deeper layer for lovers of the history of film, and I really appreciated that as well. Now I mentioned the fact that as an actor, Cyler is underrated and underappreciated, which I do firmly believe because let’s be honest, before reading this did YOU know his real name? Anyway, he has been getting his fair share of quality roles with the 2017 Power Rangers re-boot which I reviewed previously (our full review here), still waiting on a sequel, as well as the hard-hitting Netflix original film The Harder They Fall, which Andrew reviewed a few months ago (full review here). Cyler has a great on-screen presence and has proven he can play comedic and more serious roles with the best of them, while surely striving when he can do a little bit of both. Needless to say, he provided the majority of the comedic relief for Emergency while also handling the more dramatic roles perfectly. Cyler also has another film that looks really good, a historic drama called Freedom’s Path which should be available at some point soon, just waiting on news of a release date.

I know I have a problem talking about my appreciation for RJ Cyler, but he wasn’t alone when it came to this great cast. The other lead role was played by Donald Elise Watkins, who I thought was fantastic as well. His chemistry with Cyler was next-level, and the two played off of each other extremely well. With a film like this that relies on that nerdy “I care too much” role and the freewheeling “show up to class when I feel like it” role, both of these characters need to be believable otherwise the film quickly falls apart. Watkins, who admittedly I did not know much about prior to Emergency, has played a number of small supporting or very limited “background character” type roles, in films like Pitch Perfect (2012), Get on Up (2014), and Free State of Jones (2016). For me this is very much a breakout role for him as he is a big reason why the film works as well as it does.

He gets just as much screen time as Cyler, and arguably has a bigger impact on the film in terms of the dramatic element during the final act. In what is arguably the most powerful scene in the film, Watkins finds himself facedown on pavement with a single tear running down his face. This moment hit hard, and was really the culmination for the film and it’s underlying message. So yeah, he was great. The supporting cast did an incredible job as well, most notably Sebastian Chacon who plays Cyler and Watkins’ fanny pack wearing and pot smoking roommate. His chemistry with Cyler and Watkins was the icing on the cake for me, and the film simply wouldn’t be quite as good without him. I have nothing negative to say about the rest of the supporting cast consisting of Sabrina Carpenter, Diego Abraham, Gillian Rabin. Maddie Nichols, and Summer Madison. Just a great job all around.

THE BAD

I figured I would be able to easily speak to some of the negatives of Emergency when it comes to the social commentary etc, but I stand corrected. KD Dávila’s effective yet relatable screenplay simply works wonders with this cast, ensuring the entertainment value is prevalent from start to finish. The film feels authentic in terms of the overall goal of the story, and not a single scene or moment is wasted. I suppose you could argue that the comedic element takes a back seat during the film’s final act, but that is of course by design and surely not a flaw of the film. Bottom line, Emergency delivers on all fronts and is a movie with high replay value as well.

THE VERDICT

As hilarious and engaging as it is raw and purposeful thanks to breakout performances from RJ Cyler and Donald Elise Watkins, Emergency is a rare comedy drama that shines a light on a serious problem within our society without feeling overly political or one-sided. Rarely taking itself too seriously, the film manages to avoid limiting its reach and instead finds a way to appeal to all audiences thanks to a versatile mix of genres, and that is one of its biggest strengths. Director Carey Williams and screenwriter KD Dávila continue to develop their strong working relationship on the big screen, and I can’t wait to see what the duo comes up with next. Hollywood needs to take notice and start giving my guy RJ Cyler more opportunities because he always delivers. A Power Rangers sequel would be nice as well. Be sure to check out Emergency sooner than later.