The tagline for Emergency states that “It’s not what it looks like,” yet very early on, director Carey Williams makes it clear what the dichotomy of his film will be. Emergency begins with two friends, the more laidback, constantly vaping Sean (RJ Cyler) and the studious Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) planning to become the first two Black students in their college to complete a “Legendary,” where they attempt seven campus parties in a night. With their dynamic and some charming dialogue from screenwriter KD Dávlia, Emergency presents itself like Superbad-meets-The World’s End, that is, until these two go to their first class.
In this class, their white British professor starts a conversation about the N-word, using the word several times, which understandably makes Sean and Kunle—the only two Black students in the class—uncomfortable. With Emergency, both Williams and Dávlia are attempting to blend the college comedy that we’ve seen so many times before, but meld it with political commentary. For example, as Sean and Kunle prep for their big night out, they discover that a girl (Maddie Nichols) has broken into their house and blacked out, and as they and their roommate Carlos (Sebastian Chacon) try to figure out how to proceed with this situation, Emergency makes it abundantly clear that this scenario that could’ve been played for laughs with a white cast has its own set of unique troubles when a non-white cast is involved.
This combining of comedy and commentary is a fascinating concept, but Emergency doesn’t go far enough with either of its angles. Emergency seems to be intentionally dissecting Superbad, right down to the third friend who is a bit awkward and has been entrusted with knowledge about the two best friend’s future by the smarter friend that could hurt the other friend. But for the most part, the attempts at humor within Emergency are mostly relegated to this trio of friends yelling at each other, or the gang’s uncertainty over what to do with the barely conscious girl they found in their home.
But Williams and Dávlia are seemingly more interested in the commentary of Emergency, and how this film dissects those comedies in a new way. Therefore, it makes sense that the lighthearted antics of another film wouldn’t have the same level of humor in Emergency. And yet, even Emergency’s social commentary falls flat, hitting on the trauma of profiling and police behavior that we’ve seen before, without adding much to the conversation. Emergency makes it obvious where it’s heading, and while the final moments of the film hint that the events of this film will come back to haunt some of these characters for years to come, it’s an excellent punctuation to a film that hasn’t quite managed this topic with the same amount of depth.
Based on Williams’ 2018 short of the same name, which won awards at both Sundance and SXSW, Emergency does seem like it would work better with an abbreviated time than stretched out and filled in as this often feels. Emergency begins and ends with a strong focus, but the middle meanders and struggles to juggle both aspects of this story effectively. This is certainly a story that would benefit from some tighter editing and stronger focus, instead of hitting the same points incessantly.
Yet it’s the main trio of actors at the center of Emergency that elevates this beyond just an attempt to stretch a short into a feature-length film. Cyler packs Emergency with charm and is the key to the moments of humor that work here, while Chacon is enjoyable as the student studying to be a rocket science that has clearly gotten in over his head. But the heart and power of Emergency comes through in Watkins’ performance. Kunle is praised for his excellence by family and friends, and that weight can be felt on the character throughout the film. But when Emergency needs to hit its most powerful moments, it’s Watkins who says so much simply through a mostly silent performance, with eyes that explore all the frustrations and fears of his situation. While Emergency might slip up with its commentary at times, Watkins’ performance keeps this story on track when the film relies on him.
Emergency is ambitious and daring in what it’s trying to say and do, but a mishandling of pacing, serious issues, and pseudo-parody hurt what is a truly intriguing concept.
Rating: C+
Emergency is now available to stream on Prime Video.