Emergency Parent Guide

With the end of semester looming, roommates and friends Sean (RJ Cyler) and Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) have very different concerns. Sean is fixated on being the first black student to complete The Legendary Tour – seven insane frat parties back to back before the break. Kunle, on the other hand, is more focused on babysitting the bacterial cultures he’s been developing for his thesis, hoping to maintain his grades to keep a spot at Princeton, but he’s agreed to go along with Sean to the parties. Their plans have to change when they return home to get ready and find a young, unconscious white girl (Maddie Nichols) in a puddle of vomit on the living room floor. Their other roommate, Carlos (Sebastian Chacon) doesn’t know anything about her either, despite having been home all day. Now, the obvious solution is to call 911 – but Sean has some concerns about the cops showing up at a house with two black men and a passed out white girl on the floor. So they load her into Sean’s van and head off for the hospital. Meanwhile, the girl’s sister, Maddie (Sabrina Carpenter) notices that she hasn’t seen her younger sister at the party for a while, and begins to wonder where she could be.

The film does start primarily as a comedy, but that really isn’t the main thrust of the story. Characters are pushed into increasingly unpleasant and dangerous situations, which not only allows the characters to grow and develop, but permits the filmmakers to explore deeper social issues. Concerns about police violence and race are obviously central to the plot, forcing the characters into even more difficult decisions. It is dramatic, thought provoking, and unbelievably tense. That’s all helped by excellent performances from the main cast, who give these complex characters a strong emotional foundation to build from, highlighting their struggles and growth.

That being said, Emergency is a tough sell as family entertainment. Good morals about caution and friendship and race are certainly an advantage, but that’s offset by nearly 200 f-bombs and frequent substance use throughout. In spite of that, older teens who can handle an insane amount of swearing might benefit from the film, both as a cautionary tale about college parties and as a learning opportunity about how people’s lived experience can differ even in the same country. This production might not make the cut for family viewing, but it has a lot to offer for a mature audience.