Emergency is a comedy and when it’s being funny, it mostly works. I laughed enough, but not consistently. But when it gets serious, it’s an eye-opener. It stops being this college drinking comedy and becomes a harsh and honest social indictment. Probably if you came for the yuks, you might feel a little betrayed by how serious it gets.

The flick is about two black best friends in college who plan an epic party crawl one night. But they are sidelined by a drunk white girl they find passed out in their house. Unsure what to do, they load her up in their car and try to find a way to help her that doesn’t include suspicious cops. After all, what would an innocent drunk white girl be doing with a couple of brothers?

The comedy in the film usually works. It’s inherently about a serious topic so it always has a grim undertone. The film dances on a knife’s edge by making their predicament funny while having an underlying truth. And I did laugh a decent amount. It was doing ok for itself. 

But when it drops the comedy and we get to the harsh light of reality, it’s a powerful, thoughtful film. The drama certainly does not come out of nowhere – it’s baked into the film’s premise and its comedic setups. It’s just that the filmmakers are talented enough to make this balancing act work.

And what I liked about that ending is that, while the grim turn wasn’t a surprise, the overall thematic conclusion was. It’s hard to get across without spoiling, but the film is more focused on the psychological than the criminal. Lessons are learned, characters are changed, and we’re all the worse for it.

This is a very good film that starts as one thing that’s pretty decent and becomes something excellent. Whether you roll with the punches and appreciate the twists is up to you. This flick worked for me though. It’s a strong showing from a clearly talented writer and director.

Score: 85