Schrader eventually ‘sobered up enough to realise they were two different films’

Paul Schrader has admitted to confusing Emily in Paris with Emily the Criminal.

Emily in Paris is the popular frothy rom-com series on Netflix, which stars Lily Collins as an American living in Paris, juggling work and love. A third season was released earlier this month.

Emily the Criminal was also released earlier this year, but that is as far as the similarities go.

The film is a critically acclaimed crime thriller from director John Patton Ford. It currently has a 94 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Critics have praised Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza for her performance as a student saddled with student debt. Unable to find work, she becomes involved in a credit card scam.

It was unfortunate for Schrader then – the screenwriter most famously behind Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976) – that he confused the two titles.

On Friday (30 December), he wrote on Facebook: “I didn’t take notice of EMILY THE CRIMINAL because I somehow confused it with Emily in Paris. So it slipped past.

“When I sobered up enough to realise they were two different films, I watched. What an impressive feature debut! Assured, smart, constantly pushing the narrative.

He continued: “Writer/director John Patton Ford is the real jones. So I read some of the interviews he’s given. Also impressive.”

Fans have reacted in delight to Shcrader’s hilarious mix-up, with the post receiving more than 1,000 likes within the first five hours of it being posted.

Schrader is also the director and writer of the 1980 neo-noir crime drama American Gigolo starring Richard Gere, Lauren Hutton, and Héctor Elizondo.

More recently, he wrote and directed the critically acclaimed Ethan Hawke film First Reformed in 2018.

In 2021, Oscar Isaac led Schrader’s film The Card Counter.

Since its release in US cinemas earlier this month (23 December), the film has been a box office flop.