Infernal Machine

Aubrey Plaza shines darkly in a savagely funny comedy about a pathologically needy woman on a social media rampage—a Single White Female for our time.

- Ben Dickinson

The arrival of Ingrid Goes West this month portends all kinds of good news for American comedies. The feature debut of 33-year-old cowriter and director Matt Spicer announces him as a serious talent—one whose take on our cultural preoccupations wields a sly but lethal satirical edge. It also answers the question of what O’Shea Jackson Jr., who was electrifying two years ago playing his father, Ice Cube, in Straight Outta Compton, has been up to; here, he enjoys a juicy, against-type role as Dan Pinto, a somewhat goofy and slightly too gullible Batmanfanboy screenwriter with a heart of gold. But most of all, Ingrid Goes West is a slamdunk personal best for coproducer Aubrey Plaza, who turns the very tricky lead role into a triumph.