Riff Raff
Vincent (Ed Harris) is enjoying the New Year holiday at his country home in Maine with his second wife Sandy (Gabrielle Union) and their son DJ (Miles J. Harvey), but when his older son Rocco (Lewis Pullman, "Top Gun: Maverick") arrives in the middle of the night with his very pregnant girlfriend Marina (Emanuela Postacchini) and his drugged mother, Vincent's first wife Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge), Sandy does not appreciate the unannounced "Riff Raff."
Laura's Review: B-
Writer John Pollono ("Stronger," "Small Engine Repair") contrasts macho brute force with male sensitivity within three intersecting families as
director Dito Montiel ("A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints") uses sleight of hand to sway initial perceptions before revealing truths in a crime comedy which isn't all that funny but is kept aloft by a game cast.
'It wasn't money. It wasn't power. It was about life,' is the bland opening statement we hear from DJ as we learn the pudgy black high schooler has just been dumped by Brittany before the prom as he and his dad walk through the woods, Vincent wishing to show the boy how to shoot a gun. DJ balks at both his dad's condemnation of Brittany and at targeting a chipmunk, but the lesson is sure to come in handy.
It's the cheerful teen who's alerted to noise at 4 a.m. when his half-brother arrives projecting nothing but trouble. The contrast between the shaggy haired twenty something, his foreign pregnant girlfriend and drugged mother and the more gentile family they've barged in on without warning is notable, but we will soon learn nothing is as it seems. Still, Rocco spells trouble and when the scene shifts to Leftie (Bill Murray) and Lonnie (Pete Davidson) stopping at a convenience store, it's obvious who they're gunning for.
Back at the vacation house, DJ has a knife pulled on him when he attempts to wake Ruth, who informs Sandy she'd 'sell her left tit for an Advil and some coffee.' But Vincent's horny, foul-mouthed ex is offset by Rocco's baby mother, who takes kind interest in DJ and tells him that she knew Rocco was 'the one' when he saved a turtle with a damaged shell. This leads DJ, an aspiring biologist, into expounding on the evolutionary value of the sensitive male, a trait he obviously shares with his sibling. Progeny is also an important theme here, one which ties Rocco to Leftie's dead son Johnny (Michael Angelo Covino, "The Climb") and which features in a secret Vincent's told DJ.
Pollono's script may not feature many laughs, and those that do come are abruptly choked off by violence, but his themes are cleverly woven throughout. The large ensemble works well together, the lesser known Pullman, Harvey and Postacchini making strong impressions. Harris portrays a changed man, one whose former life comes to light in flashback ('we're cut from a different cloth' Sandy tells DJ). Murray plays Leftie's controlled lethality like a cool, coiled snake, Davidson toning down the hyper as his obedient lackey. But outside of Postacchini, the female characters pose problems, Union difficult to warm up to, Coolidge, speaking in her natural lower voice, like nails on a chalkboard. In small roles as clueless, overly helpful neighbors, P.J. Byrne and Brooke Dillman add some laughs. Montiel keeps things moving, juggling multiple story threads and timelines clearly. "Riff Raff" may not deliver as many laughs as expected, but it is more thought provoking than anticipated.
Robin's Review: B
Vincent (Ed Harris) tells his stepson DJ (Miles J. Harvey), “Don’t ever settle.” Then, in the middle of the night, there is a knock on the door. It is Vincent’s estranged son Rocco (Lewis Pullman), from his previous marriage, his very pregnant Italian girlfriend Marina (Emanuela Postacchini)…and, the passed out wife from that marriage, Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge). Then, things go to hell in a hand basket in “Riff Raff”
If I were to give this a genre it would be “light-hearted family film…with guns.” Things begin in a benign way with dad giving his son some wise advice. The only thing missing is a roll of Lifesavers and a park bench. Then, the aforesaid knock on the door and the whole family has an impromptu reunion.
The personalities of the players come out and they are not too complex. Vincent is world weary and has made a life for himself away from that of a mob hitman. Rocco is a screw-up who has ticked off Vincent’s old partner in crime, Lefty (Bill Murray), by killing his son Johnny (Michael Covino). Then, there is Ruth, a person with no redeeming values. Pregnant Marina, on the other hand, is as sweet as can be. Oh, and Lefty’s partner, Lonny (Pete Davidson), is a psychopathic killer. This crew sets things up for the not-so-inevitable conclusion.
Helmer Dito Montiel and scripter John Pollono appear to take a page from 2023’s tension-filled (in a funny way) ensemble, “Last Stop in Yuma County.” Both movies do a slow (sort of) build-up, ramping up the tension all the way to the end. And, there is a steady ramp up in body count.
There is a difference, though. “Riff Raff” is not confined to the diner/gas station of “Last Stop.” As such, it gives the individual players, especially the reprehensible Ruth – played with gusto by Jennifer Coolidge – a chance to flesh out their characters and have some fun.
The filmmakers use sleight of hand and fake out in their storytelling, but not in an obvious, condescending way. The execution of the violence is quick and done to shock the viewer and it works. The characters, except for the sweet Marina, are all reprehensible at different levels and that is what makes “Riff Raff” fun.
Roadside Attractions releases "Riff Raff" in theaters on 2/28/25.
