Riff Raff, 2025.
Directed by Dito Montiel.
Starring Miles J. Harvey, Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union, Bill Murray, Lewis Pullman, Pete Davidson, P.J. Byrne, Emanuela Postacchini, Angelic Zambrana, Michael Angelo Covino, Derrick Simmons, Sage Spielman, Lucinda Carr, Craig ‘Radio Man’ Castaldo, and Brooke Dillman.
SYNOPSIS:
A former criminal’s ordinary life, which is turned upside down when his old family shows up for a long-awaited reunion.
Attempting to be a darkly comedic coming-of-age story through a family’s revealed secrets and history of crime, director Dito Montiel and screenwriter John Pollono are only halfway committed to that premise. Riff Raff begins and ends with narration from science nerd, college-bound DJ (Miles J. Harvey) waxing philosophical about family, while in between, reunited with estranged relatives from his stepfather Vincent (Ed Harris) ranging from the soon-to-be-father stepbrother Rocco (Lewis Pullman) and vulgar stepmom Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge) with the intention seemingly being to teach him some life lessons and help him grow.
Even one of the first scenes shows DJ confiding to Vincent about being friend-zoned, with the stepfather letting him in on a family secret while asserting the young man to never settle for a girl who didn’t want to be with him. Rocco has grabbed his pregnant girlfriend Marina (Emanuela Postacchini) and his mom to hide out with his father’s new family, desperately trying to flee and stay hidden from someone.
Meanwhile, career criminals Hannegan (Bill Murray) and Lonnie (Pete Davidson) are driving into the middle of rural nowhere, searching for which of Vincent’s multiple houses he is at, which, by extension, would theoretically lead him to Rocco. While it wouldn’t be fair to say that the reunion is initially full of happy vibes, it is an otherwise moment of rare unity threatened to be ruined once they arrive. As Vincent is around his previous family, he also slips into the foul, angry man he was before meeting Sandy (Gabrielle Union), falling in love and vowing to take care of her and her son for the rest of his life (which, not to be grim, realistically already can’t be that long given that Ed Harris is probably already over twice her age.)
The more significant point here is that once the elements of crime and violence come to the front, whatever coming-of-age intentions that were present before mostly fade away in favor of a stab at pulp that doesn’t work considering the tone is all over the place with jokes that come from a place of cliché rather than character. Take Jennifer Coolidge, who isn’t necessarily playing a character but a version of what audiences have come to expect from her as a performer. As a result, the humor doesn’t land. Then there is one late twist that feels forced, trying to add more emotional weight to a narrative where the story and emotions are already tough to take seriously. Unsurprisingly, this talented ensemble tries their best to make the film, at the very least, watchable and time-wasting entertainment but is unable to distract from the confounding nature of the project.
By the time most of these characters are placed in life-or-death danger, one doesn’t feel suspense but instead wonders if Riff Raff will switch tones completely and kill off protagonists one by one or if they will miraculously and clumsily survive while turning the tables against the hitmen. The problem is that neither outcome would fit the film, although I won’t spoil which one of those options you get. If anything, the clashing tones are in rhythm whenever following Bill Murray and Pete Davidson as mild-mannered hitmen who dish out violence at the flip of a switch; a sequence involving neighbors is a hilarious highlight. Instead, we are unfortunately stuck with the riff-raff.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews and follow my BlueSky or Letterboxd
