A crime-dipped dramedy with an all-star cast, led by reliable director Dito Montiel (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, The Son of No One), was enough to put Riff Raff on my must-see list well before it debuted at 2024’s Toronto International Film Festival. The wicked sense of humor and chaotic family hijinks lead to an endlessly entertaining genre mashup. While there are clear standouts, Montiel’s latest is definitely an ensemble piece—Jennifer Coolidge as a foul-mouthed drunken divorcee could not have been better casting. The family twist here sets it apart from other like-minded titles. Taking a heartfelt approach to a dysfunctional family enmeshed in the middle of a revenge plot, Riff Raff gives us a moody ensemble crime thriller punctuated by a darkly comedic bite.
Narrated by college hopeful DJ (Miles J. Harvey, The Babysitter, Super Cool), our window into the craziness his family unit unleashes, Riff Raff pulls the age-old tactic of beginning at the end. DJ holds a gun to the head of his adoptive father, Vince (Ed Harris, Game Change, Westworld), as he contemplates shooting him dead. How did we get to this point? Well, according to DJ, when family is tested, one can almost “become a different person.” Flash back to Vince teaching DJ how to even hold a gun in the first place. Having been dumped by his girlfriend and preparing to start his freshman year at Dartmouth the following month, DJ has no idea that his entire life is about to be upended.
Vince’s biological son, Rocco (Lewis Pullman, Skincare, Top Gun: Maverick), shows up to the family’s vacation home deep within the woods, his pregnant girlfriend, Marina (Emanuela Postacchini, Robots, Who Is America?), and unconscious mother, Ruth (Coolidge, The White Lotus, Best in Show), in tow. Why has Rocco come to disturb the peace? The truth may be more complicated than it initially appears. Hot on Rocco’s tail are bumbling Lefty (Bill Murray, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day) and Lonnie (Pete Davidson, The King of Staten Island, Bodies Bodies Bodies), seeking revenge for the collateral damage Rocco has left behind. Tensions are already running high—Vince does not want DJ exposed to Ruth’s abrasiveness, nor to Rocco’s rambunctious behavior. Little does he know, Lefty and Lonnie are coming for retribution, so Vince’s ramshackle extended family may be the least of his concerns.
Despite being top-billed, Jennifer Coolidge is most assuredly a supporting actress at best—while that may disappoint some, she voraciously consumes every second on screen. At times funny, crass, and unpredictable, Ruth becomes weirdly likable thanks to Coolidge. Her redemption arc from absolute train wreck to a key player in the climax would be difficult to juggle in the hands of a lesser actress. Every single line she delivers comes across either laugh-out-loud hilarious or brutally savage. With such a large ensemble cast, many characters get lost in the shuffle to the point that they receive minimal development. Vince’s second wife, played by Gabrielle Union (Bring It On, Deliver Us From Eva), barely registers; Union deserves a meatier role. More time spent with the two villains would help to make their arc a tad more layered. While the mix of crime, comedy, and family drama mostly works, occasionally these shifts can feel a bit jarring.
A final shootout helps to provide a cathartic release of the tightly-building tension, also managing to unleash a potent twist on the audience at large. Refreshingly, we learn this at the same time as the other characters. We are never ahead of their own personal knowledge. It would have been nice to see a bit more of the fallout post-shootout; as is, the ending is a bit abrupt, as it underlines its final thematic thrust. Despite the chaos, there is an odd sweetness to the relationships—namely, Rocco and Marina’s love story, which we get to experience separately from both of their points of view. They add a sincere emotional core to the haphazard bonds tied to some of the others. Riff Raff makes for an entertaining wild ride. Between the sharp dialogue and insane bursts of action, it should leave genre fans with plenty to talk about afterwards.
Riff Raff unfolds a domestic crime dramedy in theaters nationwide on Friday, February 28th.
