The new film Riff Raff, directed by Dito Montiel, is a pitch-black comedy that follows Vincent, a former criminal played by Ed Harris, whose quiet family life is upended when his estranged son Rocco (Lewis Pullman), Rocco’s mother and Vincent’s ex-wife (Jennifer Coolidge), and Rocco’s pregnant wife, Marina (Emanuela Postacchini), show up on his doorstep after an incident that sends them on the run.
As Vincent’s past collides with his present in hilariously chaotic ways, two assassins are hot on Rocco’s trail: Bill Murray, delivering his signature dry wit with a simmering undercurrent of menace, and Pete Davidson as Leftie, a bookish yet dangerously unhinged partner.
The cast is stacked, and they bring plenty to the table. While the film occasionally feels slightly undercooked — almost unfinished in places — it still engages, thrills, and delivers plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. When I say this is a dark comedy, I mean dark. The film is violent and bleak, reflecting some of the harsher aspects of our times. Yet, balancing out that darkness are grounded, heartwarming performances from Gabrielle Union as Vincent’s new wife, Sandy, and Miles J. Harvey as her son, D.J., who brings a lot of warmth and humor to brighten the film’s grim worldview.
Overall, I enjoyed Riff Raff. It’s an entertaining way to spend an evening, especially if you’re in the mood for a comedy that doesn’t shy away from its darker impulses.
Riff Raff is now in theaters.
