RIFF RAFF FILM REVIEW

*NO SPOILERS AHEAD*

“Revenge is best served up family style.“

Riff Raff is a film starring Ed Harris as Vincent, who is an ex-criminal that has retired to a quiet family life with his wife Sandy (Gabrielle Union) and their son DJ (Miles J. Harvey). DJ is getting set to go off to college so the trio are spending time in a remote cabin when Vincent’s son Rocco (Lewis Pullman,) his pregnant girlfriend Marina (Emanuela Postacchini,) and ex-wife Ruth ( Jennifer Coolidge) all show up unexpectedly warning them that gangsters Leftie and Lonnie played by Bill Murray and Pete Davidson are coming after them.

The film is full of veteran all-stars in the film industry, bringing a collection of talent that mesh together hilariously. Right off the bat, the heart and soul of this film is Miles J. Harvey, who plays an innocent teenager with a troubled childhood and yet has kept his sense of wonder. His acting brings a light-hearted feel to this film, which ties into the drama in a wonderful way. The interactions between him, Gabrielle Union, and Ed Harris are what drew me in initially as the film kicked off.

“Behind every laugh, there’s a bullet with someone’s name on it.”

I will admit it took me off guard seeing Lewis Pullman playing a hardened and messy criminal, as I am used to seeing him in roles such as Bob in Top Gun. Yet, his range is evident, and you quickly forget about his quirky straight edge roles as Lewis melts into his character seamlessly. Murray and Davidson tie off this cast as the duo also have fun back and forth banter, making this film’s comedic style work.

This film, at its core, is all about family and how, despite being messy at times, they will be there for one another. It is a film that has a lot of heart in it, which I did not expect when I started to watch it. At times, the raunchy comedy, particularly from Jennifer Coolidge, seems misplaced and thrown in there to come off as edgy, but despite that, I found it to be enjoyable. The climax of the film brings about tense moments that show off well-written dialogue between the cast, showing that Director Dito Montiel was able to show off the talents of everyone in this cast.

Final Thoughts:

Riff Raff is a messy Family comedy drama that shows that even the worst families can come together. It has its share of laughs and tense moments, which I think will find the right audience.

Overall Grade: 3 out of 5 stars.

Riff Raff is only in theaters on February 28th!

Check out more from Matt: http://hops-geek-news.com