Riff Raff

Vincent's New Year's Eve is turned upside down when his ex-wife, son, and pregnant girlfriend stop by unannounced. Suspicious of their motives, Vincent attempts to prevent his past from catching up with his second family. Unfortunately, as they ring in the new year, Vincent's past also shows up.

Based on the cast, this movie had the potential to be funnier. The story has potential, but there is insufficient backstory to captivate and engage the audience. With one hour and forty-three minutes of runtime, more of the time could have been spent setting up more punchlines. Fans of any of the cast members might find this movie worth a stream.

I honestly tend to have low expectations with star studded casts as if it means it's going to bomb. This film was obnoxiously amazing. 40 minutes in and there was zero plot. Every character felt so unnecessarily over dramatic with a stereotypical arch. It left me riveted, wanting to know what's next. I often felt beyond annoyed one minute, and the next feeling it was brilliant. The younger son's weird quirks felt unnecessary. The entire character and casting choice of Gabriel Union was cringy. I not once believed Harris and Union would ever be a couple and the one scene with the two was gag worthy. Pete and Bill were *chefs kiss* and I loved the Tarantinoesque dynamic of real world encounters with stupid people. Pete's monologue towards the end was hilarious. If the creators purposefully were making fun of these types of movies then it was spot on. This was honestly some of the best acting I've seen from Jennifer Coolidge. Give it a shot. A gummy helps!

Riff Raff (2024) has many good qualities, but also a few gaps. Acting is solid, with credible performances by Ed Harris, Bill Murray, Pete Davidson, and other less familiar actors. The plot offers layers of complexity. Production values are adequate for a mid-budget film. It's watchable, but not thoroughly enjoyable. I liked Ed Harris's Vincent, but couldn't identify with him. It was nice to see Bill Murray playing against type. However, I never truly identified with or cared about any of the characters.

Some scenes seemed familiar and predictable. There was possibly an overreliance on flashbacks. It seemed a bit awkwardly politically correct with an interracial romance that laced passion. The ending was a bit noir, but spoiled by a Hollywood denouement and a climatic scene that seemed contrived and improbable. The filmmakers offer exposition on family that doesn't quite fit the action, but leave the viewer wondering what it all meant.

I don't typically write a lot of reviews, but looking at the comments, it seems that a lot of people found the beginning to be boring which soured their opinion of the movie. I don't quite understand that.

The characters are quirky and the repertoire was phenomenal. There's a lot of nuance in the characters you'd miss in the dialogue if you weren't paying attention. It's almost like a more crass Aaron Sorkin script.

That being said it's not Aaron Sorkin, but it's definitely not boring when it comes to character development. It's one of the few movies where the film timeline moves slowly, BUT you a great amount of character development. This would an amazing TV show.

I went into this movie blind, having only seen the cast list and description. No Trailer. But a dark comedy with a great ensemble cast? Yes Please!

But the movie is sparse with comedy. Some light chuckles here and there. Some characters are just sad, like Coolidge. Everyone portrayed their characters very well though.

The story does a lot flash backs and time jumps. Almost everything is a cut away. It's not a novel story, it's actually very familiar. Actors play their usual tropes. Ed Harris moves on from his troubled past until it catches up to him.

Good use of scenery and music.

It's all well acted, well shot, but meanders without comedy. It was an entertaining watch. But a better script would have given the great cast more to do.

6.5*/10*

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