Riff Raff
Bill Murray goes gangster in director Dito Montiel and writer Jon Pollono's riff on Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino crime pictures.
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Director Dito Montiel’s “Riff Raff” (in select theaters beginning Friday, Feb. 28) feels like a riff on the crime pictures of the Coen brothers and Quentin Tarantino with a dash of David Cronenberg’s “A History of Violence” thrown in for good measure. (Perhaps it’s the inclusion of Ed Harris?). It doesn’t reach the heights of these films, but it’s a tightrope walk of a dark comedy with a killer cast. It doesn’t always hit its mark, but it’s almost always entertaining.
Harris stars as Vincent, a reformed gangster who’s settled into a life of domesticity with his much-younger wife Sandy (Gabrielle Union) and her brainy, good-hearted, teenage progeny DJ (Miles J. Harvey). They’re celebrating the holidays at their home in the country when Rocco (Lewis Pullman), Vincent’s ne’er-do-well with a heart of gold son from his first marriage to Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge), shows up with his pregnant girlfriend Marina (Emanuela Postacchini) and a drugged-up Ruth. Turns out Rocco’s on the run from Vincent’s former associate Lefty (Bill Murray – arguably miscast … it’s fun(ny) to see Murray do mobster shit since he’s Murray, but that doesn’t mean he’s all that good) and his protégé Lonnie (Pete Davidson, bringing weird energy to the party) for reasons I won’t disclose here. He’s shown up at his estranged father’s house with hat in hand looking for help.
“Riff Raff” is scripted by Jon Pollono (he wrote, starred in and directed “Small Engine Repair” a few years back – my review here) and that film was overall a more successful endeavor than this one. Montiel often writes his own stuff (he broke out with “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints,” an adaptation of his memoir back in 2006). Pollono provides the actors with funny lines and wild situations to act out (seeing Murray ape Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh during a convenience store encounter is truly bizzare) and Montiel generally directs them to good performances.
Amid this stacked cast I was especially impressed by relative unknown Harvey. His performance was the best of the bunch and DJ was easily my favorite character. I also really enjoyed the work of Harris (effortlessly alternating between funny, heartfelt and scary), Union (subtly affecting and effective) and Coolidge (She’s a hoot, but then again when isn’t she? Ruth’s interactions with DJ, which I’m assuming Coolidge often improvised, serve as some of the flick’s funniest moments.).
Movies like this can be a tad schizophrenic in nature. Death is often treated like a joke, but it can also be seen as a dire consequence depending upon the character. The glibness on display in “Riff Raff” is arguably its greatest strength and its greatest weakness.