Riff Raff

I hadn't seen any advertising whatsoever for Riff Raff and wasn't sure what to expect. Because of that, I did not even watch the trailer before coming to a showing. All I knew was that it had Bill Murray and Jennifer Coolidge, and I didn't need more convincing than that. And boy, was I in for a quirky and funny tale.

Riff Raff is a pretty contained story, mostly happening in one setting save for a few flashbacks, and moves slowly. I don't mind, though, as most of the scenes act as little vignettes revealing more and more backstory to the mysterious, chaotic opening scene. Because of the film's voiceover, it's essentially a movie version of the "Yup, that's me. You're probably wondering how I ended up in this situation" meme (which apparently is one real Mandela effect of a meme). But I love that.

It's different than most of the movies I've watched lately, and its unique (to me) narrative structure is likely part of that. I've often been curious about the mechanics of telling a story in virtually one setting in a compelling way. How could it be done visually and narratively interesting? And if it couldn't, were you relying too much on the flash of setting changes to get by? Perhaps not necessarily, but Riff Raff takes its sweet time meandering around our cast of characters until we finally realize just how "[we] ended up in this situation."

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...Riff Raff takes its sweet time meandering around our cast of characters until we finally realize just how "[we] ended up in this situation."

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We have our retired contractor "Vincent" (Ed Harris) who tries to show his adopted son "DJ" (Myles J. Harvey) the ropes of life but has much less time for his biological son "Rocco" (Lewis Pullman) who bursts back into Vincent's life late one night with his pregnant girlfriend "Marina" (Emanuela Postacchini), closely followed by Rocco's mother "Ruth" (Jennifer Coolidge) who is nothing like Vincent's current wife "Sandy" (Gabrielle Union). Vincent's family is kind of like that friend you really care about, but they're also kind of a train wreck and you can't look away because you're so mystified as to how they made it this far in life.

And who knows what "Lefty" (Bill Murray) and "Lonnie" (Pete Davidson) are up to as they flit in and out of our main story.

Riff Raff is partially framed by a voiceover from DJ. Sometimes, it's true: voiceovers are cliché and a cheat at exposition dumping. BUT, when it's used effectively, like here, it helps contextualize and shape the story. We might not belong to a family like Vincent's, but DJ is also oblivious to his dad's past, so hearing the story as DJ tells it makes sense. For a moment, it sounds like DJ's narrating his college admission essay, and I still find the essay trope grating and cliché. BUT that's really only because it's not necessary here.

As I mentioned, Riff Raff's scenes are constructed as mini vignettes, and the characters' conversations reveal more about how they got here. Because we aren't given all the information upfront (and there's a team of hitmen hot on our tails), a delicious tension runs underneath (which is so perfect given that the primarily one-setting film with flashbacks can move slowly at times). Mad props to writer John Pollono for that.

BUT, because I'm an awful person, I must add there is, unfortunately, a scene close to the end where Rocco ends up explaining exactly what he's doing at his dad's place. Given the previous scenes, each building upon the other, I hoped this big reveal wouldn't have essentially come about by a "just tell me why you're here!" moment. It deserved a better lead-in, or at least a more natural one. BUT it doesn't ruin the story for me. It's just something that could've been better integrated.

Now, not only does this film feature the comedic delivery of Jennifer Coolidge, but I'd also like to use this time to speak to the duo that is Bill Murray and Pete Davidson. Gosh, I loved 'em. One of their first scenes together at a gas station came out of left field for me. It is so dark and so onbeat, setting such a great tone for the rest of their scenes. There's a bit with Murray talking about chimpanzees where I laughed out loud in the theater. Couldn't help it. It absolutely killed me (oof, my jokes are going downhill).

Be warned: there is gory violence and so much language. It's a little bit giving "Steve Rogers" with that note, but, hey, at least I didn't go with the word "pervasive" like the Motion Picture Association (followed closely by "sexual content/nudity and some drug use"). So there's that.

BUT it is quite funny, quite off the wall, and quite worth a ticket to a quirky Tuesday night movie.