‘Riff Raff’ Review: A Well-Acted Crime Drama With An All-Star Cast And Uneven Tone

How do you move on in your life when your past keeps catching up with you?

That’s the question Roadside Attractions’ new crime drama film Riff Raff tries to answer. Starring a small-but-heavy-hitting cast with Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union, Bill Murray, Jennifer Coolidge, and Pete Davidson, there’s no shortage of serious talent. But does this slow-burn movie, playing out over two tumultuous days at a gorgeous cabin in the woods, hit all the marks? Read on for a spoiler-free review of Riff Raff.

A fresh take on the crime drama genre.

The holidays are all about family right? But when Vincent’s (Ed Harris) son Rocco (Lewis Pullman) from his first marriage shows up on his doorstep late at night with his pregnant girlfriend (Emanuela Postacchini) and passed-out mom (Jennifer Coolidge), it’s harder than ever for the man to enjoy New Year’s in his new family’s forest cabin.

Things are already tense between the new arrivals and Vincent’s current wife (Gabrielle Union) and step-son DJ (Miles J. Harvey), but things only get worse as their short visit goes on. Why? Because revenge is best-served in a remote cabin surrounded by the snowy wilderness, apparently. Both Rocco and Vincent’s past is coming to find them, and they may not like what happens next.

Crime dramas, especially dealing with organized crime and revenge, are rarely quiet. They often have impactful action scenes, car chases, and the occasional dramatic shoot-out. Instead, Riff Raff, takes a more measured approach, doling out the drama and backstory bit by bit. Because of this, the viewer gets to know each character, at once sympathizing and hating them as more information is divulged. Riff Raff is more of a character study than a straight-up crime movie, and it does this very well.

Stellar acting from everyone on the cast.

There are no duds here. While the cast list is small, they really packed in the heavy-hitters. With industry greats like Ed Harris, Bill Murray, and Gabrielle Union and fan favorites like Jennifer Coolidge and Pete Davidson, you can imagine things are going to be good. I especially enjoyed Coolidge’s and Davidson’s performances. They were able to step out of their type-casting and dissolve into entirely well-realized and well-fleshed-out characters.

Also, props to the newer actor on the list, Miles J. Harvey, who plays DJ. As the step-son of Ed Harris’s Vincent, he plays a stark contrast to the rest of the cast. His teenage innocence is a much-needed counterpart to the gritty portrayals otherwise found in Riff Raff. The casting and acting as a whole are by far the best parts of this film.

A tone that never quite lands.

The weakest part of Riff Raff is the tone. The film begins with a voiceover by DJ that sounds more fitting of a teen comedy than it does a crime drama. And the fourth-wall-breaking voiceovers continue from there, sparse enough that it makes you wonder if they were really necessary at all.

Rather than giving the audience much-needed backstory or further fleshing-out DJ’s character, the voiceovers instead muddled the tone of the film. DJ is an innocent and likeable character. While we need him in the movie, unchanged, adding his voiceover does nothing more than hurt the final product. Not only would taking out the voiceovers not damage the final product, but it would likely make it so much stronger.

Despite the uneven tone, Riff Raff is still a fun, dramatic watch with stellar performances from everyone involved.

Watch Riff Raff in theaters February 28.