Film: Riff Raff
Cast: Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union, Jennifer Coolidge, Bill Murray, Lewis Pullman, Miles J. Harvey, Pete Davidson, P.J. Byrne, Emanuela Postacchini, Michael Angelo Covino
Director: Dito Montiel
Rating: 2/5
Runtime: 103 min

A mashup of crime, comedy and family thriller, this film has an impressive ensemble cast led by Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris, Gabriel Union, Bill Murray and Lewis Pullman, but nothing much to show for it. Their presence is of course entirely wasted in a film that can’t make up its mind about where it wants to go.

The movie begins inventively. DJ (Miles J. Harvey), is seen holding his stepfather Vincent (Harris) at gunpoint.  DJ explains, in a voice over, that none of what we see was supposed to happen. He was in fact, just getting ready to become a freshman at Dartmouth… So the movie goes back in time.

John Pollono’s screenplay takes us back to meet out-of-luck duo, DJ’s step-brother Rocco (Lewis Pullman) and his pregnant Italian girlfriend Marina (Emanuela Postaccihini) who are being targeted by Lonny (Pete Davidson) and Leftie ( Bill Murray), two quirky, ruthless gangsters. Rocco and Marina run to Maine, along with Ruth (Coolidge), Vincent’s spaced out ex-wife, to the cabin where DJ, his Step-dad Vincent and his mother Sandy (Gabrielle Union) live. The gathering may seem like they are home for the holidays but there’s something sinister cooking behind the farcical bonhomie.