As the Toronto Film Festival comes to an end this weekend, one of the last films to premiere is Riff Raff. A star-studded crime comedy that centers around a fractured New England family. One side from the main character's first marriage full of bickering, abuse, and illegal activity and the other from his newer, more lavish, picturesque marriage. I had no idea what to expect going into Riff Raff, but what soon followed was a story full of twists, turns, heartfelt moments, and some old school shock and awe.
In terms of cast, Riff Raff might be the most high profile entry at TIFF this year. With key players consisting of Ed Harris, Gabrielle Union, Bill Murray, Lewis Pullman, Pete Davidson, and of course, the fabulous, Jennifer Coolidge. Director, Dito Montiel does a great job at organizing this cast of unlikely characters to create something on screen that's relatable yet extraordinary.
Ed Harris stars as main character, Vincent, an elderly husband and father hiding a dark secret from his family about his life before he met them. Bill Murray stars as ruthless killer, Lefty, who acts as the ghost of Vincent's unsavory past. There's something eerie about seeing comedy legend, Bill Murray play someone who holds people hostage and shoots them on a whim, but something about his performance just feels right. While Harris and Murray both give stellar performances, the true star of the show is Jennifer Coolidge playing the role of Ruth, Vincent's absolute mess of an ex-wife. She's a junkie, nymphomaniac who doesn't know where she is half the time and loves Celine Dion, what's not to love? She plays her character with this unique flawed charm, and even though she is a self admitted terrible person, you can't help but find yourself rooting for her. Most of her lines resulted in full-on belly laughs from the audience when it premiered this week.
For the past year or so, Coolidge has finally been getting her flowers from audiences and thus has received much more work. But in my opinion, it's still not enough. We all need more Jennifer Coolidge in our lives.x
What's interesting about Riff Raff is that it evolves with each scene. It progresses going coming-of-age, to straight comedy, to crime drama, and then back to coming-of-age again. Lately I've been seeing films that struggle with balancing drama and comedy, but this is not one of those films. Director, Dito Montiel and writer, John Pollono treat the family aspect of this film with a delicate hand, but never take themselves too seriously.
I am insanely biased, but a large part of why I enjoyed this film was much was the humble New England setting. Specifically, during the week leading up to New Year's Day. The film takes place in Maine, and being from the neighboring state of Massachusetts, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia. The bare, grey, dead looking forest that surrounded the family's vacation home in the Maine wilderness conjured up memories of playing in my backyard and walking home from school in the dreary New England weather. Not to mention the handful of references to my hometown of Boston, which is something I share with Jennifer Coolidge. Not only do I appreciate the sheer mention of this region, but the film gets the atmosphere completely right. While watching Riff Raff, I could feel myself reminiscing about my own complicated family gatherings while New England was grey and dismal.
While I certainly did not walk into Riff Raff with any expectations, it is an extremely entertaining watch. Aside from some violence and language, it'll be a great film to watch with your family when it comes out, hopefully this winter!
Commentaires