“It’s amazing what family is willing to do for each other.”
Director Dito Montiel made a name for himself with a stellar debut in the film world by adapting his memoir, “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints,” ushering Channing Tatum into movie stardom. The film explored estranged family dynamics and what one is willing to do to avoid the seduction of violence. It propelled Montiel into the stratosphere of indie cult followings, aided by the director’s keen sense for flashbacks and comedy to illustrate difficult relationships.
It seems that Montiel’s taste hasn’t changed much since his early 2000s beginnings. The filmmaker continues his signature outlook on life with the new crime comedy “Riff Raff,” which debuts this week at the Toronto International Film Festival. Montiel takes his audience on a wild ride, focusing on a Maine family that appears idyllic from the outside. However, their inner struggles, shared past and criminal activities boil to the surface one New Year’s Eve.
The opening sequence of “Riff Raff” presents a father and son in complete disarray. DJ (Miles J. Harvey) holds a gun to his stepfather Vincent’s (Ed Harris) temple as the elder begs for the teenager to go ahead and shoot. DJ instantly comes across as an innocent person (and we soon learn he most definitely is), but how did we get here? What could possibly have happened to this family that results in a son trying to kill the one man he’s ever looked up to in life?
Harvey plays the Dartmouth-bound DJ with incredible naivete, though he is often perceived as a brainiac while being charismatic to a fault. Having lost his biological father to a car accident, DJ’s mom (Gabrielle Union) marries Vincent and establishes a wonderful life that includes a vacation home in a remote part of Maine. But their holiday plans come to a screeching halt with the arrival of Vincent’s disheveled oldest son, Rocco (Lewis Pullman), Rocco’s pregnant girlfriend (Emanuela Postacchini) and Vincent’s alcoholic ex-wife, Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge).
House guests from hell, Rocco and company are clearly on the run from something or someone, but it isn’t initially apparent why. Lefty (Bill Murray) and Lonnie (Pete Davidson), a criminal duo with a vendetta against Rocco and his family, seem to be hot on their trail. But we learn there’s more than meets the eye as Montiel’s utilization of flashbacks assists in thrusting the past into the present.
As New Year’s Eve slowly materializes and Rocco’s erratic behavior becomes more transparent, Vincent’s former life decisions increasingly come to a head. The dynamics at play don’t develop into one big happy family reunion, but there’s no denying that they will all need to band together to defeat the evil set to arrive at their doorstep.
“Riff Raff” is aptly titled, as it describes almost everyone in this film: undesirable humans who see others as disposable and are heavily influenced by their own selfish actions. Coolidge plays Ruth as the hot mess express that she is, exhibiting both gumption and horniness when scared. Pullman and Postacchini are pitch perfect as a modern Bonnie and Clyde, defending themselves against Lefty’s criminal empire and Vincent’s estrangement.
But Harvey as DJ gives this movie the heart it needs. Comedic elements seep into the crime thriller that “Riff Raff” desperately wants to be. Yet, Harvey’s genuine sense of self and magnetic obliviousness to his family’s dysfunction make the film worth all of the chaotic dialogue and blood-soaked happenings. DJ’s story and positive outlook on life create hilarity for the family unit he was adopted into, the polar opposite of his older half-brother and the stepfather he’s come to idolize…though should he?
“Riff Raff” is a shaky balance of comedy and thrills, with tonal shifts towards the end that leave much to be desired. The ensemble cast is wonderful together, each having fun playing with complicated relationships and filthy conflicts of interest. But these characters demonstrate what it means to be a modern family, bound together by blood and marriage, defending one another when times get extremely tough.
Most families don’t have nearly as much bloodshed while ringing in the new year, but that doesn’t stop Montiel from introducing his wicked version of “Auld Lang Syne.”
