By John Corrado

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5th to 15th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

Directed by Dito Montiel, Riff Raff is an enjoyable dark comedy that mostly just lets its all-star comic cast (including the likes of Jennifer Coolidge, Bill Murray, and Pete Davidson) do their thing. And it’s a wise choice, with their collective talents turning this into a fun film about family, laced with pitch-black humour.

The film is set at the home of Vince (Ed Harris), where things are falling apart over the holidays. Despite having a past, Vince now has a happy life with his wife Sandy (Gabrielle Union) and their sweet-natured young adult son DJ (Miles J. Harvey). But things take a turn when Vince’s eldest son Rocco (Lewis Pullman) arrives unexpectedly, with his very pregnant Italian girlfriend Marina (Emanuela Postacchini) and his mother – Vince’s first wife – Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge). In hot pursuit is Lefty (Bill Murray) and his sidekick Lonny (Pete Davidson), who has unfinished business with Rocco.

The screenplay by John Pollono does a fine job of setting up each of these characters, and weaving them all together. But it’s mainly the cast here that does the heavy lifting. Coolidge embraces the role of the brash, inappropriate, often drunk Ruth, and every filthy thing that comes out of her mouth is hilarious. Murray relishes the chance to play a bad guy, laced with his usual sarcastic humour, while Davidson tag teams him as the dimwitted protégé.

The film itself does pretty much exactly what you expect with the crime comedy genre, and doesn’t break any new ground (the production itself also looks and feels like it could easily find a home on VOD). But the cast elevates the material, and keeps this off-beat Christmas comedy surprisingly entertaining to watch. It’s actually one of the better surprises of this year’s festival.

Film Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)

Public Screenings: Monday, September 9th, 12:00 PM at Princess of Wales; Tuesday, September 10th, 12:00 PM at TIFF Lightbox; Friday, September 13th, 1:00 PM at Scotiabank Theatre; Saturday, September 14th, 3:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre; Sunday, September 15th, 9:00 AM at TIFF Lightbox