Riff Raff: reviews

What the critics say average 5.4 from 15 outlets

• 8.0 ColliderShaina Weatherhead Featuring sidesplitting performances from its stacked cast and some gnarly, shocking twists, Dito Montiel's Riff Raff is as fun as it is jaw-dropping, and will keep you entranced (and at times mildly disturbed), for its entire wacky runtime. Read
• 7.5 San Francisco ChronicleBob Strauss If Quentin Tarantino ever made a family film, it might look like “Riff Raff.” Read
• 7.5 Chicago Sun-TimesRichard Roeper The darkly entertaining but derivative crime comedy/drama “Riff Raff” features an amazing cast — some of them playing the kinds of roles we’ve come to expect from them, others out of their go-to comfort zone but reminding us of their range and versatility. Read
• 7.0 Film ThreatAndy Howell Fortunately, the comedic crime flick has a few other things going for it, including a tight script, twists and turns, surprising violence, and a fair bit of comedy. Read
• 6.3 ReelViewsJames Berardinelli So for those who hang in there long enough, Riff Raff delivers. I just wish the buildup had been more engaging. Read
• 6.0 Los Angeles TimesAmy Nicholson “Riff Raff” is a solid crime comedy with unusual wiring. Read
• 6.0 The GuardianLeslie Felperin But the cast’s enthusiasm, especially that of Coolidge and Murray who are willing to play the most loathsome of people, makes up for a lot. Read
• 5.0 The Hollywood ReporterDavid Rooney Had all those assets been funneled into a movie with some tonal consistency and a script that built credible relationships, the result might have been a nasty bit of fun. Instead, it wobbles awkwardly between creeping mob menace and scrappy sitcom, inching toward a violent climax that still doesn’t acquire cohesion. Read
• 5.0 VarietySiddhant Adlakha Its all-star cast performs admirably, in a film that takes its time to get going, reveals and confronts little once it does, and uses none of its story swerves to build on its dramatic themes, or its one-note humor. Read
• 5.0 Roger EbertTomris Laffly In other words, there doesn’t seem to be a single original bone in this film’s body that gives you a parade of half-baked comedic scenes braided with a trite thriller and family mystery. Read
• 4.2 IndiewireMarya E. Gates Somehow, two decades and half a dozen films later, everything that made his debut film feel fresh has now curdled like bad milk with his latest pitch black comedy “Riff Raff.” Read
• 3.8 Movie NationRoger Moore “Riff Raff” lives down to its title, a trashy movie with a gilded cast — a cast a tad tarnished thanks to the addition of this to their resumes. Read
• 3.0 Screen RantFerdosa Abdi I don’t go out of my way to drag films, as there is so much time and effort put into every project, and a film of this caliber was likely made with the best of intentions. But intending to craft a pitch-black dark crime comedy is different from actually executing one well. And Riff Raff just doesn't land. Read
• 3.0 New York TimesGlenn Kenny Harris and Murray are such reliably engaging screen presences that they provide a few glimmers of entertainment, provided you’re able to set aside the movie’s practically all-encompassing repulsiveness. Read
• 3.0 ABC NewsPeter Travers The fault does not lie with the stars, who do their bonkers best, but with the script by John Pollono that mixes comedy, thriller tropes and violent action with the subtlety of an anvil. Read