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Sometimes, when it comes to big screen productions, not even the most illustrious cast of Hollywood's finest can help a movie become a hit, as proven by recent star-studded duds like Amsterdam, Cats, and Argylle. Such was the case in 2024 with the crime comedy ,with the caper featuring the talents of famous faces like Jennifer Coolidge, Bill Murray, and Ed Harris and telling the story of a reformed criminal whose life is once again turned upside down with the arrival of his estranged family over a holiday vacation.

Despite a seriously stacked ensemble and an intriguing premise, Riff Raff failed to make a splash with either critics or audiences, nabbing just a 56% Rotten Tomatoes score and a slightly better 58% Popcornmeter score from fans. Many felt that the talents of the cast were severely underused and that the comedy as a whole was convoluted and clunky, which is likely why the film fell under the radar of so many people. Let's take a closer look at Riff Raff and why it missed the mark.

. While at their secluded cabin in Maine, Vincent, his significantly younger wife Sandy (Gabrielle Union), and son D.J. (Miles J. Harvey) are shocked when their idyllic getaway is interrupted by the arrival of Vincent's eldest son Rocco (Lewis Pullman) and his pregnant girlfriend, who just committed a murder in self-defense.

Rocco also brings along his lustful, foul-mouthed mother Ruth (Coolidge), Vincent's ex-wife, who still harbors unresolved feelings towards her former flame, with the surprising family reunion attracting the ire of Sandy. along with his psychopathic protégé Lonnie (Pete Davidson), looking to settle the score for Rocco's crime while setting the stage for one explosive homecoming and bloody showdown.

With comedian extraordinaire Bill Murray appearing as the crime caper's main antagonist, going toe-to-toe with Golden Globe-winner Ed Harris, . While there's no denying that the talented stars did the most with their respective roles and the material they were given, it also became glaringly obvious to audiences that the movie fell flat with its delivery and that the underwhelming screenplay brought nothing new to the table.

In fact, the biggest complaint by users on IMDb was that director Dito Montiel and writer John Pollono largely wasted the skills of their decorated ensemble, with many feeling as though and that it didn't know what kind of movie it was attempting to be. Users also agreed that the story had great potential to be truly entertaining, but ultimately failed to create an engaging backstory for the eclectic characters, all of which resulted in a lackluster 5.7 IMDb rating based on 4,500 reviews.

Likewise, Riff Raff didn't get a ton of love on Rotten Tomatoes, with c, awarding the film a measly 56% Rotten Tomatoes score. That's not to say that the crime comedy didn't have some bright moments throughout its 103-minute run, namely the amusing banter between Murray and Davidson as their murderous counterparts in search of Harris's Vincent. Its handling of complex, familiar relationships and its overall quirky and chaotic energy helped elevate the movie into a laid-back popcorn flick.

In his positive review of the film, Richard Roeper commended the dynamic between Murray and his fellow Saturday Night Live alum, writing that he and Davidson are "hilarious and yet somehow suitably menacing as a couple of killers who will shoot you dead just because you happened to hear their names." Coolidge was also a riot as the filthy, booze-loving Ruth, brilliantly playing off of her co-stars and further proving why she is one of Hollywood's most vivacious performers. Though Riff Raff may not be some transcending film, the offbeat comedy is still a fun way to pass the time, and audiences will enjoy seeing its colorful cast unite.

Stream Riff Raff on Hulu.