Families forged out of ensembles
Riff Raff:
Families are… complicated. The messiness which arises from poor communication has produced numerous comedies through time. However, the experience you get when combining family comedy with a bunch of assassins is uniquely felt in Dito Montiel’s new film Riff Raff.
The film features an all-star ensemble with Jennifer Coolidge, Gabrielle Union, Bill Murray, Pete Davidson, Ed Harris, and more. Employing a Ferris Bueller-like voiceover harkens back to the 80s coming-of-age comedies while employing darker and more adult elements.
We follow DJ (played by Miles J. Harvey) as his blended family gets involved in his stepdad’s (Ed Harris) previous life as a hitman. When DJ’s stepbrother arrives at their family retreat alongside his pregnant partner (Emanuela Postacchini) and unconscious mother (Jennifer Coolidge), an unfortunate family reunion takes the stage. Hijinks ensue while Harris’ old colleague (Bill Murray) pursues his family promising revenge.
The film asks how far we are willing to go for our family, and with whom we truly want to build a family. Taking place largely in one location at a secluded lodge, characters combat and grow through quippy one-liners and brutal violence. Coolidge commands the screen in every frame. Her line deliveries land perfectly, and she brings her heart to more dramatic moments.
Overall, this film is a fun dark comedy with a group of actors doing what they do best. Some moments stand out as highlights, such as when two nosey and naive neighbours get too close to the action. Riff Raff achieves its status as an enjoyable excursion, but fails to aim higher than its cast’s existing talents.
The Last Showgirl:
This Pamela Anderson star vehicle shines most through its actors and visual style. The film follows Shelly (played by Pamela Anderson) as her career-spanning show on the Las Vegas strip prepares to close abruptly. Reckoning with the end of her time on stage, Shelly plans for her future and connects with her family, both past and present.
Anderson’s leading performance provides her with more layers and nuance to explore than in some of her previous works. She brings a heart to the character which can only come from lived experience and years of neglect by the entertainment industry. In the pursuit of her dreams, she is persistent and forceful. Yet, her character Shelly has allowed her ambition to hinder her connections to family and fellow dancers. Anderson brings humanity as a mother trying her best while climbing an industry that has long counted her out.
Other strong supporting performances come from Kiernan Shipka as Jodie, and Brenda Song as Mary-Anne, rounding out the dance line facing the curtain call. Each adds a unique personality and varied perspective to their roles. The three actresses provide separate angles from their positions at the beginning, middle, and end of their careers. Shipka especially juggles both a liveliness for comedic moments, and child-like vulnerability when seeking family from Anderson’s Shelly.
Shot on film, the world of Las Vegas feels stripped bare. The glamour of past years has dried up in the desert. However, the dialogue can tend to feel over-written. In an effort to explicitly state the characters’ motives and feelings, the film relies upon unnatural monologues rather than just the strength of its cast.
Overall, The Last Showgirl provides an interesting perspective on nostalgia, and elevated opportunities for a wonderful cast. Yet, the heart of this film could have excelled beyond just the performances with stronger writing, providing space for the type of connection its characters themselves desire.
Saturday Night:
The thrill of live entertainment is a unique power which many filmmakers have chased throughout their careers. In Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, the lightning pace, web of connecting stories, and countdown to showtime, the audience is fully brought behind the scenes of such an event. Following the story of the first episode of Saturday Night Live, this film stitches together a multitude of stories from that early era in order to emulate the spirit of the times. The characters emphasise that a revolution is coming, promising a new perspective onto the media landscape. Saturday Night sets the stage for the industry where this decades-long television landmark entered, and why it was doubted. Employing different long takes to situate the audience in the middle of this production, it perfectly captures the chaos before a show.
Shot on gorgeous 16mm film, this ensemble cast of rising comedic talents including Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Dylan O’Brien, Finn Wolfhard, and Nicholas Braun commit fully to the strangeness, youthfulness, and fun of their characters. The production and costume design excel at setting the time period, recreating signature looks, and breathing life into this world. Jon Batiste’s score is especially lively and matches the emotional pacing perfectly. Taking note from the subject of the film itself, Batiste recorded much of the score live on set, employing moments of improvisation to leave the audience guessing what will happen next.
While the film captures its emotional points with ease, its overt framing of Saturday Night Live as an underdog can feel excessive. The challenges which stood in the way of the film are brought up frequently in an attempt to convince the audience that the inevitable success they are already familiar with, may not happen. The film is too enamoured with the lore of its subject to allow their own work to stand separate.
Saturday Night is a thrilling time for audiences seeking out a sense of wacky comedy and nostalgia. The large cast each has brief spotlights in a spirited piece, even when the film itself feels obsessed with its subject matter.
