We were joined on the Popternative show by Riff Raff stars Emauela Postacchini (Robots) and Miles J. Harvey (The Babysitter), and director Dito Montiel to discuss Montiel’s latest crime comedy flick. Montiel’s Riff Raff features Postacchini and Harvey as Marina and DJ, two characters who come from different parts of the life of former crime lord, Vincent.
Postacchini and Harvey are joined on-screen by iconic stars including Ed Harris, Bill Murray, The White Lotus’s Jennifer Coolidge, SNL’s Pete Davidson, Thunderbolts’s Lewis Pullman, and Being Mary Jane’s Gabrielle Union.
Riff Raff follows Vincent, an ex-criminal who wants a peaceful life from all the troubles he’s caused. He and his wife, Sandy, have fostered a good family with their son DJ, who’s set to head to college after winter break. However, when Vincent’s disowned son, Rocco, and his family abruptly show up at his door, things slowly turn for the worse. With two infamous gangsters, Leftie and Lonnie, on their track, Vincent and his two families must figure out a safe way out.
Through this premise, it’s clear that viewers are in for a treat with Vincent’s two worlds clashing. However, the way Riff Raff establishes this through its back-and-forth editing between both storylines pulls from other films like Goodfellas and Blue Velvet. In a thematic sense, this means the film has much to handle.
“There’s so much I try for me,” Dito said. “I wish I had more of a plan in life. But I mean, I don’t really think of genre or thematic things too much. Sure, I thought it was funny reading it, but I try to think like the family.”
“If the elements come together, great! I feel like you’re in, at least I’m in pretty good hands with this caliber of actors, where I don’t have to worry,” Dito explained.
In addition, the editing of Riff Raff plays an important role when transitioning between the calm moments in the present and the action-packed flashbacks. There are so many of these transitions that will really reel you in, but there’s one that stood out the most.
“I was excited about one of the big episodes with Lewis in the restaurant, you know, he gets pretty violent,” Dito recalled. “I thought, oh, this is gonna be kind of fun, because, to me, the whole movie was like, DJ had to work, who luckily enough, Miles Harvey showed up to do it.”
“I’m thinking, ‘Okay, DJ, he’s the only person who doesn’t know what happened and he keeps asking, no one gives this guy any answers,’” Dito explained. “And that scene, I thought, was going to play out interestingly, between him trying to figure out what’s going on. Nobody wants to tell him, but there’s a lot going on.”
Speaking about DJ, both DJ and Marina’s relationship is incredibly unique given their positions in Vincent’s life. However, they surprisingly share a lot more in common with each other than some might expect.
“We spent a lot of time together off set: me, Emanuela and Lewis, you know, [that] bondage,” Miles said. “It made it really easy, that brother and sister connection, it made it very easy to develop that chemistry.”
“Going out, eating food and talking and just talking [about] life and everything,” Emanuela recalled. “I really felt like, you know, Miles or DJ could be my younger brother. So I really, I could feel that. And Marina could feel that. So that made a huge difference.”
Watch the conversation with Emanuela Postacchini, Miles J. Harvey and Dito Montiel below.
Riff Raff releases in theaters on February 28.
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.