RIFF RAFF
A dull, blood-soaked crime comedy drowning in profanity.
Should You Watch It?
Let's make this an easy one. RIFF RAFF is a violent, swear-heavy crime comedy about a family of killers who killed the wrong man — and it isn't good enough to justify a single minute of what it asks you to sit through.
The problems run in two directions at once. On craft, it's simply stale: one-dimensional characters, a story that unfolds without a single genuine surprise, and any enjoyment strangled by near-constant swearing. On content, it's off the charts — well over a hundred "f" words, brutal bloody killings, sex outside marriage, and a worldview that actively defends murder "under the right circumstances."
There is a faint pulse of a good idea buried here: the theme that all sin is eventually found out. But as our reviewer put it, there are much better ways to learn that lesson. So the practical answer is plain: skip it.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESDJ is a sweet, sheltered kid, shielded from the real world by his family's comfortable wealth. Then the illusion of the perfect family shatters.
Rocco, the son of DJ's stepfather Vincent, shows up at the family's cabin in the woods — ostensibly just so everyone can meet his pregnant girlfriend before the baby arrives. But Vincent is suspicious of his son's real reasons for coming. He's right to be. Trouble is on its way to that cabin, and DJ's quiet world is about to be thrown into chaos.
Is It Any Good?
One star, and even that feels generous. RIFF RAFF is a stale, mediocre movie whose few flickers of energy are smothered by relentless swearing and unnecessary violence.
The characters are relatively one-dimensional, giving the capable cast little to work with. The story develops without any surprises or major twists — you can see every beat coming from the moment the setup lands. What's left is a crime comedy that isn't especially funny and a thriller that isn't especially thrilling. As our reviewer said flatly, it's not interesting enough to watch in the first place.
The Worldview
RIFF RAFF runs on a strong Romantic worldview shot through with humanism and even pro-evolution talk. Its characters follow their hearts and whatever seems right to them, believing they are the makers of their own destiny and the ones who set the rules. They feel little to no remorse for past sins, and the film's young narrator can't stop musing about evolution and how it pertains to sex.
More troubling still, the movie actually defends murder — arguing it's acceptable under the right circumstances — and its characters place no real value on human life. It also promotes sex outside of marriage and heavy drinking as simply the way life is, and encourages its sheltered narrator to join in.
Not everything here is dark. A few pro-family scenes show the characters genuinely caring for their own, and one character wears a cross necklace, kissing and clasping it once for comfort. But these are faint mitigations inside a film that celebrates self-rule.
That's the deep lie underneath the whole story: that we author our own rules and answer to no one. Scripture calls that the oldest error and warns where it leads — "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death" (Proverbs 14:12).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Strong Romantic worldview, with humanist and pro-evolution elements characters follow their hearts and believe they are the makers of their own destiny, characters live in a world where they set the rules, the movie’s young adult narrator follows these wrongful activities (including drinking, seeking a sexual relationship outside of marriage, and shooting someone in the chest), characters feel little to no remorse for their past immoral actions, the young narrator can’t stop talking about evolution and how it pertains to sex, but some of this is mitigated by a few pro-family scenes where the characters promote caring for their family, and one character wears a cross necklace and kisses and clasps it once for comfort
Foul Language
At least 140 obscenities (including about 110 or more “f” words, six profanities, 11 crude jokes or remarks, and three slurs
Violence
Very strong bloody violence, especially toward the end when multiple characters are murdered (including a shop owner is killed for being a little clueless, and his brains are shown sliding down a window pane)
Sex
Strong sexual content includes the main character’s half-brother is shown fornicating with his girlfriend (includes a brief shot of upper female nudity), the main character’s parents are heard having marital sex, the main character was born from a relationship outside of wedlock, the main character’s half-brother has impregnated a woman outside of marriage, and characters promote this sexual lifestyle and encourage the main character to pursue it
Nudity
The main character’s brother’s girlfriend is shown in a T-shirt and underwear, a bra, and is later featured in a brief moment of upper female nudity, plus multiple scenes include upper male nudity
Alcohol Use
Moderate alcohol use as characters are shown drinking to cope with stress and the main character is given multiple beers to drink throughout the movie despite being younger than 21
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
Brief scenes of smoking tobacco shown throughout, including one scene where a character smokes marijuana to get high;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Main character’s biological dad cheated on his mom.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film's characters believe they are the makers of their own destiny and get to set their own rules. Where does that instinct come from, and what does the Bible say about who actually sets the standard for right and wrong?
Judges 21:25 · Proverbs 14:12RIFF RAFF's one worthwhile idea is that all sin is eventually found out. How does that theme line up with what Scripture teaches about hidden things being brought to light?
Numbers 32:23 · Luke 12:2–3The movie defends murder as acceptable "under the right circumstances." How does that reasoning compare to the value God places on every human life?
Genesis 9:6 · Exodus 20:13One character wears and kisses a cross for comfort while living far from what it represents. What's the difference between treating faith as a good-luck charm and actually following Christ?
Isaiah 29:13 · Matthew 15:8The Final Word
RIFF RAFF wants to teach that sin always gets found out, but it buries that lesson under 140-plus obscenities, brutal killings, and a worldview that shrugs at murder — and it isn't even entertaining enough to earn a second look. Our answer is the same one we opened with: skip it. Looking for something worth your evening instead? Try our latest family-friendly picks.
