Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)

Saw this back at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival

Having seen 'S#!%house' also directed by Cooper Raiff, I already knew what to aspect from this movie. I expected comfort atmosphere displayed and a comedy movie about youth. I wasn't disappointed or wowed by anything from the movie but I was still able to connect with the movie.

Raiff clearly understands how modern people act and the youth generation of our time. His way of capturing youth was pretty impress for the most part. Many of the relationships between with the character felt real and the performances from Raiff and Dakota Johnson were some of the best chemistry I have seen in a romance movie in quite some time. I was able to find myself wanting to know a little more about them. Vanessa Burghardt who plays the daughter of Johnson's character surprisingly pretty good. The production design was pretty decent, good music choices and really good pacing.

Unfortunately, the story does become really basic. Really generic story that is pretty bland. But without Raiff's charms and chemistry, it would have been like a bad hallmark movie almost like "CODA". The camerawork doesn't offer really anything special and some of the child actors honestly were really bad that took the experience out at times. This movie seems to be very personal for Raiff which I can understand where he is coming from. I won't be surprised if this movie will be able to connect with many audiences. The characters for the most part were interesting although the family aspects of this movie didn't really offer much and felt unfocused at the same time.

However, despite being cheesy, I was still able to connect with the movie emotionally and still be invested with what is happening around them. I do look forward to see what Cooper Raiff makes in the future.

Rating: B-

Fmovies: In 2021, the Audience Award at Sundance went to CODA. I loved CODA, so when the Audience Award in 2022 went to Cha Cha Real Smooth, I really wanted to watch this once it hit AppleTV+. What a disappointment. My main problem with this movie is Cooper Raiff as Andrew. I just never believed that this type of person exists out there in the real world. At all. And when you don't find him to be a credible character, the whole thing just falls apart.

... Dakota Johnson is so-adorably-charming in this wonderful-little-film she just melts-your-heart... all three main leads make the movie very special... this is one hard not to like, and if you don't, you are choosing the wrong productions to spend time watching... really wish this were a tv-series, as couple hours is just not enough time to spend with these characters.

Cha Cha Real Smooth fmovies. As writer, director, producer, and star, Cooper Raiff has created what looks like your typically quirky indie dramedy with "Cha Cha Real Smooth." And his sophomore feature does indeed include some familiar elements, including young adults stuck in a state of arrested development and kids who articulate their emotions with a wisdom beyond their years. But Raiff offers some impressive tonal mixtures and narrative surprises along the way, and even though his third act sags a bit, the performances-particularly from an achingly melancholy Dakota Johnson- remain compelling until the end. Just the fact that he's only 25 years old and he's making movies with this level of stealthy complexity is exciting. Raiff stars as Andrew, a recent graduate of Tulane University whose main goal is to earn enough money to follow his girlfriend to Barcelona. He's mostly aimless, scraping funds together by living at home in suburban New Jersey, and working at a mall food court restaurant with the awesomely terrible name of Meat Sticks. But he stumbles into an actual job as a party-starter on the local bar and bat mitzvah circuit, urging awkward adolescents and their slightly inebriated parents to get on the dance floor and do the Electric Slide. Raiff and his production design team clearly had a ball coming up with the specific details for all these themed events, and the way he captures the nervous energy of this youthful time of flux will make you shudder in recognition. "Cha Cha Real Smooth" follows these unexpected relationships as they develop and provide Andrew with some much-needed purpose. Raiff and Johnson have an easy, teasing chemistry with each other; the authenticity of their conversations and the intimate way they're shot frequently make you feel as if you're eavesdropping on them. Domino is damaged and she doesn't always make good choices, but the fact that Raiff's script doesn't deify her makes her so much more interesting. But Raiff's ambition to break free from sentimental formula and forge a path of his own is clear, making him an exciting young filmmaker to watch.

There is a good bit of sarcastic comedy and wittiness. Honestly starts out a little clunky but I think it's intentional. Great story well acted in unique style by the lead. It's always fun to see a film truly evolve as the characters do and I think that's what you get here as the main actor is also the director and writer. Just a good movie that touches each emotion sometimes in unique and engaging ways.

It's a classic indie film and that's a plus in my book! It's a really nice story and it's perfectly directed, Cooper Raiff did an excellent job! There are some really joyful and humorous moments, really liked Raiff's sense of humour and there also some touching scenes, in particular the one where Raiff and Johnson talk about depression (I cried my eyes out during that scene)! Though I'd like to notify that there's a cringe dialogue between them in another scene later in the movie too! All in all, the movie is definitely worth watching if you love the combination of sentimental and funny!