Cha Cha Real Smooth

Starring: Cooper Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Evan Assante, Vanessa Burghardt, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Raul Castillo, Colton Osorio, Amara Pedroso, Odeya Rush
Directed by: Cooper Raiff
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
2022

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Cooper Raiff) trying to figure out his path in life begins working as a party host, while forming a deep connection with a woman (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter (Vanessa Burghardt).

Review:

Tim: Sometimes movies really surprise you. I sat down to watch Cha Cha Real Smooth because I'd read good things about it. I can't say I was overly excited for it, though. To my delight, what I found what a heartfelt, beautiful movie about flawed people making connections. It's a movie that captures something elegant and real about the human experience. It's consistently funny, a movie that paints a vivid portrayal of life in the 2020s. Cooper Raiff's film doesn't quite reach greatness, but it's absolutely worth seeing.

I didn't know anything about Raiff before this film, but I'm going to keep my eye on him moving forward. He writes, directs, and stars in this movie and it's better for it. It feels like a movie made with love. Raiff is all in- as a writer, the dialogue is crisp, the characters are complex, and movie throws a few surprises our way. As a director, he crafts the film with confidence, far more expertly than you'd expect someone directing their third film to be. And, as an actor- it's his energetic, funny performance that truly makes the movie. No doubt in my mind, if he stays on the right path and makes good choices, he could be one of the all-time greats. There's that much potential in this movie. (Consequently, he could easily make the wrong decisions and this film is viewed as him capturing lightning in a bottle once... I hope that's not his fate).

One thing I really appreciated about this film is that the characters are all complex and incomplete. Andrew is lost between being a young adult and one fully into the world of adulthood. He's grasping for direction. Domino is reeling from her past, trying to make the right decisions and not letting fear cloud her actions. David is bursting into his life, trying to find confidence. Lola is struggling to adapt to a world that wasn't designed for someone like her. You could go on- Andrew and David's parents have their own struggles, Domino's fiance has his. Raiff wrote a script where everyone feels authentic. They all have their own lives, multidimensional and complex. It feels like they existed before this movie and will exist after it ends. That's pretty rare, to accomplish that in a movie. It's especially rare for someone so young to bring that into being.

Now, I'm analyzing this movie from my perspective because that's what I do here. But, I don't want this to seem too clinical. Cha Cha Real Smooth is funny and fun. It's a movie that establishes these characters that you grow to love, and then it gives them space to be themselves. It's incredibly entertaining- I had a blast watching this movie. I wasn't sure where it would end up, but I was compelled to see the ending. I was able to stay focused throughout the film and I was highly engaged. The movie has a dozen truly funny moments- the dialogue is excellent. Towards the end of the movie, it hits some unexpectedly powerful themes. Raiff captures something authentic about being in your early 20s and trying to find your place in the world. It's a scary time- you are old enough to know better, but you don't have enough experience for what life throws at you. That all comes across in this heartfelt movie.

I thought Raiff's acting was excellent. I really liked his character and established a strong emotional connection with him. The energy he brought to the role was infectious and his comedic timing and sensibilities were pitch perfect. Dakota Johnson gave an especially strong performance as well. I feel like I continually discount Johnson's talent as an actress. I don't know if it's just having famous parents or starring in the Fifty Shades of Grey movies, but she's surprised me numerous times. Her performance here is complex and full of range- the kind of performance that makes you think differently about an actress. She was excellent here. Leslie Mann is always wonderful, although she was relegated to the "mom" role here. Brad Garrett shined in the few small opportunities he had. The cast as a whole is solid- not all big names, but everyone inhabited their characters well.

Cha Cha Real Smooth was certainly a surprise for me. It was far more effective than I expected it to be. I'm not quite sure if it's as polished as it needs to be to claim many Academy Award nominations, but I certainly have hope that it could. I think Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Dakota Johnson would both be warranted. Regardless of how that turns out, Cooper Raiff made a wonderful movie that hopefully is one more step on the way to him eventually delivering his masterpiece. As far as this one goes, it's a movie I would absolutely watch again.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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