Cooper Raiff’s latest debuts at Sundance following him exploding onto the indie scene two years ago with Shithouse (released later as Freshman Year). With an increase in budget and arrival of star power in Dakota Johnson comes the impressive Cha Cha Real Smooth, a sweet coming of age story revolving around a twentysomething in trying to find his place in life after leaving college.
Writing, directing, and taking the lead role in Cha Cha Real Smooth, Raiff is perfect Sundance material. His first film was made for a reported $15,000, and although this one has more bucks behind it, it’s plain to see that this is still a perfect fit for the world’s most famous indie festival. Raiff is Andrew, a 22-year-old who has left college and returned to the family home with his mother (Leslie Mann), younger brother David (Evan Assante), and stepdad Greg (Brad Garrett). He’s working at Meat Sticks, a hot dog-type stall serving fast foot to mall rats, and is yet to find his place in the world.
One evening, he takes his brother to a local bat mitzvah, where he meets Domino (Johnson) and her teenage daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). There, he forms a quick bond with the pair and then discovers that he has a talent for hyping the crowd into a party frenzy, managing to score himself a gig professionally, whipping attendees into the celebratory mood during the season. Keen to save some cash to get to Spain to hook up with his college sweetheart, Andrew takes the job, all the while becoming closer to Domino and Lola.
Further plot details are best left to be discovered by the viewer, but after a while, I really started to warm to the story. Raiff, still just 24-years-old himself, has crafted a very absorbing story, and it’s hard not to be pulled in by its charm. His Andrew is a likable soul, and I was instantly rooting for him to succeed. There’s a lot to relate to – we’ve all been there, at a stage in life where the future is wide open for us, and we’re not sure which path is the right one to take.
Johnson is superb as Domino, as too is newcomer Burghardt as Lola, but it is Raiff whose star is starting to shine clear and bright with his endearing sophomore effort. The future is indeed bright for him, that is clear, and it will interesting to see where he goes from here. Mann and Garrett haven’t a great deal to do, but when they are on screen, they are superb – and it’s great to see Garrett in a more serious role, too.
While the film is a little overlong and the climax drawn out, you can’t help but walk away uplifted and glowing from what you experience. A good-natured, well-executed, really sweet tale of love, acceptance, and hope… which we all could do with a bit of right now.
Cha Cha Real Smooth
Summary
A film that shows that Cooper Raiff is a name to watch from the future, though this, his second feature, is worth a look if you’re after a movie that uplifts and sweetens the soul.
