Cooper Raiff is the Director, Writer, Producer, and Star of “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” and he is a major talent. The few actors I remember starring and writing in their own movies are John Krasinski, Ken Burns, and of course Sylvester Stallone in the iconic “Rocky.” This movie isn’t an all-time classic, but it’s a very good film, readily available for free on Apple+. I’d strongly recommend watching it, since, up to Friday, there was nothing worth seeing at the theatres except for “Top Gun.” (On Friday, “Elvis” came out, and I’ll try to see it next week.)
Andrew (Cooper Raiff) has just graduated from Tulane, but is floundering around, working at a fast food restaurant. His girlfriend is going to Barcelona and he wants to go with her, but she seems reluctant to have him accompany her.
Andrew drives his younger brother, David (Evan Assant) to a Bar Mitzvah, but the D.J. is awful, so Andrew gets the party going. While there, he meets Domino (Dakota Johnson), and her autistic daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). Lola is about 16, but she is in the same grade as the 13-year-olds. Due to her autism and age, she is often the target of bullying. Andrew does such a great job that he starts earning money as the “go to” party starter for the Bar and Bat Mitzvah circuit.
The film primarily revolves about Andrew’s relationships with both Lola and Dakota. Dakota is engaged, but she seems ambivalent about getting married and obviously has unresolved conflicts. Despite their age difference, there is considerable sexual tension between Dakota and Andrew. The characters are well-developed, the scenes have considerable depth, interesting dialogue, and some are very funny. For the most part, the film is a serious drama, however.
My only minor criticisms are that one scene between Andrew and Dakota was psychodynamically impossible, I don’t remember even one scene without Andrew, and the last third was a little slow. Johnson gives another terrific performance (she was also great in “The Lost Daughter”) and Burghardt and Raiff are also very good.
Cooper Raiff is the Director, Writer, Producer, and Star of "Cha Cha Real Smooth," and he is a major talent. The few actors I remember starring and writing in their own movies are John Krasinski, Ken Burns, and of course Sylvester Stallone in the iconic "Rocky." This movie isn't an all-time classic, but it's a very good film, readily available for free on Apple+. I'd strongly recommend watching it, since, up to Friday, there was nothing worth seeing at the theatres except for "Top Gun." (On Friday, "Elvis" came out, and I'll try to see it next week.) Andrew (Cooper Raiff) has just graduated from Tulane, but is floundering around, working at a fast food restaurant. His girlfriend is going to Barcelona and he wants to go with her, but she seems reluctant to have him accompany her. Andrew drives his younger brother, David (Evan Assant) to a Bar Mitzvah, but the D.J. is awful, so Andrew gets the party going. While there, he meets Domino (Dakota Johnson), and her autistic daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). Lola is about 16, but she is in the same grade as the 13-year-olds. Due to her autism and age, she is often the target of bullying. Andrew does such a great job that he starts earning money as the "go to" party starter for the Bar and Bat Mitzvah circuit. The film primarily revolves about Andrew's relationships with both Lola and Dakota. Dakota is engaged, but she seems ambivalent about getting married and obviously has unresolved conflicts. Despite their age difference, there is considerable sexual tension between Dakota and Andrew. The characters are well-developed, the scenes have considerable depth, interesting dialogue, and some are very funny. For the most part, the film is a serious drama, however. My only minor criticisms are that one scene between Andrew and Dakota was psychodynamically impossible, I don't remember even one scene without Andrew, and the last third was a little slow. Johnson gives another terrific performance (she was also great in "The Lost Daughter") and Burghardt and Raiff are also very good.
Cha Cha Real Smooth: Break-Out Film for Cooper Raiff (Apple+)
Cha Cha Real Smooth: Break-Out Film for Cooper Raiff (Apple+)
2022-06-27
David
75
7.5
Heartwarming and Funny Indie Film!
Terrific Acting By Ensemble Cast!
User Rating : No Ratings Yet !
8
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