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.
Review of Cha Cha Real Smooth
