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| Cooper Raiff and Dakota Johnson in "Cha Cha Real Smooth" Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com |
In 2020, writer-director Cooper Raiff came onto the scene with his coming-of-age film, “Sh*thouse.” Without using any over-the-top academic hi-jinx, he formatted a story that wasn’t just about a college freshman starting a relationship, but was also about how alone this character felt in a new environment and the connections that he tried to make. With this film, Raiff presented himself as an exciting and emotional voice who knows how to examine modern relationships.
He focuses on a coming-of-age story again for his second film, “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” a movie that looks at love from a fresh angle, complete with heartfelt performances and a well-rounded story to bring it all together.
Andrew (Raiff) is a recent college graduate who moves back home with his younger brother, David (Evan Assante), their mom, Lisa (Leslie Mann), and their stepdad, Greg (Brad Garrett). When Andrew accompanies David to a Bar Mitzvah, he meets a young woman, Domino (Dakota Johnston), and her autistic daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). Although David and Domino form a bond, the complications that they each bring to the relationship will make them wonder if their connection will work.
Raiff provides his character with a charisma and confidence, punctuated by a bit of awkwardness, showing that his character’s thinking of things on the fly and going with his gut instinct at times. He’s a man who seems to have the answers, but at times does’t quite know how to proceed in life himself. It’s a performance that’s so endearing to watch because of how much Andrew comes to care for Domino and help her get through tough times, despite having his own issues with which to contend. Raiff goes back and forth from contagious youthful optimism of thinking things will work out for the best, and the quieter moments of contemplation as Andrew faces the difficulties of maintaining the connection that he and Domino have. This is a wonderful performance of what it’s like to grow up, and Raiff captures the essence of having many possibilities to explore in life.
Johnson gives what may be her finest performance yet as a mother who’s trying to work out her issues and seeing what’s best for her and Lola. Johnson’s able to place Domino’s feelings deep into her voice, never needing to have big emotional moments, but letting us hear the ache in her voice as she feels unsure of which direction she should steer her life. You’re able to sense the hardships and complex feelings that are going through her as she tries to balance her time with Andrew and her commitment to her family. It’s a performance where the moments of joy are all the more potent because of how much we sense the strain that Domino carries as she tries to figure out the path that she wishes to take.
In the supporting cast, Assante is terrific as Andrew’s brother, always going to him for advice and sharing heartfelt sibling chemistry with Raiff; Burghardt has some great moments of wit and warmth as she begins to accept Andrew into her and her mom’s life; and Mann sheds her usual Judd Apatow-film persona to deliver a loving performance as Andrew’s mother, showing her character’s strong sense of positivity as Andrew strives for his true potential.
As a wonderful contribution to the coming-of-age sub-genre, Raiff’s screenplay exhibits the messy nuances of the relationship that’s presented and doesn’t have it come off as your usual movie romance. It feels very genuine as Andrew and Domino have tough discussions of where their relationship is headed and whether or not they can sustain it. We see their interactions as they enjoy each other’s company, but also as they address the complications that the relationship imposes. But, as terrific as the scenes are that focus on the central relationship, the movie also spends a good amount of time with Andrew as he tries to move his life forward with getting a job, taking on various responsibilities, and helping his brother with some of his issues. Between those aspects of Andrew’s life and the in-depth view that Domino provides as she opens up to Andrew, we’re given plenty of details for both of their characters, allowing us to be immersed in what’s on their minds, both inside and outside of the relationship.
With Raiff’s first film being about a college freshman, it’s appropriate that he now tells a story of a man who’s fresh out of college and must figure out what comes next. Just like how we see the parallel of these two films being at the beginning and end of college, “Cha Cha Real Smooth” has its own sense of a parallel with the thematic nature of the opening and closing scenes, showing a culmination of Andrew’s emotional journey. As for the details of those scenes, I don’t want to give anything away, but I’ll say that you’ll feel as though you’ve seen someone grow throughout this film, showing both vulnerability and strength as he tries to cement what he’s going to do with his life.
Raiff’s film does have several laughs, but he also manages to work in some realistic drama that makes a lot of the events in this movie feel grounded. Just as he accomplished in “Sh*thouse,” Raiff maintains a natural flow to the interactions of his characters, keeping a rhythm that has them play out in such a way that that makes you feel everything in every moment. Whether you feel joy for these characters as they get along with each other or poignancy as they express deeper feelings, Raiff does what he can to invest you in the relationships that grow out of the story.
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” is further indication of Raiff’s growing talent as a filmmaker, and it’s clear that his move into the consciousness of movie audiences’ couldn’t be smoother.
Grade: A
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