Cooper Raiff's Sundance dramedy is an exercise in continued success. I've been a fan of filmmaker Cooper Raiff since SXSW 2020, when we spoke to him about his breakout hit Shithouse. It was an earnest, grounded drama about life away from home and finding your way in college. Raiff's second film is just as earnest and just as grounded, and perhaps perfectly made for a Sundance crowd. Cha Cha Real Smooth follows young Andrew (Raiff, who also wrote and directed), an aimless young man just out of college. He falls into the job of bar mitzvah hype-man and also falls in love with Domino (Dakota Johnson, also a producer) while befriending her daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). This is the kind of film indie fans love, with those small human moments that writers and filmmakers seek to distill for audiences. Andrew is charming and confused just like so many of us are. The characters are well-crafted, and the drama of young love often hits its mark painfully—at least it did for me. Read More...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Tuesday, 25 January, 2022