Prior to watching Cha Cha Real Smooth, I had little to no context for writer-director-star Cooper Raiif’s style. Back in October of 2020, when his directorial debut, Shithouse, was released, I was covering my first film festival, AFI Fest 2020, and simply didn’t have the time to cover the film.

Almost two years later, Raiff returns to the writer-director-star chair with Cha Cha Real Smooth, a film that’s a spiritual successor to Shithouse, in which Raiff’s character, Alex, is a freshman in college. In contrast, Raiff’s character in Cha Cha Real Smooth, Andrew, is freshly out of college and living with his mom while he figures his life out.

So, has Raiff’s writing & directing evolved? Not all that much. Raiff seems very comfortable in the wheelhouse of young adult drama and how that connects back to the experiences we have during our childhood. This isn’t a bad thing, as Raiff is very good at displaying the inner complexities of young adulthood.

The only thing he gets “wrong” is his sensitivity to the topics in both films. In Shithouse, Alex can come off as a monster at points, but the viewer understands that he’s operating out of wounds. However, in Cha Cha Real Smooth, Andrew is a plain jerk and somehow doesn’t realize it.

Upon meeting Lola (played by Vanessa Burghardt, who I believe is autistic), the autistic daughter of Domino (Dakota Johnson), the first thing he says about Lola’s neurodiversity is, “Sometimes I feel like I’m Autistic.”, which Domino questions, prompting Andrew to back down because he realizes his mistake. Normally, I wouldn’t mention this, as it’s usually something that I can shrug off. However, as I am on the spectrum, I can not excuse this behavior. Autism is not a joke. We’ve been depicted in media like The Good Doctor or the 2018 film The Predator as a superpower of sorts (commonly referred to as Savant Syndrome), people who need noise-canceling headphones to tune out the “noise,” or quirky.

That’s not to say that Raiff’s depiction of a person on the Autism spectrum is entirely stereotypical and negative, though. There are little things that Raiff gets right, like random fixations, the need for a stimming tool to fidget with, and her speech patterns feel very authentic.

Another plus is the fantastic cast he & Angela Demo have assembled. Raiff’s performance is equally comedic & heartbreaking, but the real stars of the film are everyone else. Dakota Johnson gets several moments where she’s allowed to display some very raw & intense emotions that Raiff allows to land without the need for a joke or two. She’s probably the most realistic depiction of a woman I’ve ever seen onscreen. On the other side of the same coin, Leslie Mann as Andrew’s Mom, was a bit stereotypical for me. She feels like a plot device for Andrew’s journey from time to time, rather than a human being with faults & flaws. Raiff injects that into Andrew’s stepdad, Greg, who is an excellent example of what a stepdad is like. You never know your footing when you’re just getting to know your stepdad for the first time, so you make hurtful jokes that he has to take as things you don’t mean so that you can become friends one day.

One of the best parts of Cha Cha Real Smooth is the soundtrack & music by Este Haim and Christopher Stracey. It feels like a 22-year-old’s Spotify playlist come to life, full of bops like “The Show Goes On” by Lupe Fiasco, “Funkytown” by Lipps, Inc., “WAP” by Cardi B. (feat. Megan Thee Stallion), and more, like “Cha Cha Slide” by DJ Casper, where the film gets its title. It’s a true party, and the score blends seamlessly between these bops in a natural way.

Cha Cha Real Smooth’s cinematography by Cristina Dunlap is hypnotic, drawing the viewer in with a mix of medium & close-up shots that focus on the heart of each conversation & what’s going on behind the scenes. Likewise, the shots Dunlap pulls are so full of life during the parties Andrew throws in the film, with rich blues & purples mixed in with a yellow tone outside of the parties. Both bits inject a bit of tone into the film, aiding the viewer in what’s happening behind each conversation and scene.

If you’re looking for a great movie about your early 20s, maybe watch Raiff’s directorial debut, Shithouse, instead. However, if you can ignore the insensitivities toward depicting a person on the autism spectrum, go ahead and stream the film on Apple TV+.

★★★

Cha Cha Real Smooth is now streaming on Apple TV+.

Until next time!

Thanks to Thomas Stoneham-Judge from Movies For Reel, Shane Conto, Joseph Davis, David Walters, Ambula Bula, and Matthew Simpson for supporting Austin B Media on Patreon!