Cooper Raiff wrote, directed and starred in “Cha Cha Real Smooth” (2022) as Andrew, a twenty-two-year-old Tulane marketing graduate who is working in fast food, living with his mom, Lisa (Leslie Mann), at his sixty-year-old stepdad’s house on the floor of his little brother’s room. He is struggling to figure out his next real step: follow his college girlfriend to Barcelona, find a real job or pursue a relationship with an engaged single mother, Domino (Dakota Johnson) with an autistic daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt).
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” is an uneven yet good natured film that does not scream message but tackles some common human problems without being heavy-handed. The ostensible theme is a coming-of-age story with a guy in a quarter-life crisis without being angst filled. Andrew is affable and off-kilter—he overenunciates, wears his shirts buttoned up to his neck without seeming stiff or uptight. He clearly feels more comfortable engaging with women and children, and the feeling is reciprocal as most of the men that he encounters are either disapproving, suspicious or hostile. He fits in better with people who are faltering in some way. More functional people may enjoy him but when he no longer fits their preconceived social function, their approval is withdrawn. For instance, he confronts a kid bully, which may not be appropriate considering the context, but the parents side with the bully’s dad and are unconcerned with the bully’s target. He is a terrible interviewer. Viewers will be able to infer that what makes a pleasure to watch also makes it difficult for him to transition to the next stage of his life.
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” explores in a textured way the roots of Andrew’s relational style. When Andrew’s mom is introduced, she is immediately endearing for taking her son’s concerns seriously and disregarding safety to soothe her son. It is revealed early in the film Andrew’s mom is bipolar. While other characters dismiss her and only see the negative effects, Andrew sees the positive aspects of her illness—feeling like the center of her attention without her diminishing his concerns based on his age. Without the exposition drops, viewers would not necessarily recognize that she or other characters have a mental health diagnosis. In the first scene, as a child, when he notices the party starter who sneaks a private moment in a stairwell to have a difficult phone conversation, it is his pattern. He notices people who try hard to smile through the pain. When a character derides Domino for being crazy, he gets drawn to her, and we find out about her struggles. While viewers may peg his interest solely based on romantic potential, there is something more Oedipal going on. He does not want to sleep with his mom, but they connect conversationally in the same way that he does with his mom. He is more comfortable helping other people with problems because that is what he did with his mom. He questions both if they are happy with their partners and wants to take their place, but they turn the tables by mothering him and encouraging him to be happy and embrace where he is in life. Though full characters living their own lives, many of the adult characters end up parenting Andrew, and Andrew receives it as antagonistic or romantic.
As “Cha Cha Real Smooth” unfolds, Andrew’s darker side gets revealed. To be as effervescent as he is, he sometimes requires alcohol to cope with social situations. When he fades, he skips over low energy and jumps straight to being nasty, especially with men. Whenever he has bad moments, he gets pegged as his mother’s son, and not in a positive way. Is he subconsciously self-medicating? Is there a reason that he breaks social conventions other than his sympathy with the underdogs? The movie never reveals it, but maybe Raiff’s next film may tackle that subject.
As we realize that he is an unreliable protagonist regardless of his likeability, we begin to see Greg (Everybody Loves Raymond’s Brad Garrett), his stepdad, and Domino’s fiancé, Joseph (Raul Castillo), in a different light—not as hostile as Andrew saw them in the beginning, but more traditional and healthier in the way that they navigate their manhood. Andrew keeps waiting for a showdown, and they never give him one. Joseph may be a bit of a father figure. If my research is correct, Raiff’s dad is a well-known litigator. While Andrew resents older men seeing him as a “kid” and rivals or gatekeepers spoiling his fun and access to the women that they love, Andrew’s lack of maturity does need work. “Cha Cha Real Smooth” offers a variety of depictions of manhood, and the majority are positive caretakers.
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” finds a sweet way to not give a Hollywood ending to Andrew or create a melodramatic denouement. It is a nice, understated, organic resolution. Andrew finally gets the message that he needs to act his age—neither rush to commit to a responsibility laden relationship, nor live as a perpetual Pied Piper safe among those too young to judge him. While Raiff falters in representing mature love as anything but a compromise, he at least gives lip service to acknowledging that happiness does not always look like what he imagines.
If there is an unexpected love story, it is the bromance between Andrew and his younger brother, David (Evan Assante). If I teared up a little at the end, it was because of them. Andrew gasses up his brother in a way that makes his brother glow, and David genuinely loves spending time with his big brother. We never see them with their father except in the opening scene. While Andrew never assumes the role of man of the house, the brothers seem to shift their need for a father figure by nurturing their fraternal bond. Andrew has no male friendships, which is concerning, but with his brother getting older, Andrew may always be the bigger brother, but eventually they will be best friends.
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” has an autistic character, which is why I was interested in the film. I did not think that the newcomer Burghardt was over the top even though Lola is obviously autistic, not masking or trying to fit in. Movies do not customarily depict young girls as having autism, and the fact that she was diagnosed so early seemed unrealistic, but I would like to live in a world where it is not. I did think that the film dropped the ball because while Andrew is vigilant against male meanness, he socializes with his childhood crush, Macy (Odeya Rush), without confronting her about the way that she gosipped about Domino and Lola.
Though only playing a supporting character, Johnson is the biggest draw in “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” which explains why the marketing highlights the potential romance, but Johnson is more than a love interest. She gets some meaty scenes and goes in unexpected directions. It did seem unrealistic how she hits on Andrew after a traumatic event. Even though her diagnosis is not explicitly referenced, it is discussed, and Johnson gets the best lines. “It is really hard for me to accept that until I leave Earth, I’m gonna have always been so tangled.” Yup.
I have never seen Raiff’s work before, but his tender heart makes me want to see more. He resembles David Tennant so much, especially when Tennant has not shaved in awhile. While “Cha Cha Real Smooth” was a smidge longer than it should have been and was a bit oblique in the way that it examined different themes, if a film can elicit tears, Raiff is on the right track.
