Cooper Raiff is a director that made his name with “Shithouse,” the SXSW Grand Jury Prize-winner. He is a DIY director. Why? Because he does it all (act, produce, write, direct, edit, casting), and his flicks don’t cost very much (“Shithouse” had a budget of $15,000). His film is laid back but conveys people’s frustrations in their 20s. What am I going to do after college? Do I like what I’m doing? These questions are in the atmosphere for Raiff’s work without making it such a downer; they’re comedies, honest and sincere stumbling-lead comedies.
Raif’s Work Asks Serious Questions Without Being Downers
His debut impressed everyone, so he decided to go back to work quickly, and that’s where the Sundance 2022 film “Cha Cha Real Smooth” comes into play. Named after the annoying Mr. C “DJ Casper” track, the “Cha Cha Slide,” Raiff’s sophomore feature centers around the fresh out of college 22-year-old Andrew (Cooper Raiff), who has been struggling for a couple of months trying to decide what to do with his life. He’s looking for a job that would kickstart his life while still living with his parents and working on a meat-on-a-stick joint.
While accompanying his brother, David (Evan Assante), to a bar mitzvah, two things happen that will change his life forever. The first, he receives a job offer as a “party starter”; the second, he meets a local mom named Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). These events make Andrew finally discover the future that he wants, even if it might not be his own at times. Instead of focusing on the university lifestyle, he switches to the post-college scenario.
Life is at a standstill for most of the characters in the film in different ways. Andrew has a vague idea of what to do with his future, David is dealing with the in-between middle and high school troubles, Domino wants to make the move to Chicago so that she isn’t apart from his fiancé Joseph (Raul Castillo), and Andrew’s mom (Leslie Mann) and stepdad Greg (Brad Garett) are having some companionship issues. “Cha Cha Real Smooth” is the definition of working in parts, but let’s focus on the more positive side of things first. Raiff writes his scripts with authenticity, honesty, and contains enough emotional tangles to cause a bit of an impact.
Good Performances, with Some Improvisation
The film shows this in its conversations, and how the characters realistically express themselves. From facial expressions, mannerisms, and reactions, it just seems authentic with a small pinch of quirky yet aloof. On occasions, it feels as if it was improvised, mostly the lines that Raiff delivers. To compliment the script come the performances and chemistry that the cast has. Raiff seems to be playing himself, which is fine by me: quirky, odd, laidback, yet full of energy. Dakota Johnson, whose performance is graceful, is almost the opposite of Raiff’s Andrew, yet has her uniqueness in terms of the emotive, hard-to-read countering. Meanwhile, Vanessa Burghardt has great line delivery, even in her first role ever.
To compliment the script come the performances and chemistry that the cast has.”
Now, it does have its limitations. The quips cause the film to lose effectiveness as it approaches its big finale. With movies like these, the director/writer needs to be careful with the film’s direction and the conclusion of all the situations that make up the story. Raiff knows where to center its story, yet not when to end it and through what path to take it.
Not as Powerful as ‘Shithouse,’ but Still Manages to Entertain
As a result, it feels aimless in several instances, especially in its third act, which mainly revolves around situations that happened already through and through. You could propose that it’s with great intention, since the lead character is also struggling with where Andrew’s life is headed, but it meanders more than it needs to. Almost ten to fifteen minutes could have been scrapped off; this would cause it to focus and reach its conclusion with optimal emotional efficacy.
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” also slides into some highly familiar beats, where the personal touches of the director are intertwined with fantasies. You know where the story is going because we have seen this multiple times before. But that isn’t the crux of this issue. It is the way in which he wants to culminate the story. The film’s ending feels slightly disconnected from what has been developing in the first two acts. I think “Shithouse” is a better and more direct film with a more relatable factor attached to it, even with its many faults (some of which are similar to the ones lingering on his sophomore feature).
Some charming moments and aspects help drown the extended minutes, like the score from Este Haim and Christ Stacey, the cast’s magnetism, or the quick jokes being thrown, but I do think it’s missing a couple of things that could make this story feel earned rather than forced onto us without much hesitation.
This review was written from day 8 of Sundance Film Festival’s 2022 programming.
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