I understand that to get a realistic / natural feel in a movie means that things might flow by being a bit mundane at times, but this film is consistently uneventful. Even parts that shake things up a bit are quickly moved on from, and we're right back to lengthy, boring, and occasionally cheesy dialogue. The film held my interest in the beginning, but then it became obvious that it wasn't going anywhere. I stuck it out with high hopes after hearing all of the positive reviews, but was ultimately disappointed. I also have lowered my rating after reading a google review which pointed out some of the tone-deaf moments that I completely forgot about:

[spoiler]Early on she has a miscarriage in a bathroom and an hour later she's making moony eyes at Andrew and mounting him on the couch. In what world would a woman shrug off a miscarriage and immediately come on to a man? Would a mother entrust her autistic teen daughter with a 22-year-old man she just met as her babysitter?[/spoiler]

There was some dialogue that attempted to justify the latter, but it still came across as a WTF scenario to me personally. I added this film to my list "movies to avoid with a 10 foot pole" - if you take my advice and are looking for a good coming of age film, I would recommend Eighth Grade (2018) instead.

This movie is very middle of the road blandness. It is an incredibly sanitized portrait of mental illness, neurodivergence, and depression. All these apparently flawed people seem to fill their days with well-adjusted and open discussions about their struggles. There's no nuance or dimension to any of the characters. Everyone is perfectly nice to everyone except for the stereotypical son/father bully duo who are of course huge pieces of shit. It at least follows a coherent narrative and is watchable. I'd say a good litmus test on whether to watch it or not is if the title gives you the icks. I should have known better.

Cooper Raiff did just about everything on this quickly paced and rather touching comedy drama. He plays the 22-year old "Andrew", whom we first meet as a young boy who has a crush on a party starter. Dejected after his inevitable rejection, we skip on a few years to when he is using his considerable social skills to get folks up and dancing at the seemingly never ending series of bar/bat mitzvah's in his town. It's at one such gathering that he meets "Domino" (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter "Lola" (a strong performance from Vanessa Burghardt). The challenge is to get the shy young girl to dance and the result is a sitter job and a relationship, of sorts, with her mother - already engaged to the frequently out of town "Joseph" (Raúl Castillo). What now ensues is a gently comedic, but quite potent story that offers the young and charismatic "Andrew" (he reminded me a lot of Jack Whitehall!) with an opportunity to shine. It's about love, yes, but it's about hope and managing expectations too; with this young man, like so many of us at that age, trying to start out in life on as sure a footing as he can. It's not all a barrel of laughs - there is plenty of emotional turmoil for him, "Domino", his mother (Leslie Mann) and for his coming-of-age brother "David" (Evan Assante) and it illustrates also quite effectively just how cruel youngsters can be to each other; and how blind loyalty from their parents doesn't help (though in this film, there are quite entertaining side-effects!). There is chemistry here between the confident Raiff and both Johnson and Burghardt, the soundtrack gets your toes tapping and the conclusion offers a reality that I rather appreciated. It's good, this.

Cha Cha Real Smooth was an incredibly enjoyable film that I savored every minute of. Cooper Raiff's direction may not have been technically flawless, but his vision for the film as a whole was brilliant. The characters feel so authentic, with fantastic dialogue that is both charming and wholesome. The chemistry between Dakota Johnson and Cooper Raiff is excellent, and their dynamic throughout the movie is what truly sold it for me. Vanessa Burghardt also stands out with her portrayal of both her and her characters' struggle with autism and social settings. Her interactions with Raiff were brilliant, and their relationship was incredibly endearing.

From a storytelling perspective, many reviews have criticized Raiff's writing of his character, Andrew, and a knightly figure. However, to me, that was the point. Andrew is young and naive, with a hopeless romantic view of life that makes him believe he knows what's best for everyone, even though that couldn't be further from the truth. His naivety works well in the film, and his realization at the end of the movie brings his character arc to a full circle.

However, I did have one minor criticism, which is that the relationship between Domino and her husband felt a bit strange. On the one hand, he is portrayed as a bad person who is rude and demeaning to her, causing her depression. While on the other hand, she appreciates the security he provides her. This dynamic could have been better if the audience was able to see more of the positive aspects of his character, rather than only seeing the negatives. This would have made it clearer that the negatives were mainly on the surface, due to Andrew's already drawn conclusions about his character.

Overall, I really enjoyed this film. It was a perfect example of how romantic comedies can be more than just slapstick humor but can deliver a heartfelt narrative that resonates with audiences. The film was both cute and funny, and even had some touching moments that made me feel a range of emotions. It quickly shot up my 2022 rankings, coming in at #9 on the year.

Score: 89% 🏅
Verdict: Excellent

This was a particularly impressive film. Cooper Raiff created a tremendous screenplay, and the actors chosen for their respective roles were certainly worthy of their given tasks. This film brought out exceptional performances from all involved, especially Vanessa Burghardt, co-starring in her first film, and Leslie Mann, who just kills it in everything that she's in. She really gets far less credit than she deserves for her level of talent. And, of course, Dakota Johnson was fantastic in her role, as well, which covered a great deal of emotional ground.

What set this film apart from others like it in its genre was its realism. While the protagonist, played quite capably by Cooper Raiff, began the film as a bright-eyed, hopeful, recent college grad looking at a world of opportunities, he quickly came to the realization that life outside of college couldn't always be planned for, and we, as the audience, began to see the cracks in the facade of not only his character but also those in his life. And, that's what makes for a great character, their problems, how they deal w/ them, and what the outcome ends up looking like.

In this film, what turned out to be in the end [spoiler]wasn't necessarily what we may have expected, but then again, that's how life works. That's what was so realistic about this film. Life can often be sad or melancholy, and sometimes, we'll have feelings of ambivalence or unrequited love. None of this makes our lives worth any less. It's simply another of life's many lessons along the journey, and that's the splendor of experiencing living.[/spoiler]