The sad movie about being young directed by a young person is a trend in filmmaking that, frankly, can be a bit grating. But every so often a film comes along with a premise that, while it could be summarized as simply as that, maintains a level of emotional intelligence and maturity that one would expect from a filmmaker far older and more experienced. Writer/director Cooper Raiff (“Shithouse”), while only on his second film, seems like he might be exactly that kind of wunderkind.
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” follows Andrew, played by Raiff, a recent college graduate who’s moved back in with his mother Lisa, played by Leslie Mann (“Knocked Up,” “This is 40”), his stepfather Greg, played by Brad Garrett (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Ratatouille”), and younger brother David, played by Evan Assante. After feeling aimless after graduating, Andrew finds a job as a “party starter” for local bar and bat mitzvahs and eventually befriends a young mom Domino, played by Dakota Johnson (“Fifty Shades of Grey,” “Suspiria (2018)”) and her daughter Lola, played by Vanessa Burghardt in her debut.
What makes “Cha Cha” so engaging from the start is the sense of emotional openness on display. At no point does it feel like Andrew or the other characters are trying to hide behind a sense of self-importance created by Raiff. Instead, it feels like a remarkably honest kind of filmmaking, one where you learn and connect with the characters by watching them react to the circumstances around them instead of talking about themselves or hearing others talk about them. It seems like a simple thing, but it works. You become endeared to Andrew watching him try and fail to figure his life out, not by hearing about him talk about it.
That isn’t to say there isn’t any talking here, there’s plenty of it. This is an indie dramady after all, and the dialogue is often exceptionally sharp and charming, much like its characters. It all flows naturally, without sounding dull or drab, and maintains a level of fun back and forth without sounding scripted or overly written. It’s a delicate kind of balance that’s impressive to say the least. Raiff even avoids delivering on plenty of easily encroachable stereotypes, like the angry stepdad or the antagonistic fiancé Joseph, played here with a soft spoken and gruff voiced charm by Raúl Castillo (“Looking,” “Atypical”).
Raiff gives Andrew a kind of equilibrium between being a clearly intelligent young man and also indulging in the worst of his irresponsible tendencies. You so desperately want him to succeed in life, because of both the excellent script and Raiff’s endless charm, but you also don’t want him to be coddled because you can see the kind of man he could grow into if he doesn’t learn to fend for himself. Likewise, Johnson is doing everything in her power to show that “Fifty Shades” was just a fluke. Domino is a complicated individual and Johnson doesn’t baby her in any way. She delivers a performance that’s layered and could very well be the highlight of her career.
Andrew’s family are all wonderfully charming as well. Mann keeps up her trademark level of silly emotions and Garrett is a beacon of tough manly love. Assante is an absolute highlight as, like Raiff, he imbues his character with an intelligence and charm beyond his years without making him feel fake. He’s still a kind, but he’s a wise kid. Every scene is stolen by Burghardt though, as she absolutely melts hearts from her first moment on screen. Not only is it a rare case of an autistic character being played by an autistic actor, but she’s just a beacon of warm lovable light throughout the entire film. She’s the kind of presence that makes you excited for a scene when you realize that she’s in it.
For as much charm and humor as Raiff builds into each scene, he also doesn’t let us forget that these are people who aren’t making good choices. There isn’t any hand holding here and there are plenty of bad decisions on display to further build out these characters. It’s a story that clearly comes from an emotional place for Raiff and that emotion is put on display in some great ways, both funny and heartbreaking. Again, it’s a shockingly emotionally intelligent film, especially when its easy to see how it could’ve gone for many much cheaper, broader strokes.
As only his second film, “Cha Cha Real Smooth” represents Raiff continuing to not only evolve as a filmmaker but find his stride as well. His performance is excellent, made even more impressive as he also wrote and directed the film, and he’s surrounded himself with a bevy of other extremely talented people giving great performances. It’s an emotional film that’s also remarkably light and is one of those special kind of crowd pleasers that makes you laugh and cry in equal measure, sometimes at the same time. 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment