Cha Cha Real Smooth

This was the other film I was privileged to see during Sundance and it's most likely gonna go down as one of my favorites of the year. Cha Cha Real Smooth has more of a personal connection to me with how it treats leaving home while you still have a younger sibling there. It really resonated with me and I'm not ashamed to say that the final scene of the film almost made me cry. It hit very close to home. The performances here are great. Major props to Cooper Raiff for Directing, Writing, and starring in this because the writing and his performance were fantastic. His direction was pretty good but the writing and acting outshined it. His character feels very realistic. He gets in over his head a lot but tries his best to make others feel happy and he usually succeeds at it. Dakota Johnson did a great job as well along with Vanessa Burghardt who plays her daughter. All of these characters that Raiff wrote are great. They feel personal and well thought out and play a major impact into the story. As you can tell, it was the characters and writing that really sold me for this film because those aspects genuinely are fantastic. The music and editing were good but really weren't anything that special. I would highly recommend checking this film out whenever it hits theaters or streaming services if you want a more personal kind of story.

This is the sweetest, freshest, most genuinely heartfelt movie that I've seen in ages.

The script is thoroughly original, warm and witty, and the story unfolds without a false moment or even a whiff of predictably. The direction is sensitive and assured, and the leading man is endearingly winning.

It blows my mind that all of these are the work of the same person: the 25-year-old Cooper Raiff.

If you are reading this, Mr. Raiff, bravo and congratulations! Whoever funded this film needs to give him more money to make more films.

Where this actor, director and writer who called Mr. Raiff been!? This movie is such incredible one for those who love drama and calm movies! Right amount of laughters and tears, Besides that it has the touch of Apple+, the music and the simplicity of telling the story. Love this movie so much.

This is a very heartwarming film. Cooper Raiff was very charming as the lead, and he literally carried this whole movie on his back. I was surprised to find out he was the director, producer, and editor in addition to being the lead actor. I also love Dakota Johnson's hot streak of delivering great back to back performances in The Lost Daughter and Cha Cha Real Smooth. This is currently my favorite movie of 2022.

As someone who loved Sh!thouse, I mostly wanted to see what Raiff would do next. Would it feel that real again? Could he find that mix of funny and heartbreaking? Answer: yes. This kid has such a knack for finding connections that feel human - joyous and complicated and cringy and triumphant and sad. Nothing in this movie feels like a stretch. So much happens, and so little happens all at once....for the plot and for the protagonist. I so wanted Andrew to be the best version of himself through it all. I'm excited Raiff has found a way to make this kind of story because we need more of them.