Cooper Raiff announced himself as a name to know with his feature debut, Shithouse (which he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in), in 2020. Sure, it wasn’t a box office hit, but nobody was expecting it to be. And it didn’t need to be. Not when someone so young – he made it when he was only 22 – shows such talent. Shithouse followed Raiff’s Andrew character as he struggled to adjust to his freshman year in college. Raiff absolutely nailed how tough and awkward that transition that can be.
With that kind of success right off the bat, there was lots of anticipation for Cha Cha Real Smooth, his follow-up effort. Was Shithouse nothing more than a flash in the pan? Or was it a clear sign of things to come? I absolutely loved Shithouse, so I was beyond thrilled to see Cha Cha Real Smooth wasn’t simply more of the same. There are some clear similarities, sure, but it’s more of the same with clear improvements. The writing is tighter, without losing any of Raiff’s charm and wit. And you could tell he was directing with more confidence, that he’s continuing to grow into (hopefully) one of the industry’s best filmmakers.
Like Shithouse, Cha Cha Real Smooth follows another young adult at a pivotal moment in growing up. Andrew (Raiff) is a recent college graduate, struggling to find his place in the world. That’s something that everyone can relate to. Whether you went to a four year university, trade school, skipped college altogether, everyone hits this point eventually, sometimes more than once. Raiff once again displays an in-depth understanding of what this experience is like. He’s demonstrating wisdom that you typically see from someone who has the benefit of time, experience, and hindsight.
While working at a mall food court at the disgustingly named Meat Sticks, Andrew starts a side job as a DJ/”party starter” at the various bar and bat mitzvahs for his younger brother’s classmates. The celebrations bring together a consistent group of guests, chief among them (from Andrew’s point of view, at least), Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). Andrew quickly befriends both. He forms a close bond with Lola, taking on the dual roles of friend and babysitter. Domino loves her daughter beyond words, but as a single mother with a loving but often absent (due to work) fiancé Joseph (Raúl Castillo), she’s clearly yearning for some more adult connections.
Domino and Andrew’s relationships quickly becomes complicated. They clearly have a connection and have great chemistry. But with Joseph away from home so much, the lines begin to blur between her and Andrew. It could be a tough relationship to pull off on screen, but Raiff and Johnson, particularly Johnson, both put in terrific performances. It would have been all too easy for this to veer into the creepy, cringey, cheesy territory. But Raiff’s whip-smart script keeps that in line, and the two leads elevate the already strong roles. The supporting characters are important, but the movie doesn’t work without these two.
Burghardt, Castillo, and Evan Assante (who plays Andrew’s younger brother David) all have their moments. Burghardt especially is a delight, as Lola and Andrew’s friendship is a highlight of the movie. But it’s Leslie Mann as Andrew’s mom who shines brightest, even with limited screen time. Mann is a fantastic comedic actress, but here she gets a chance to showcase some of her dramatic chops too. She also stays within the role. You’ll sometimes see a more veteran performer try to do too much with a smaller role, but Mann seems perfectly happy to concede the meatier parts to Johnson and Raiff, while still absolutely delivering a top notch performance of her own.
As good as Mann is, her character is one of the few problems with Cha Cha Real Smooth. There are a few mentions of her being bipolar, but this area isn’t explored in much detail. It felt like a missed opportunity to add some depth to both her character and how that may have affected Andrew and the rest of their family.
While we’re nitpicking (because honestly there’s not a lot to point out in the “bad” department), some of the story aspects are a little simple and convenient. The script is very good, but it just misses out on being truly great. There are ideas that Raiff addresses and hints at that are interesting and compelling. But some of the resolutions seem a little too neat and tidy. But again, we’re talking about small things here.
As much as I enjoyed Cha Cha Real Smooth, I’m almost more excited to see what Raiff does next. Will he keep his focus on young adult, coming of age, finding your place in this world stories? Or will he expand his horizons? Not that there’s anything wrong with finding a lane you like and sticking with it, especially when you’re 2-for-2 to start off your career. And if he can keep finding new stories to explore, I’ll watch every time with no complaints. But Raiff already shows a real maturity in grasping some of life’s tougher aspects, I’d love to see what he would come up with in a different type of story.
But no matter what, wherever he goes from here, I’ve got lifetime tickets to the Cooper Raiff Show.
Score: 93/100
