CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH

"I do think I'm gonna move out soon. I realize I have enough money, but I don't think I'm gonna move very far... I've been passing our old house on the way to work, like I walk by it everyday. And I feel really happy every time we pass it. And I just want you to know that. Like, I have this urge to tell you I had a really great childhood." - Andrew

Ever since the first coming-of-age film released in 1955 (Rebel Without a Cause), this subsection of dramas has grown into one of the most cherished and persecuted types of film to date. Yes, they usually contain recycled formulas of generic tropes and forced quirkiness, but the messages generally land well and relate to the majority of viewers. The emerging adulthood period in life, where you stumble aimlessly to explore your identity and find your purpose in the world, can be a powerful narrative to tell. No one since the late John Hughes has come close to perfecting their filmography around this sub-genre, that is, until the arrival of Cooper Raiff. Following his impactful debut film “Shithouse,” Raiff emulates this frivolous transitional period and the instability that comes with it in his sophomore film “Cha Cha Real Smooth.” Infinitely endearing and invasively touching, Raiff maneuvers through this in-between period of young life with a tender familiarity very few have accomplished.

“Cha Cha Real Smooth” follows Andrew (Cooper Raiff) in the months after graduating college. Unsure of who he is and where his purpose in life lies, he starts working at a mall food court called 'Meat Sticks,’ while his girlfriend travels to Spain. After an impressionistic night at a bar mitzvah with his brother, David, Andrew is asked by several moms to be a ‘party starter’ at their own son’s bar mitzvah after seeing him successfully encourage every kid to dance and have fun. Andrew’s excitement wasn’t found in his newly established career path, but rather through a new connection with a mother named Domino and her autistic daughter, Lola. Andrew explores his growing feelings for Domino as she asks him to babysit Lola when she needs a night out. As the tempestuousness of young adulthood catches up to him, Andrew questions young love, how unfair the world can be to good people, and learns that growing up doesn't have an age restriction. Everyone is forever learning how to heal, grow, and forgive.

What’s so special about “Cha Cha Real Smooth” is that it is a coming of age film (for young adults) without actually feeling like one. Including the usual suspect sub-genre narratives– divorced parents, love issues, strained relationships with family members/friends– these storylines somehow feel fresh and reclaimed. Everything in this film feels crisper and more instinctive than many narratives that came before it, and part of that is the accomplishment of how incredible the chemistry presents itself. Nothing is forced; the comedic tone subtlety flows rather than over-thought-out punch lines and calculated first-time-drug-use scenarios. These characters are complex humans that the audience has known or wants to know– not shells of stereotypically written characters designed to progress a plot or teach the protagonist a moral lesson. Because of this naturalistic design, a film that felt like it was written and filmed before the intention of being categorized, “Cha Cha Real Smooth” should become the new modern template for the coming of age sub-genre.

Peppered ever so finely throughout this relatively light-hearted comedy are moments of gut-punching emotional revelations. A conversation about what depression is like; the disclosure about the hardships and beauty that come with autism; the validation of a bipolar mother when her son tells her she gave him a beautiful childhood–these instances permeate a deep catharsis that gives the film its heartbeat. These gaussian windows into the souls of these characters are slight and quick, but that’s all the audience needs. Rather than spoon-feed a climactic, passionate moment of sentiment that’s been done many times over, Raiff creates swathes of safe spaces for viewers to process his character’s struggles on their own terms and allows them to decipher and digest their own interpretations of adulthood struggles.

Furthermore, the film excellently depicts the parallels between Andrew’s transient twenties and Domino’s grounded motherhood. Their surprising connection blossoms through their love for Lola and the idea of what could be. Even though Domino has a fiance she loves and wants to marry, she entertains her feelings for Andrew because of what he represents– a young, free individual with nothing tying him down; a world of possibilities… someone whose life isn’t measured or defined by stages of an autistic daughter and the marriage of an occupationally successful husband. But she realizes, before Andrew does, that what scares her is what she needs the most, that he needs to grow alone, and she needs to grow with her committed partner. The dialogue, cinematography, and editing analogies between their two lives beautifully enhances the idea that everyone never truly masters adulthood. That is what makes “Cha Cha Real Smooth” so profound; everyone is always learning, making mistakes, and growing regardless of demographic– it is the only constant way of life.

Lastly, the engrossing charm of the film almost entirely relies on the charisma and affability of Cooper Raiff’s protagonist Andrew, and my god, does he deliver it with flying colors! A slightly awkward, genuine, emotionally intelligent twenty-two year old, Raiff pours his entire heart and soul into his performance. The nuances of indecision and ephemerality are embodied perfectly, as well as a representation of an infallible human just trying to find his chosen path. Andrew represents the good version in all of us; a sounding board for his brother to look up to, a support system for his mother, and a shoulder to lean on for a mother and her daughter who have seen too much adversity. We do not learn any enlightened, spelled out message from Andrew as other coming-of-age characters have done before him; he invites us to learn the basics of being a decent human no matter how unsure we may be of ourselves. The warmth and delicacy of his performance is the glue that holds this whole film together.

Compassionate at every turn and effortless in all the right ways, “Cha Cha Real Smooth” intimately whispers that it's okay to always be evolving. From the perfectly crafted score, to the lighting, to the comedic timing– almost nothing could have elevated this masterful cinematic experience. The comfortable, intrinsic atmosphere Raiff created is more than just a story about a boy finding himself, it's an entire transformative cultivation of human essence.