Cha Cha Real Smooth Parent Guide

Fresh out of college, Andrew (Cooper Raiff) has no plan and no prospects, so he moves back in with his family. While accompanying his younger brother, David (Evan Assante) to a bar mitzvah, Andrew meets a compelling young mom (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt).

Cooper Raiff is a young (only 25!) up and comer in Hollywood and he wrote, directed, and stars in Cha Cha Real Smooth. Although I do think he shows a promising level of talent, his age is his own worst enemy in what becomes a shallow, self-indulgent slog. His inexperience with life, and perhaps the ego-building experience of being celebrated for his first film at only 22, are obvious in the script. The plot is predictable, the characters shallow, and the overall themes fail to say anything worth hearing. I kept hoping this movie would get better, I really did. There is so much potential here and it could have been great in the hands of a more experienced writer. Although I did enjoy the last ten or so minutes, they aren’t worth the journey.

I personally don’t like Dakota Johnson as an actor, so I had a hard time getting past that in the first place, but her character didn’t help. She exists only to be broken so that Andrew’s love can fix her. She’s the opposite of a manic pixie dream girl, inhabiting a state of depressed arrested development until the knight in shining armor (a mediocre 20-something man) comes to shake her out of it. This is the type of story you expect out of a freshman creative writing class from That Guy who talks over all the women in the class and thinks he’s deep. Raiff is charming, no doubt, but his charm wears thin when it’s the only thing his character has going for him.

Aside from my issues with the naiveté of the writing, there are a lot of content concerns to note. With around 40 expletives, a sex scene, and adults drinking on multiple occasions, I cannot recommend this film for family viewing. I don’t think this is a horrible film by any means, but it could have been so much better. My issues aside, it does wear its heart on its sleeve and there are some genuinely poignant moments. I could see why some people would enjoy this movie, but for me the experience was dampened by its failure to live up to its potential. Just like most kids right out of college.