Cha Cha Real Smooth movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Cha Cha Real Smooth

This quirky coming-of-age is now available exclusively on Apple TV+

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 47 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

Fresh out of college and without a clear life path going forward, 22-year-old Andrew is stuck back at home with his family in New Jersey. But if there’s one thing that belongs on his nonexistent résumé, it’s how to get a party started, which lands him the perfect job of motivational dancing at the bar and bat mitzvahs for his younger brother’s classmates. When Andrew befriends a local mom, Domino, and her daughter, Lola, he finally discovers a future he wants — even if it might not be his own.

Cooper Raiff wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film! This is his second feature film. He won an SXSW award for his first film! Guess what? He’s only 25 years old!

THINGS I LIKED:

The talented cast includes Dakota Johnson, Cooper Raiff, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Odeya Rush, Raul Castillo, Vanessa Burghardt, and Evan Assante.
I loved Leslie Mann as the sweet, supportive mom.
The title of the movie comes from a song that was popular to be played at Bar Mitzvahs called “Cha Cha Slide” by Willie Perry Jr. (DJ Casper).
You’ll learn a few things about Jewish customs such as the huge productions that Bar Mitzvahs are!
The filming mostly took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The movie shows how complicated relationships and feelings can be. It’s very honest in revealing the difficulties of becoming an adult and figuring out how to utilize your strengths to build a life and career.
I liked that we got to spend so much time with a young teen who was on the Autism Spectrum. I’m hoping that with movies like this and popular TV shows like “Love on the Spectrum”, people won’t be so quick to judge those who act differently from us and that we’ll show more patience and kindness to one another. We also learn that another character in the film struggles with Bi-polar Disorder. We sympathize with them and want to see them happy in their lives.
There’s a fun soundtrack that will make you want to get up and dance. Este Haim also presents some original music.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It’s pretty slow-moving.
Some characters are just a little too giggly and make strange decisions, making it seem that there might be more than one character with learning disabilities.
The movie unnecessarily stretches out the story. I can think of several scenes that could have been cut to shorten the viewing time.
Movies often show people falling in love sooooo quickly. Is there love at first sight? Absolutely! While that’s super romantic, the reality is that you truly need to spend more time dating someone before you decide you’re ready to marry them!
I just didn’t feel any chemistry between Dakota Johnson’s character and her fiance.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Profanity, crude language, and F-bombs
An unmarried couple goes at it in bed. We see motion and the guy holds a condom.
A single guy gets drunk a lot.
A woman has a miscarriage and talks about blood.
A teenage girl on the Autism Spectrum is a character that gets featured a lot.

THEMES:

Love
Kindness
Autism
Bi-polar
Depression
Courage
Messy relationships
Infidelity and pre-marital relationships
Jewish Bar Mitzvahs and Bat Mitzvahs

INTERESTING LINES:

* “Sometimes, it’s just easier for people to be sad.” – Andrew (Cooper Raiff)

“I’m sorry growing up is hard.” – Andrew’s mom (Leslie Mann)
“Giving your heart to someone is the scariest, most dangerous, most perplexing thing.” – Domino (Dakota Johnson)