If you’ve been impatiently waiting to see Cha Cha Real Smooth, or are just looking for a great romantic comedy, then we have some good news: Cooper Raiff’s charming coming of age rom-com that took Sundance and SXSW by storm is coming to streaming on Apple TV+ and in select theaters in June! Cha Cha Real Smooth has received praise from almost everyone who has seen it, with Collider’s Ross Bonaime giving the film an A and calling Cha Cha Real Smooth the “best film of Sundance 2022.”
What is Cha Cha Real Smooth About?
Cha Cha Real Smooth follows Adam, a recent college graduate and burgeoning bar/bat mitzvah party starter, who is struggling with finding his place in the world. With the MC name “The Jig Conductor” Andrew, a “22-year-old who is not at all a man, [is] helping little 13-year-olds become men at these bar mitzvahs” as the film’s writer and director Cooper Raiff puts it. Through his new job, Adam meets Domino and her daughter Lola and begins to consider what he wants his adult life to look like. Raiff describes Cha Cha Real Smooth as "a coming of age story for a 12-year-old, a 22-year-old, and a 32-year-old, those different stages."
The film focuses not just on the possibility of a romantic relationship between Adam and Domino, but also the friendship between Adam and Lola. Collider’s review of the film praises its tone, noting that “Cha Cha Real Smooth is never too saccharine sweet, and never too quirky or charming for its own good.”
The official plot synopsis by Apple reads:
"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."
Who Is in Cha Cha Real Smooth? Who is the Creative Team?
Cha Cha Real Smooth’s star, both in front of and behind the camera, is Cooper Raiff. Raiff not only plays the lead character, Andrew, but he is also the film’s writer and director. Raiff’s last film, Shithouse, which he also wrote, directed, and starred in, won the 2020 SXSW Jury Prize. Continuing that festival success, Cha Cha Real Smooth won the Audience Award in the US Dramatic Category at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Variety listed Raiff as one of their 2022 Directors to Watch for good reason, and we can’t wait to hear more about his upcoming projects, which include a TV adaption of the novel Exciting Times and a film called Trashers, which is based on the true story of the minor league hockey team owned by James Galante of the Genovese Crime Family who will be played in the film by Stranger Things star David Harbour.
Raiff’s co-star Dakota Johnson not only plays the character of Domino in Cha Cha Real Smooth but is also one of the film’s producers through her company TeaTime Pictures. Johnson’s acting past roles have included Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades franchise, Nina in The Lost Daughter, and Lucy in Am I Ok?. Am I Ok?, which like Cha Cha Real Smooth also premiered at Sundance, is another project Johnson is a producer on and is set to hit HBO Max later this year.
Adam’s mother is played by Leslie Mann. Mann has appeared in films including The 40-Year-Old Virgin, I Love You Phillip Morris, and The Bubble. Playing Adam’s stepfather is Brad Garrett. While Garrett has been in a variety of films and TV shows including Fargo (2015), Ratatouille, and Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, he is likely best known as Robert Barron on the classic sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.
Evan Assante, who plays Adam’s brother David, has had roles in films including Adventures with Rufus: The Fantastic Pet and Dinosaur World, but Cha Cha Real Smooth is his biggest film to date.
Domino’s daughter Lola is played by Vanessa Burghardt. Burghardt, who like Lola, is autistic, noted when talking to Deadline that it was exciting to play such a well-written and nuanced character. She pointed out how Lola is “a fully-formed person” and said that she “connected with her right away.” This is the up-and-coming young actress’s first major role.
Other cast members of Cha Cha Real Smooth include Raul Castillo, known for his roles in Looking and Atypical, Odeya Rush who was in Lady Bird and Let it Snow, and Kelly O’Sullivan, the writer and star of Saint Frances.
Is There a Cha Cha Real Smooth Trailer?
Apple TV+ released the trailer for Cha Cha Real Smooth on May 12th. It gives prospective viewers insight into the relationships and dynamics that drive the plot, showing tender moments not just between Adam and Domino, but also between Adam and his mom, Adam, and his step-father, and Adam and Lola. The trailer also highlights the tension between Adam and Domino’s fiance.
Given the amount of focus on Adam and his work as a bar mitzvah party starter, it’s perhaps no surprise that much of the trailer is scored to that irresistible earworm- Lipps, Inc’s “Funkytown”. The Lighthouse and the Whaler’s wistful plea “I Want to Feel Alive” is also in the trailer. Shockingly, given the title of the film, there is no “Cha Cha Slide” in the trailer. Fear not though, the song still is heard in the film, you'll just have to wait and see where it pops up.
Where Can You Watch Cha Cha Real Smooth?
Cha Cha Real Smooth will be in select theaters and streaming on AppleTV+ beginning June 17th. The film garnered an R rating, so it may not be for the whole family, but it sounds like there’s a lot for audiences of teens and older to appreciate in this coming of age story about multiple ages. Cha Cha Real Smooth clocks in at a comfortable length of just a little over an hour and forty-five minutes.
Cha Cha Real Smooth originally debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January and was also screened at South by Southwest, so critics and reviewers have had plenty of time to watch and review the film. Between Cha Cha Real Smooth’s 91% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of May 18 and the Audience Award it picked up at Sundance, we think it’s safe to say that most of the people who have seen the film so far have loved it.
We can’t wait to see the film that Sundance was raving about. With relatable themes, likable characters, and a brilliant young director who skillfully manages the film’s tone, Cha Cha Real Smooth sounds like a sure crowd-pleaser.