My second time watching this movie and I’m still as sappy as when I first saw it.
The first time I watched this movie, I was a college student still busy writing my thesis and feeling anxious about the future. Now on my second time watching this, I’m already a college graduate but also still very anxious thinking about what the future holds for me. But here’s a thing about watching a good movie (Cha Cha Real Smooth), it feels like the calming sensation of the soft afternoon breeze knocking on my window. It’s real as it presents raw intimate moments between the characters, but simultaneously could also make you feel fuzzy and warm.
Cha Cha Real Smooth is a movie written and directed by Cooper Raiff, who also plays as one of the main characters in this movie, Andrew. According to the Rotten Tomatoes official summary, Cha Cha Real Smooth tells the story of a 22-year-old Andrew, who just freshly got out of college without a clear life path. On a bat mitzvah, Andrew met Domino, a young mother with a daughter named Lola. Cha Cha Real Smooth is a story about love, growing up and finding life purposes along the way.
Cooper Raiff did a stunning job of writing and directing Cha Cha Real Smooth because I felt so seen with this movie and I believe that a lot of people also feel the same thing. It tells a universal story about the quarter-life crisis that happens to a lot of us, especially the ones in their 20s who just got introduced to the adult world. Shifting from youth to being an adult is a very awkward phase and it gets harder when you see that everyone around you is moving yet you are still stuck in the same place. Cooper Raiff managed to create a very heartwarming movie for a lot of people who are currently grounded in a stage of life but yearn to move forward.
The characters in this movie feel very much alive and natural and everyone did wonderful in bringing their characters to life. Every conversation flows very naturally and there are zero awkward scenes between the characters (except when it’s intended to be). The chemistry, especially between Cooper Raiff and Dakota Johnson is exceptional. It is as if they are made to play those characters so no one can ever portray the characters' excellency as they did. I also admire the way this movie is trying to honestly show what autism is really like and Vanessa Burghardt did a very amazing job in her first movie role.
On Loving
Falling in love is one of the main plots in Cha Cha Real Smooth. We see it in all of the characters, but especially in Andrew and Domino who are the center of the plot. Love, as portrayed in this movie, is a messy and confusing but beautiful feeling that everyone aches to experience, even if it’s just for once. Andrew, a carefree young man with no burden on his shoulder wants to embrace the world with Domino, who wants to settle and live a comfortable life with her daughter. Through Cha Cha Real Smooth we can finally understand that to love someone, there are a lot of things that need to be considered and sacrificed.
“ You can't just decide that you love somebody and that’s that and everything is great. ”
That quote that was told by Domino to Andrew really stuck with me since the first time I saw this movie. Love is a very beautiful feeling that will lead you to encounter beautiful experiences together. But to love is to be kind. To love is to be considerate of each other. To love is to not be selfless or selfish but to share the burden with each other because a relationship consists of two people. Because when we love each other, we don’t do it alone. We don’t only think about other people nor do we only think about ourselves, but it should be balanced. Cha Cha Real Smooth gently reminds us that love is an experience for two people to enjoy.
As a mother, there are a lot of things that need to be considered for Domino to fall in love. She can’t only think about her feelings, but she has to also think about her daughter and her needs. Even though she feels alive and special whenever she was with Andrew, that’s not enough for her daughter to live. What she needs is a love that feels secure and comfortable, a commitment that will never go away. Cha Cha Real Smooth successfully presents the idea of having a lot of soulmates (it’s also mentioned a lot in the movie) and I agree with its concept. Some people who you clicked with during that one time of your life can be your soulmate, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be together with them. Some people in your life are only meant for a fleeting moment and it’s totally okay. They can be a brief but memorable journey to accompany your steps.
On Living
Cha Cha Real Smooth also shows the struggle that we all have with living. It is shown in Andrew’s struggle trying to get his life together and find a job, in Domino’s struggle with raising her daughter and battling her personal issues, in Lola’s struggle with bullying and in Andrew’s family’s struggle to keep a normal peaceful family. We all have that moment in our life when everything feels wrong and rock bottom, when it feels like there’s no way up for us anymore, when we struggle to go ahead. But Cha Cha Real Smooth is a movie that feels like a warm hug as if saying that whatever happens, we will always be okay. There will always be light at the end of the dark tunnel if we keep pushing forward.
“ And the things that I’m really scared of doing are probably the things that will help me the most, but I just can’t do them. ”
Taking the first step is a very hard thing to do, but sometimes it’s a necessity. By doing the things that we find painful, we will grow and move forward. To live well is to keep pushing, just like what Andrew and Domino did with their life. Sometimes, saying goodbye can be your first step to live a better life and when you are finally ready to let go, good things will find you. After all, our memories will always stay with us and they will never go away, so we have to live preciously in order to keep remembering.
Conclusion
Cha Cha Real Smooth is a very sweet and light movie to watch in whatever state you are in right now. It depicts a very realistic view of loving and living through its plot and characters. Cooper Raiff also did fantastic in choosing the music, playing with the lights and taking simple but beautiful cinematography throughout the movie making it very enjoyable and engaging. No matter who you are, what you do and what your age is, you will find solace and joy in this silly little movie that I keep close to my heart. Cooper Raiff is truly a genius for creating Cha Cha Real Smooth and I can’t wait to see where his next magical works will take us to.
