"Cha Cha Real Smooth" is a comedy-drama feature, written, directed by Cooper Raiff, produced by and starring Dakota Johnson ("Madame Web"), with Raúl Castillo, Odeya Rush, Evan Assante, Vanessa Burghardt, Brad Garrett and Leslie Mann, now streaming on AppleTV+:
"...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.
"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..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...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.
"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..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 5/8/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"Cha Cha Real Smooth" is the 2022 comedy-drama feature, written and directed by Cooper Raiff, produced by and starring Dakota Johnson ("Madame Web"), with Raúl Castillo, Odeya Rush, Evan Assante, Vanessa Burghardt, Brad Garrett and Leslie Mann, now streaming on AppleTV+:
"...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.
"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..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...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.
"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..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 3/15/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTg3OGYxMGYtNmNhNi00NGY4LWFkMjMtZjJhZmRkMTkxMDBhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Exclusive: Impossible Dream Entertainment and Double G Films have set a stacked cast for their dramatic comedy Lost & Found in Cleveland, marking the feature debut of writer-directors Marisa Guterman and Keith Gerchak. Leads for the film, currently in production in Cleveland, include Emmy and Golden Globe winner Martin Sheen (Grace and Frankie), Golden Globe nominee Dennis Haysbert (Far from Heaven), Oscar nominee June Squibb (Nebraska), Golden Globe winner Stacy Keach (Nebraska), Independent Spirit Award winner Yvette Yates Redick (Inherent Vice) and Tony Award winner Santino Fontana (Broadway’s Tootsie).
An adult drama targeted toward the audience that recently made Paramount & Fifth Season’s 80 for Brady a hit, Lost & Found in Cleveland is billed as a new American fable about the post-Industrial American Dream in the Industrial Midwest — a slice-of-life depiction over a 24-hour period that follows the personal odysseys of five very different people, whose lives intertwine when...
An adult drama targeted toward the audience that recently made Paramount & Fifth Season’s 80 for Brady a hit, Lost & Found in Cleveland is billed as a new American fable about the post-Industrial American Dream in the Industrial Midwest — a slice-of-life depiction over a 24-hour period that follows the personal odysseys of five very different people, whose lives intertwine when...
- 2/10/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTljYTcxZTMtODQxYy00MjM5LWEwYTUtYTg5Nzk3YTc0NzBhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTljYTcxZTMtODQxYy00MjM5LWEwYTUtYTg5Nzk3YTc0NzBhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Way before Vanessa Burghardt was cast in “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” movies played an extremely important role in her life. “I didn’t really have any friends in school and so movies became the way that I came to understand social situations and other people and it was kind of the way I fulfilled the socialization I wasn’t getting. They were really important to me,” she tells Gold Derby during our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video interview above).
She even remembers one of the earliest performances she saw that made her want to explore becoming an actress. “I remember seeing, weirdly, Kristen Stewart in ‘Zathura.’ That was the first time where I kind of realized what the idea of acting was. Then I saw the gag reel for ‘The Avengers’ and I looked at the behind the scenes pictures and I knew that I wanted to be a part of it forever.
She even remembers one of the earliest performances she saw that made her want to explore becoming an actress. “I remember seeing, weirdly, Kristen Stewart in ‘Zathura.’ That was the first time where I kind of realized what the idea of acting was. Then I saw the gag reel for ‘The Avengers’ and I looked at the behind the scenes pictures and I knew that I wanted to be a part of it forever.
- 12/8/2022
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYWRhZWY0OTEtYmE0MC00MGJhLWE5NDctZDNmODlkYTQwYTFhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
The rise of Cooper Raiff continues following the buzzy Sundance and then Apple TV+ debuts of his feature film “Cha Cha Real Smooth” this year. Also in 2022, the “Shithouse” director announced a new film, “The Trashers,” starring David Harbour and Cooper Hoffmann, and launched production company Small Ideas with former Black Bear Pictures executive Clementine Quittner.
The outfit will aim to develop and produce independent film and television projects from emerging filmmakers and creators, as well as writer-director Raiff’s own work. The first project at Small Ideas will be an undisclosed TV series written, directed, and produced by Raiff, with Quittner also producing.
“Cha Cha” was released by Apple TV+ on June 17 but remains in the mix for fall screenplay kudos. Raiff directs, writes, and stars in this low-key comedy about a 22-year-old named Andrew in a post-undergrad slump, and with no clear life path forward. Co-stars include Dakota Johnson...
The outfit will aim to develop and produce independent film and television projects from emerging filmmakers and creators, as well as writer-director Raiff’s own work. The first project at Small Ideas will be an undisclosed TV series written, directed, and produced by Raiff, with Quittner also producing.
“Cha Cha” was released by Apple TV+ on June 17 but remains in the mix for fall screenplay kudos. Raiff directs, writes, and stars in this low-key comedy about a 22-year-old named Andrew in a post-undergrad slump, and with no clear life path forward. Co-stars include Dakota Johnson...
- 12/7/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDgzYzNiNjMtY2ZkMy00ZDBhLTkyZGYtZTI0ZjBkZTQxYzMzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDgzYzNiNjMtY2ZkMy00ZDBhLTkyZGYtZTI0ZjBkZTQxYzMzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Click here to read the full article.
Cooper Raiff began the pandemic by taking the top prize at the Covid-canceled 2020 SXSW film festival with his feature debut, Shithouse. Less than two years later, his sophomore effort — Apple’s Cha Cha Real Smooth, which follows a recent college graduate who strikes up a friendship with young mother Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt) — premiered at Sundance. Raiff talked to THR about writing and directing his second feature, casting authentically and finding out what size movie works best for him.
What makes a good coming-of-age movie to you?
Someone who wants to grow, someone who wants to do better. There are a lot of coming-of-age movies that don’t center on a person who wants better for their life, and I’m not interested in those movies. I’m so interested in the movies that follow someone who...
Cooper Raiff began the pandemic by taking the top prize at the Covid-canceled 2020 SXSW film festival with his feature debut, Shithouse. Less than two years later, his sophomore effort — Apple’s Cha Cha Real Smooth, which follows a recent college graduate who strikes up a friendship with young mother Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt) — premiered at Sundance. Raiff talked to THR about writing and directing his second feature, casting authentically and finding out what size movie works best for him.
What makes a good coming-of-age movie to you?
Someone who wants to grow, someone who wants to do better. There are a lot of coming-of-age movies that don’t center on a person who wants better for their life, and I’m not interested in those movies. I’m so interested in the movies that follow someone who...
- 12/6/2022
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODQzZDJkMmMtNDUyZi00ZjRiLTllY2MtNWZmM2VlMWQ0YzFiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODQzZDJkMmMtNDUyZi00ZjRiLTllY2MtNWZmM2VlMWQ0YzFiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Cooper Raiff went through tons of audition tapes to cast the role of autistic teen, Lola, in his movie “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” but when he saw Vanessa Burghardt’s tape, he knew that she was the one. “She was nothing like the character that I had originally written. I remember being really scared to tell the producers that it’s gotta be her and I’m gonna rewrite it all to make it work,” he tells Gold Derby during our recent chat (watch the exclusive video interview above). Seeing Burghardt, who also has autism, do the reading with her mother made Raiff think of the relationship between his mom and his sister which originally inspired the movie. “I felt connected with her already through the computer and when I met her, even more so. We’re still close. I just adore her and I’m obsessed with her in...
- 11/23/2022
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWY5MmM1MDYtZWJjMy00MmQ1LTk5MjktNjk4ODI1ZWYwMTMwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR10,0,500,281_.jpg)
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” are among the recent honorees of the Ruderman Family Foundation’s Seal of Authentic Representation, Variety has learned exclusively.
The Foundation recognizes films and television series that include authentic representation of people with disabilities. Vanessa Burghardt, an actor with autism, plays Domino’s (Dakota Johnson) autistic daughter Lola in the comedy-drama film “Cha Cha Real Smooth.”
“From the moment the film’s creator, Cooper Raiff, saw Vanessa’s audition, he knew instantly that she was our Lola. No one could deny her talent but authenticity was important to everyone, so Cooper changed the script to age up the character and that was the end of it. Looking back, I cannot imagine another person playing Lola,” said producer Jessica Switch in a statement. “Vanessa was perfect. She was extremely professional and sweet on set. She nailed every take and always came prepared.
The Foundation recognizes films and television series that include authentic representation of people with disabilities. Vanessa Burghardt, an actor with autism, plays Domino’s (Dakota Johnson) autistic daughter Lola in the comedy-drama film “Cha Cha Real Smooth.”
“From the moment the film’s creator, Cooper Raiff, saw Vanessa’s audition, he knew instantly that she was our Lola. No one could deny her talent but authenticity was important to everyone, so Cooper changed the script to age up the character and that was the end of it. Looking back, I cannot imagine another person playing Lola,” said producer Jessica Switch in a statement. “Vanessa was perfect. She was extremely professional and sweet on set. She nailed every take and always came prepared.
- 10/19/2022
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
![Vanessa Burghardt](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BY2YxNjUxNjgtMDM3Zi00NjdmLTkzZWItOWZkMTBmZDM0MjM5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQyMjc1NDI1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR14,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Vanessa Burghardt](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BY2YxNjUxNjgtMDM3Zi00NjdmLTkzZWItOWZkMTBmZDM0MjM5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQyMjc1NDI1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR14,0,140,207_.jpg)
Exclusive: Ana Bedayo joins Stride as a manager. Bedayo comes to Stride from Grandview.
“I’ve been lucky enough to follow Ana’s career since we met almost 10 years ago. She’s a force – deeply driven, with a keen eye for exceptional talent, and the focus and heart to foster her clients’ growth in the most artistic and meaningful ways. She’s a fierce advocate and an even better person, and we couldn’t be happier to have her join our growing team,” said Stride’s Matt Shelton.
She will be bringing all her clients with her, including Vanessa Burghardt (Cha Cha Real Smooth), Emily Carey (House of the Dragon), Angus Imrie, Sofia Kappel (Pleasure), Emma Pasarow (Along for the Ride), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket) and more.
“Matt and I have been friends for a while, and I am thrilled to join Stride in this exciting time of growth for the company.
“I’ve been lucky enough to follow Ana’s career since we met almost 10 years ago. She’s a force – deeply driven, with a keen eye for exceptional talent, and the focus and heart to foster her clients’ growth in the most artistic and meaningful ways. She’s a fierce advocate and an even better person, and we couldn’t be happier to have her join our growing team,” said Stride’s Matt Shelton.
She will be bringing all her clients with her, including Vanessa Burghardt (Cha Cha Real Smooth), Emily Carey (House of the Dragon), Angus Imrie, Sofia Kappel (Pleasure), Emma Pasarow (Along for the Ride), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket) and more.
“Matt and I have been friends for a while, and I am thrilled to join Stride in this exciting time of growth for the company.
- 8/11/2022
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTUyMDkyYzktYjQyYi00NDVhLWJmM2ItYzA3MzI1YTVjMGM4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTUyMDkyYzktYjQyYi00NDVhLWJmM2ItYzA3MzI1YTVjMGM4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Click here to read the full article.
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Nope and Ted Lasso, along with a flurry of events for San Diego Comic-Con, the MLB All-Star Game, the ESPYs and Outfest.
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin premiere
HBO Max hosted a bloody red carpet and screening of new series Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin on July 15 on the Warner Bros lot. Lucy Hale, who starred in the first Pll series, moderated a Q&a with new stars Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Zaria, Malia Pyles and Maia Reficco.
Nope premiere
Jordan Peele unveiled his latest project at the Tcl Chinese Theatre on Monday, with stars Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun and Brandon Perea and a starry list of guests including Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, John Boyega and Steph Curry.
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Nope and Ted Lasso, along with a flurry of events for San Diego Comic-Con, the MLB All-Star Game, the ESPYs and Outfest.
Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin premiere
HBO Max hosted a bloody red carpet and screening of new series Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin on July 15 on the Warner Bros lot. Lucy Hale, who starred in the first Pll series, moderated a Q&a with new stars Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Zaria, Malia Pyles and Maia Reficco.
Nope premiere
Jordan Peele unveiled his latest project at the Tcl Chinese Theatre on Monday, with stars Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun and Brandon Perea and a starry list of guests including Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, John Boyega and Steph Curry.
- 7/22/2022
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWY5MmM1MDYtZWJjMy00MmQ1LTk5MjktNjk4ODI1ZWYwMTMwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR10,0,500,281_.jpg)
For “Cha Cha Real Smooth” casting director Angela Demo, it was out of the question to consider neurotypical actors for the part of Lola, who is on the autism spectrum. “It was never in my mind,” Demo tells Variety. “Never was it ever mentioned on this project [that we would consider] actors who do not have autism.”
This shouldn’t be surprising, as characters that are explicitly or implied to be on the autism spectrum have been present in popular movies for decades. But as evidenced by “Rain Man,” “Forrest Gump,” “Dear John” and countless others, the casting of actors with autism is dismally rare.
Affectionately titled after one of the many bar mitzvah jams that soundtrack the movie, Cooper Raiff’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” tells a messy love story about 22-year-old Andrew (Raiff), who falls for the older Domino (Dakota Johnson) while babysitting her daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt).
But Lola is much...
This shouldn’t be surprising, as characters that are explicitly or implied to be on the autism spectrum have been present in popular movies for decades. But as evidenced by “Rain Man,” “Forrest Gump,” “Dear John” and countless others, the casting of actors with autism is dismally rare.
Affectionately titled after one of the many bar mitzvah jams that soundtrack the movie, Cooper Raiff’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” tells a messy love story about 22-year-old Andrew (Raiff), who falls for the older Domino (Dakota Johnson) while babysitting her daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt).
But Lola is much...
- 6/29/2022
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
Cha Cha Real Smooth is a charming comedy-drama about unexpected friendships and second chances. The film follows Andrew (Cooper Raiff), a down-on-his-luck 20-something who lands a job hosting bar mitzvah parties. When he meets June (Dakota Johnson) and her teenage daughter, Chloe (Vanessa Burghardt), he strikes up a unique friendship with them. As their unlikely bond grows, Andrew starts to see the world in a new light. Through their friendship, he realizes that it’s never too late to start over. Heartwarming and ultimately uplifting, Cha Cha Real Smooth is a feel-good film that will leave you smiling. In a review
Five Movies To Watch When You’re Done With “Cha Cha Real Smooth”...
Five Movies To Watch When You’re Done With “Cha Cha Real Smooth”...
- 6/28/2022
- by A.E. Oats
- TVovermind.com
![Dylan Gelula and Cooper Raiff in Shithouse (2020)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTgwNzNmNjUtNWQwMy00NDZkLWFhMzktMjE3YjBiZGFjNThiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDM2NDM2MQ@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Dylan Gelula and Cooper Raiff in Shithouse (2020)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTgwNzNmNjUtNWQwMy00NDZkLWFhMzktMjE3YjBiZGFjNThiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMDM2NDM2MQ@@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,207_.jpg)
After the success of 2020’s Shithouse, 25-year-old filmmaker Cooper Raiff had expectations for a follow-up. His sophomore feature, Cha Cha Real Smooth, finds the young writer-director once again casting himself in the main role, this time as Andrew, a recent college graduate without much direction. Combining a larger budget, a more recognizable supporting cast, and a Sundance premiere, the indie dramedy won the festival’s Audience Award and the hearts of the folks at Apple with a 15 million distribution sale.
Raiff’s second film features many of the same flourishes as his first. Millennial needle drops fill the silences between bars rather than college parties, but the genuine tone remains the same. There’s an earnestness embedded within each character, an honesty that Raiff hopes to capture, along with tidbits of insight into the messiness of being in your early 20s. Not all of it works, but how can it?...
Raiff’s second film features many of the same flourishes as his first. Millennial needle drops fill the silences between bars rather than college parties, but the genuine tone remains the same. There’s an earnestness embedded within each character, an honesty that Raiff hopes to capture, along with tidbits of insight into the messiness of being in your early 20s. Not all of it works, but how can it?...
- 6/22/2022
- by Michael Frank
- The Film Stage
![Cooper Raiff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmUyYjI4MjQtZjE4ZC00MDA4LWFkMzktNmMxYzQ4MjUwOGI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ4NTI0NjE1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR33,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Cooper Raiff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmUyYjI4MjQtZjE4ZC00MDA4LWFkMzktNmMxYzQ4MjUwOGI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ4NTI0NjE1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR33,0,140,207_.jpg)
When Cooper Raiff pitched Dakota Johnson on a film about a college grad who’s great at starting bar and bat mitzvah parties but clueless about starting his adult life, she was immediately in.
There was just one problem: he didn’t have a script.
Still, the idea of “Cha Cha Real Smooth” – inspired by something his mom once told him about how raising his disabled sister had shaped her life – was strong enough for him to bluff his way through.
“I think I do the best work when I’m just entirely focused on writing one thing and telling people, ‘I can’t talk for two weeks because Dakota Johnson thinks I have a script I don’t have,’” Raiff joked in an interview with TheWrap.
In “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” which takes its name from the classic b’nei mitzvah bop, Andrew (Raiff) finds a kindred spirit in...
There was just one problem: he didn’t have a script.
Still, the idea of “Cha Cha Real Smooth” – inspired by something his mom once told him about how raising his disabled sister had shaped her life – was strong enough for him to bluff his way through.
“I think I do the best work when I’m just entirely focused on writing one thing and telling people, ‘I can’t talk for two weeks because Dakota Johnson thinks I have a script I don’t have,’” Raiff joked in an interview with TheWrap.
In “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” which takes its name from the classic b’nei mitzvah bop, Andrew (Raiff) finds a kindred spirit in...
- 6/21/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
![Cooper Raiff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmUyYjI4MjQtZjE4ZC00MDA4LWFkMzktNmMxYzQ4MjUwOGI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ4NTI0NjE1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR33,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Cooper Raiff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmUyYjI4MjQtZjE4ZC00MDA4LWFkMzktNmMxYzQ4MjUwOGI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ4NTI0NjE1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR33,0,140,207_.jpg)
There might be coming-of-age films about the preteen experience of going to Bar-mitzvahs, but what about the party starters in the background?
In Cooper Raiff’s second feature film, “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” the writer-director moves on from telling the stories of college life in “S—house” to what life is like after college. Raiff sticks to the feel-good coming-of-age genre in this Sundance success. “
Cha Cha Real Smooth,” premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, earning the festival’s Audience Award. After the film’s festival success, AppleTV+ purchased the film’s distribution rights for 15 million dollars, but now that it’s out, how exactly can you watch it? All those answers below.
Also Read:
‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ Film Review: Dakota Johnson in Charming Coming-of-Age Dramedy Is “Cha Cha Real Smooth” in Theaters or Streaming?
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” simultaneously premieres in select theaters and will be available to stream on AppleTV+ starting Friday,...
In Cooper Raiff’s second feature film, “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” the writer-director moves on from telling the stories of college life in “S—house” to what life is like after college. Raiff sticks to the feel-good coming-of-age genre in this Sundance success. “
Cha Cha Real Smooth,” premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, earning the festival’s Audience Award. After the film’s festival success, AppleTV+ purchased the film’s distribution rights for 15 million dollars, but now that it’s out, how exactly can you watch it? All those answers below.
Also Read:
‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ Film Review: Dakota Johnson in Charming Coming-of-Age Dramedy Is “Cha Cha Real Smooth” in Theaters or Streaming?
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” simultaneously premieres in select theaters and will be available to stream on AppleTV+ starting Friday,...
- 6/17/2022
- by Charna Flam
- The Wrap
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNDRiYWNhMGEtM2QzMS00OTI1LWEzODMtOTI3MDVmNDMwMjZhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Mubi Go, which has helped buoy NYC’s arthouse market by offering members a free movie ticket a week at participating theaters, expands to LA today where the biz could really use a boost. The films are curated and the first is Apple’s Cha Cha Real Smooth.
Mubi, a global streaming service, production company and film distributor, launched Mubi Go in New York last fall and will continue expanding to major markets through 2022 with Chicago next. “We’re being very careful and methodical about the rollout,” said distribution chief Chris Wells.
Mubi members get Mubi Go as a perk. The company doesn’t release subscriber numbers but Wells said its NYC base jumped by 30 after it added Mubi Go.
Movie picks include its own releases, like Lingui, The Sacred Bonds, but mostly from other distributors from Drive My Car, The Power of the Dog and Passing to We’re...
Mubi, a global streaming service, production company and film distributor, launched Mubi Go in New York last fall and will continue expanding to major markets through 2022 with Chicago next. “We’re being very careful and methodical about the rollout,” said distribution chief Chris Wells.
Mubi members get Mubi Go as a perk. The company doesn’t release subscriber numbers but Wells said its NYC base jumped by 30 after it added Mubi Go.
Movie picks include its own releases, like Lingui, The Sacred Bonds, but mostly from other distributors from Drive My Car, The Power of the Dog and Passing to We’re...
- 6/17/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzdlZGNjMTYtZTdlMi00NGIwLTlhZDItNmRhNmNlOGU3MmZhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Adventurous filmgoers who are looking for a bit of a break from the onslaught of Summer blockbusters may wish to take in this tale of a very different kind of cinema protagonist. And if you’ve just completed college, well then you may identify with this character. He does harken back a bit to the title hero of The Graduate, though his problems aren’t quite as catastrophic. Still, he’s at a crossroads, not sure which trail to pursue. And this somewhat odd title, well it refers to one possible path. Or, to build on the dance metaphor, it’s a lucrative side “hustle”. For a fella’ that’s “flailing about”, he wishes his life was confident like the lyric Cha Cha Real Smooth.
That “fella'” is Pittsburgh native Andrew who is a smitten pre-teen when we first meet him. He’s at a pal’s Bar Mitzvah with...
That “fella'” is Pittsburgh native Andrew who is a smitten pre-teen when we first meet him. He’s at a pal’s Bar Mitzvah with...
- 6/17/2022
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
This review of “Cha Cha Real Smooth” was first published on January 22 after the film’s premiere at Sundance.
“We know each other,” says an assured Domino (Dakota Johnson) to Andrew (Cooper Raiff), the uninhibitedly goofy and kind-spirited 22-year-old who has recently come to brighten her life and that of her autistic daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt), like a lighting bolt of possibility. Though they’ve seen each other only twice, their immediate chemistry and his earnest curiosity have fast-tracked their palpable attraction.
Coated in a warm effervesce, “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” Raiff’s follow-up to his 2020 SXSW winner “S—house,” is a disarmingly heartfelt gem with all the right moves to make you swoon. Though it may appear like the quintessential, character-driven Sundance title about upper-middle-class white people, there are nuanced undercurrents of depth that display how Raiff, a new prodigy of the dramedy, engages with predicaments beyond his age.
“We know each other,” says an assured Domino (Dakota Johnson) to Andrew (Cooper Raiff), the uninhibitedly goofy and kind-spirited 22-year-old who has recently come to brighten her life and that of her autistic daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt), like a lighting bolt of possibility. Though they’ve seen each other only twice, their immediate chemistry and his earnest curiosity have fast-tracked their palpable attraction.
Coated in a warm effervesce, “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” Raiff’s follow-up to his 2020 SXSW winner “S—house,” is a disarmingly heartfelt gem with all the right moves to make you swoon. Though it may appear like the quintessential, character-driven Sundance title about upper-middle-class white people, there are nuanced undercurrents of depth that display how Raiff, a new prodigy of the dramedy, engages with predicaments beyond his age.
- 6/17/2022
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNWFiZTEzMDAtYmFhYi00NzBkLWE4MDktMTg3ZWUwYWZmMTBiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY140_CR34,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNWFiZTEzMDAtYmFhYi00NzBkLWE4MDktMTg3ZWUwYWZmMTBiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY140_CR34,0,140,140_.jpg)
Chicago – Cooper Raiff was ready for his close-up. His improbable journey to filmmaker, aided in part by a random tweet to Jay Duplass, came to fruition with the success at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival with “Cha Cha Real Smooth.” The film streams on Apple TV+ beginning June 17th, 2022.
Cooper Raiff of ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” won the Audience Favorite Award at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and writer/director Cooper Raiff also is featured as Andrew, a recent college grad whose aimlessness is perplexing his family, including his mother (Leslie Mann) and stepfather (Brad Garrett). His life changes when he begins a business as a “party starter/DJ” at various Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, where he meets Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). Andrew is a hopeless romantic, which is his strength and weakness for Domino.
Cooper Raiff of ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” won the Audience Favorite Award at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and writer/director Cooper Raiff also is featured as Andrew, a recent college grad whose aimlessness is perplexing his family, including his mother (Leslie Mann) and stepfather (Brad Garrett). His life changes when he begins a business as a “party starter/DJ” at various Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, where he meets Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). Andrew is a hopeless romantic, which is his strength and weakness for Domino.
- 6/16/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
One of the big indie hits of the year so far, Sundance sensation Cha Cha Real Smooth hits our screens this weekend as it launches on Apple TV+. To mark this occasion, we spoke to its three leading stars, Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff, the latter of which wrote and directed this film.
We speak about the reaction from the autistic community, as Burghardt explains why she feels her character of Lola has been so well-received, and so understood. Johnson also talks about her input into her role and bringing complexity to the character, while Raiff speaks about how he connects to his character, and what similarities they share. They also speak about the rise of streaming services, and how the success of Coda is something to now realistically aspire to, and they tell us what song would get them onto the dance floor at a Bar Mitzvah…...
We speak about the reaction from the autistic community, as Burghardt explains why she feels her character of Lola has been so well-received, and so understood. Johnson also talks about her input into her role and bringing complexity to the character, while Raiff speaks about how he connects to his character, and what similarities they share. They also speak about the rise of streaming services, and how the success of Coda is something to now realistically aspire to, and they tell us what song would get them onto the dance floor at a Bar Mitzvah…...
- 6/15/2022
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
![Vanessa Burghardt](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BY2YxNjUxNjgtMDM3Zi00NjdmLTkzZWItOWZkMTBmZDM0MjM5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQyMjc1NDI1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR14,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Vanessa Burghardt](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BY2YxNjUxNjgtMDM3Zi00NjdmLTkzZWItOWZkMTBmZDM0MjM5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQyMjc1NDI1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR14,0,140,207_.jpg)
Johnson and newcomer Vanessa Burghardt carry this flawed but watchable comedy-drama from writer-director Cooper Raiff, who also stars
This amiable, flawed indie has been winding some pundits up – and yes, maybe the auteur-star has a personality that might trigger a hives breakout among a proportion of his audience. This is 25-year-old Cooper Raiff, whose microbudget debut Freshman Year (alternatively titled Shithouse) was a study in semi-articulate anxiety in the manner of the Duplass brothers. Now he gives us this indulgent relationship comedy-drama in which he himself stars as Andrew, a recent college grad whose girlfriend has airily gone off to Barcelona.
Without the funds (or indeed a clear invitation) to join her, Andrew must come back to live in the family home with his bipolar mom (Leslie Mann) and stepdad Greg (Brad Garrett), sharing a room with his kid brother David (Evan Assante), getting a humiliating job in a fast...
This amiable, flawed indie has been winding some pundits up – and yes, maybe the auteur-star has a personality that might trigger a hives breakout among a proportion of his audience. This is 25-year-old Cooper Raiff, whose microbudget debut Freshman Year (alternatively titled Shithouse) was a study in semi-articulate anxiety in the manner of the Duplass brothers. Now he gives us this indulgent relationship comedy-drama in which he himself stars as Andrew, a recent college grad whose girlfriend has airily gone off to Barcelona.
Without the funds (or indeed a clear invitation) to join her, Andrew must come back to live in the family home with his bipolar mom (Leslie Mann) and stepdad Greg (Brad Garrett), sharing a room with his kid brother David (Evan Assante), getting a humiliating job in a fast...
- 6/15/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDYyNzgxMTUtYmNjMS00OWUzLTlkMGQtYjE1MzU5MzY1OTdhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
From the perspective of filmmaker Cooper Raiff, Cha Cha Real Smooth embodies a specific kind of “feel-good” spirit of which he’s always in pursuit.
The Sundance Audience Award winner is the up-and-coming multi-hyphenate’s second feature, on the heels of his 2020 crowd-pleaser Shithouse, which proved a success in spite of a release hobbled by the Covid pandemic—being picked up for release by IFC Films after winning SXSW’s Grand Jury Prize. The coming-of-age drama centers on Andrew (Raiff), a who strikes up a friendship with young mother Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt) while working as a Bar Mitzvah party starter. Like Raiff’s first feature, Cha Cha is a charmingly intimate and sincere, relationship-driven indie of great quality—the kind that was able to achieve significant success and seemed more commonplace as recently as a decade ago, but is now much harder to find.
The Sundance Audience Award winner is the up-and-coming multi-hyphenate’s second feature, on the heels of his 2020 crowd-pleaser Shithouse, which proved a success in spite of a release hobbled by the Covid pandemic—being picked up for release by IFC Films after winning SXSW’s Grand Jury Prize. The coming-of-age drama centers on Andrew (Raiff), a who strikes up a friendship with young mother Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter Lola (Vanessa Burghardt) while working as a Bar Mitzvah party starter. Like Raiff’s first feature, Cha Cha is a charmingly intimate and sincere, relationship-driven indie of great quality—the kind that was able to achieve significant success and seemed more commonplace as recently as a decade ago, but is now much harder to find.
- 6/14/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNWFiZTEzMDAtYmFhYi00NzBkLWE4MDktMTg3ZWUwYWZmMTBiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY140_CR34,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNWFiZTEzMDAtYmFhYi00NzBkLWE4MDktMTg3ZWUwYWZmMTBiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY140_CR34,0,140,140_.jpg)
Chicago – The lines were out the door, the buzz was in the air and the Opening Night film of the 9th Chicago Critics Film Festival (Ccff) was “Cha Cha Real Smooth.” The Fest continues through May 19th, click Ccff for schedule and ticket info.
Cooper Raiff of ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ at the 9th Ccff. May 13, 2022
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” won the Audience Favorite Award at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and the director/featured actor Cooper Raiff made an appearance at Ccff on behalf of the film. Cooper Raiff also is Andrew, a recent college grad whose aimlessness is perplexing his family, including his mother (Leslie Mann) and stepfather (Brad Garrett). His life changes when he begins a business as a “party starter/DJ” at various Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, where he meets Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter...
Cooper Raiff of ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ at the 9th Ccff. May 13, 2022
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” won the Audience Favorite Award at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, and the director/featured actor Cooper Raiff made an appearance at Ccff on behalf of the film. Cooper Raiff also is Andrew, a recent college grad whose aimlessness is perplexing his family, including his mother (Leslie Mann) and stepfather (Brad Garrett). His life changes when he begins a business as a “party starter/DJ” at various Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, where he meets Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic daughter...
- 5/14/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
![Cooper Raiff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmUyYjI4MjQtZjE4ZC00MDA4LWFkMzktNmMxYzQ4MjUwOGI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ4NTI0NjE1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR33,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Cooper Raiff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmUyYjI4MjQtZjE4ZC00MDA4LWFkMzktNmMxYzQ4MjUwOGI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ4NTI0NjE1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR33,0,140,207_.jpg)
AppleTV has debuted a new trailer for the upcoming feature ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth.’
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.
Related: Our glowing 5-star review from Sundance 2022.
Cooper Raiff writes, directs, and stars alongside Dakota Johnson, Brad Garrett, Leslie Mann, and newcomers Vanessa Burghardt and Evan Assante.
Also in trailers – “I live this game…” Adam Sandler stars in new trailer for ‘Hustle’
The film...
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.
Related: Our glowing 5-star review from Sundance 2022.
Cooper Raiff writes, directs, and stars alongside Dakota Johnson, Brad Garrett, Leslie Mann, and newcomers Vanessa Burghardt and Evan Assante.
Also in trailers – “I live this game…” Adam Sandler stars in new trailer for ‘Hustle’
The film...
- 5/13/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTg1MGQ3MTQtZmViYi00ZmQ2LWFlMGUtMThjMjJiZDhlZWQ0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTg1MGQ3MTQtZmViYi00ZmQ2LWFlMGUtMThjMjJiZDhlZWQ0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
On Thursday, the first official trailer for writer-director Cooper Raiff’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” was released ahead of its Apple TV+ premiere next month.
Raiff also produced the Sundance Film Festival premiere and plays the lead role in the film.
The official plot synopsis reads as follows:
“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.”
The film stars Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, Evan Assante,...
Raiff also produced the Sundance Film Festival premiere and plays the lead role in the film.
The official plot synopsis reads as follows:
“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.”
The film stars Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, Evan Assante,...
- 5/12/2022
- by Caillou Pettis
- Gold Derby
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYWM5ZGFjYmUtZDE2MC00ZjU3LWEyOTItNzQxOWZmYjViNmZlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Sundance winner “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” the sophomore project from indie writer-director Cooper Raiff, has unveiled its official trailer. The film stars Raiff and Dakota Johnson in an unconventional love story between a college graduate and a single mom.
The movie follows 22-year-old Andrew (played by Raiff), who’s fresh out of college and stuck at home with his family in New Jersey, with no clear life path. Andrew has no ambition and no real skills, except for one: he knows how to get a party started. This skill lands him the perfect job of motivational dancing at the bar and bat mitzvahs for his younger brother’s classmates. Things change for Andrew when he meets a local mother named Domino, played by Johnson. He befriends the mom and her daughter, Lola, and finally discovers a future he wants.
The cast is rounded out by Brad Garrett, Leslie Mann, Raúl Castillo,...
The movie follows 22-year-old Andrew (played by Raiff), who’s fresh out of college and stuck at home with his family in New Jersey, with no clear life path. Andrew has no ambition and no real skills, except for one: he knows how to get a party started. This skill lands him the perfect job of motivational dancing at the bar and bat mitzvahs for his younger brother’s classmates. Things change for Andrew when he meets a local mother named Domino, played by Johnson. He befriends the mom and her daughter, Lola, and finally discovers a future he wants.
The cast is rounded out by Brad Garrett, Leslie Mann, Raúl Castillo,...
- 5/12/2022
- by Angelique Jackson, Wilson Chapman and Carson Burton
- Variety Film + TV
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
"I'm having more fun now than I did the whole night." Apple has revealed the official trailer for Cha Cha Real Smooth, the third feature from talented young filmmaker Cooper Raiff, following his breakout hit Shithouse from a few years ago. This indie dramedy premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, where it earned rave reviews from many critics and ended up winning the coveted Audience Award prize. A young man who works as a Bar Mitzvah party host strikes up a friendship with a mother and her autistic daughter. As he gets closer to her, he learns everything doesn't always go as hoped. Cooper Raiff writes, directs & stars with Dakota Johnson, Brad Garrett, Leslie Mann, and newcomers Vanessa Burghardt and Evan Assante in this tale of unconventional love that brims with emotional honesty. Not my favorite film from Sundance but it's really sweet and brutally honest in a very moving way.
- 5/12/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
![Cooper Raiff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmUyYjI4MjQtZjE4ZC00MDA4LWFkMzktNmMxYzQ4MjUwOGI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ4NTI0NjE1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR33,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Cooper Raiff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmUyYjI4MjQtZjE4ZC00MDA4LWFkMzktNmMxYzQ4MjUwOGI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ4NTI0NjE1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR33,0,140,207_.jpg)
On the heels of their Best Picture-winning Coda, Apple TV+ is gearing up for the release of another major Sundance acquisition: Cooper Raiff’s sophomore feature Cha Cha Real Smooth, which they picked up for around 15 million out of the festival. Also starring Dakota Johnson, Evan Assante, Vanessa Burghardt, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Raúl Castillo, and Odeya Rush, the film follows a recent college graduate who finds a job as a party hype man at local bar and bat mitzvahs and strikes up a connection with Johnson’s character, who is married. Ahead of the June 17 release, the first trailer has now arrived.
In his review of Cha Cha Real Smooth, Jake Kring-Schreifels said, “It’s not exactly cool to be the nice guy these days, but Cooper Raiff is making a good case for them again. In each of the 24-year-old’s first two movies, his sensible zoomer characters...
In his review of Cha Cha Real Smooth, Jake Kring-Schreifels said, “It’s not exactly cool to be the nice guy these days, but Cooper Raiff is making a good case for them again. In each of the 24-year-old’s first two movies, his sensible zoomer characters...
- 5/12/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOWJmZjAzNWYtZDIwOC00Mzk3LWJmNDItYzJhMmIxMGRhMzU5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,8,500,281_.jpg)
In 2021, Apple acquired a crowd-pleasing indie film at Sundance with “Coda,” released it during the summer, and mounted an Oscar campaign that ultimately delivered it the trophy for Best Picture. Could the tech giant be looking to repeat that cycle with its latest buzzy acquisition? Based on the festival response and summer release date for “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” whose first trailer dropped today, this film could have similar appeal on Apple TV+.
The film stars Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Cooper Raiff, Brad Garrett, Evan Assante, Vanessa Burghardt, Raul Castillo, and Colton Osorio. “Cha Cha” tells the story of a young bar mitzvah party starter (Raiff) who falls in love with a single mother (Dakota Johnson) of a disabled child.
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” was written and directed by wunderkind filmmaker Raiff, his second effort behind the camera following his 2020 SXSW breakout “Shithouse.” His first film made enough of an...
The film stars Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Cooper Raiff, Brad Garrett, Evan Assante, Vanessa Burghardt, Raul Castillo, and Colton Osorio. “Cha Cha” tells the story of a young bar mitzvah party starter (Raiff) who falls in love with a single mother (Dakota Johnson) of a disabled child.
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” was written and directed by wunderkind filmmaker Raiff, his second effort behind the camera following his 2020 SXSW breakout “Shithouse.” His first film made enough of an...
- 5/12/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMWQ2ODc4YTctNzIzYy00MGZhLWJjYjYtMjVkYWJlNDU4ZWI5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,3,500,281_.jpg)
With Sundance going virtual for the second year in a row, audiences could once again explore the lineup from around the world, including accredited critics and journalists. This year, 135 of them participated in IndieWire’s annual Sundance critics survey of the best films at the festival, and the results speak to the range of movies that stood out in this year’s lineup.
While several films from the festival have yet to secure distribution, the ones with the most support in our survey found it over the past two weeks, suggesting that buyers and critics saw eye to eye this year. “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” the sophomore effort from 24-year-old filmmaker Cooper Raiff, dominated the survey in the categories of Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The movie marks Raiff’s second in two years, following his 2020 debut “Shithouse,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW.
In “Cha Cha Real Smooth,...
While several films from the festival have yet to secure distribution, the ones with the most support in our survey found it over the past two weeks, suggesting that buyers and critics saw eye to eye this year. “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” the sophomore effort from 24-year-old filmmaker Cooper Raiff, dominated the survey in the categories of Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. The movie marks Raiff’s second in two years, following his 2020 debut “Shithouse,” which won the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW.
In “Cha Cha Real Smooth,...
- 2/1/2022
- by Eric Kohn and Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
![Dakota Johnson](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODE1ODE5MzY5M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDg1NDA4NTM@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
![Dakota Johnson](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BODE1ODE5MzY5M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDg1NDA4NTM@._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,0,140,140_.jpg)
Dakota Johnson, star and producer of “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” said she first got to know director-writer-actor Cooper Raiff by seeing his debut feature film “Sh-House,” a SXSW winner about a tender college romance. Raiff wrote, directed and starred in that film as well.
“I just found him to be supremely intelligent, but soulful and sweet and complicated and accessible,” Johnson said at TheWrap’s virtual Sundance studio. She was joined by Raiff and “Cha Cha” cast members Leslie Mann, Evan Assante, Vanessa Burghardt, Raúl Castillo, Brad Garrett and Odeya Rush.
Raiff added, “When we first met, it was electric chemistry.”
Johnson said she loved the movie’s title. In the film, a 22-year-old college grad (Raiff), who is working as a bar mitzvah party starter, begins a friendship with a young mother (Johnson) and an autistic girl (Burghardt). The “Cha Cha Slide” song and dance are highly popular on the bar mitzvah circuit.
“I just found him to be supremely intelligent, but soulful and sweet and complicated and accessible,” Johnson said at TheWrap’s virtual Sundance studio. She was joined by Raiff and “Cha Cha” cast members Leslie Mann, Evan Assante, Vanessa Burghardt, Raúl Castillo, Brad Garrett and Odeya Rush.
Raiff added, “When we first met, it was electric chemistry.”
Johnson said she loved the movie’s title. In the film, a 22-year-old college grad (Raiff), who is working as a bar mitzvah party starter, begins a friendship with a young mother (Johnson) and an autistic girl (Burghardt). The “Cha Cha Slide” song and dance are highly popular on the bar mitzvah circuit.
- 1/30/2022
- by Diane Haithman
- The Wrap
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZWUxN2RhMDctMTJlMi00YmY0LWI4MzAtOGQ3OTEyZmI0NTgwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,3,500,281_.jpg)
As this year’s Sundance Film Festival comes to a close, the mostly virtual event introduced a hefty number of films worth getting excited about beyond the festival. The hope was this year would have marked a return to an in-person Sundance, but this year’s festival still played home to a wide variety of wonderful films.
From new works from some of our favorite filmmakers to rising stars making their debuts, our favorites include the latest from SXSW winner Cooper Raiff (the charming “Cha Cha Real Smooth”), Aubrey Plaza’s latest leading-lady evolution (“Emily the Criminal”), a pair of character-centric dramedies starring some of our greatest living actors, provocative documentaries, the inevitable Kanye West deep dive (“jeen-yuhs”), and at least one movie about a very big egg and the girl that loves it.
At publication, a number of these films have already been picked up for distribution; some even have release dates ready.
From new works from some of our favorite filmmakers to rising stars making their debuts, our favorites include the latest from SXSW winner Cooper Raiff (the charming “Cha Cha Real Smooth”), Aubrey Plaza’s latest leading-lady evolution (“Emily the Criminal”), a pair of character-centric dramedies starring some of our greatest living actors, provocative documentaries, the inevitable Kanye West deep dive (“jeen-yuhs”), and at least one movie about a very big egg and the girl that loves it.
At publication, a number of these films have already been picked up for distribution; some even have release dates ready.
- 1/29/2022
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
Apple TV+ has picked up the worldwide rights to one of the titles from the Sundance Film Festival that you've likely at least heard the name of: "Cha Cha Real Smooth." Our own Ben Pearson gave the film a smashing review at the festival. This one comes to us from writer/director/producer/star (whew!) Cooper Raiff whose first feature, "Shithouse," was the Grand Jury Prize Winner at the SXSW Film Festival in 2020. This is only his second film.
"Cha Cha Real Smooth" stars Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Evan Assante, and Vanessa Burghardt. "Cha Cha Real Smooth" is the story of a young...
The post Sundance Hit Cha Cha Real Smooth, Starring Dakota Johnson, Acquired by Apple TV+ appeared first on /Film.
"Cha Cha Real Smooth" stars Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Evan Assante, and Vanessa Burghardt. "Cha Cha Real Smooth" is the story of a young...
The post Sundance Hit Cha Cha Real Smooth, Starring Dakota Johnson, Acquired by Apple TV+ appeared first on /Film.
- 1/29/2022
- by Jenna Busch
- Slash Film
![Anna Diop in Nanny (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGNhYWU2NzEtODVmMi00MmUyLWFjYzEtNmIyNWUzMmViY2RmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjY5ODI4NDk@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Anna Diop in Nanny (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZGNhYWU2NzEtODVmMi00MmUyLWFjYzEtNmIyNWUzMmViY2RmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjY5ODI4NDk@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR13,0,140,207_.jpg)
After nine days, 84 feature films, and 59 short films, the Sundance juries have announced their winners, with all films screenings over Saturday and Sunday and tickets now on sale. One can check out the full list below, with Nanny, The Exiles, Cha Cha Real Smooth, and Navalny bringing home the major prizes, and see our complete coverage here.
Grand Jury Prizes
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Nikyatu Jusu for Nanny / U.S.A. — Aisha is an undocumented nanny working for a privileged couple in New York City. As she prepares for the arrival of the son she left behind in Senegal, a violent supernatural presence invades her reality, threatening the American dream she is painstakingly piecing together. Cast: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector, Rose Decker, Leslie Uggams.
Juror Chelsea Bernard said: “For this Grand Jury Prize we celebrate a movie that flooded us...
Grand Jury Prizes
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Nikyatu Jusu for Nanny / U.S.A. — Aisha is an undocumented nanny working for a privileged couple in New York City. As she prepares for the arrival of the son she left behind in Senegal, a violent supernatural presence invades her reality, threatening the American dream she is painstakingly piecing together. Cast: Anna Diop, Michelle Monaghan, Sinqua Walls, Morgan Spector, Rose Decker, Leslie Uggams.
Juror Chelsea Bernard said: “For this Grand Jury Prize we celebrate a movie that flooded us...
- 1/29/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTVkZjBmMzItNTE5OS00NWI4LTliMjMtNTJlNDc3YTdhZWE3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR80,0,500,281_.jpg)
The big sale — to Apple for a reported $15 million — of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, Cha Cha Real Smooth is writer, director and lead actor Cooper Raiff’s follow-up to his 2020 debut, Shithouse. Again essaying a twentysomething young man navigating the indeterminate period before real life and real romance takes hold, Cha Cha Real Smooth finds Raiff’s character, Andrew, working a dead-end fast-food job while working side gigs as a bar mitzvah party starter and babysitter. When he demonstrates a rapport with a 12-year-old autistic girl (Vanessa Burghardt), her mother, Domino (played by Dakota Johnson, also a […]
The post “I Do Take Pride in the Fact that All of the Parties Feel Authentic and Accurate”: Jessica Switch on Producing the Sundance Comedy/Drama, Cha Cha Real Smooth first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I Do Take Pride in the Fact that All of the Parties Feel Authentic and Accurate”: Jessica Switch on Producing the Sundance Comedy/Drama, Cha Cha Real Smooth first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/28/2022
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTVkZjBmMzItNTE5OS00NWI4LTliMjMtNTJlNDc3YTdhZWE3XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR80,0,500,281_.jpg)
The big sale — to Apple for a reported $15 million — of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, Cha Cha Real Smooth is writer, director and lead actor Cooper Raiff’s follow-up to his 2020 debut, Shithouse. Again essaying a twentysomething young man navigating the indeterminate period before real life and real romance takes hold, Cha Cha Real Smooth finds Raiff’s character, Andrew, working a dead-end fast-food job while working side gigs as a bar mitzvah party starter and babysitter. When he demonstrates a rapport with a 12-year-old autistic girl (Vanessa Burghardt), her mother, Domino (played by Dakota Johnson, also a […]
The post “I Do Take Pride in the Fact that All of the Parties Feel Authentic and Accurate”: Jessica Switch on Producing the Sundance Comedy/Drama, Cha Cha Real Smooth first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I Do Take Pride in the Fact that All of the Parties Feel Authentic and Accurate”: Jessica Switch on Producing the Sundance Comedy/Drama, Cha Cha Real Smooth first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 1/28/2022
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTFjM2FmZDUtZTZlNS00OThkLTk2NGMtM2JjODdlZGJkNzU2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,26,500,281_.jpg)
The film is directed by Cooper Raiff, who also stars alongside Dakota Johnson.
Apple has acquired worldwide rights to Cooper Raiff’s Sundance title Cha Cha Real Smooth, in a deal worth a reported $15m, making it the bigges so far at this year’s virtual festival.
The film premiered in the US dramatic competition and stars Raiff as an aimless college student who befriends a young mother played by Dakota Johnson. The cast also includes Leslie Mann, Vanessa Burghardt, Evan Assante, Brad Garett, Raúl Castillo, and Odeya Rush.
Raiff wrote the script and produced alongside Johnson, Ro Donnelly, Erik Feig and Jessica Switch.
Apple has acquired worldwide rights to Cooper Raiff’s Sundance title Cha Cha Real Smooth, in a deal worth a reported $15m, making it the bigges so far at this year’s virtual festival.
The film premiered in the US dramatic competition and stars Raiff as an aimless college student who befriends a young mother played by Dakota Johnson. The cast also includes Leslie Mann, Vanessa Burghardt, Evan Assante, Brad Garett, Raúl Castillo, and Odeya Rush.
Raiff wrote the script and produced alongside Johnson, Ro Donnelly, Erik Feig and Jessica Switch.
- 1/27/2022
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
“Cha Cha Real Smooth,” the second feature from director-actor Cooper Raiff that earned warm reviews after its premiere at the virtual Sundance Film Festival 2022, has been snatched up by Apple Original Films, individuals with knowledge of the deal tell TheWrap.
The film will now stream globally on Apple TV+. Terms of the deal have not been made public, but according to Variety, which first reported the sale, it was worth close to $15 million. Endeavor Content brokered the sale alongside ICM Partners.
Raiff stars as a recent college graduate living at home who becomes involved with a single mother while figuring his life out. It also stars Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Vanessa Burghardt, Raul Castillo and Evan Assante.
In his review of the film for TheWrap, Carlos Aguilar wrote: “Avoiding the sophomore slump, Raiff’s delightfully sigh-worthy ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ is the type of sincere enterprise that could...
The film will now stream globally on Apple TV+. Terms of the deal have not been made public, but according to Variety, which first reported the sale, it was worth close to $15 million. Endeavor Content brokered the sale alongside ICM Partners.
Raiff stars as a recent college graduate living at home who becomes involved with a single mother while figuring his life out. It also stars Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Vanessa Burghardt, Raul Castillo and Evan Assante.
In his review of the film for TheWrap, Carlos Aguilar wrote: “Avoiding the sophomore slump, Raiff’s delightfully sigh-worthy ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ is the type of sincere enterprise that could...
- 1/27/2022
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTBjNDExNjctYzY1My00MWUxLTg5ZmEtYjNhMTg5NDdkMTg1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Apple has closed the biggest deal of the 2022 Virtual Sundance Film Festival, securing worldwide rights to the Cooper Raiff-directed Cha Cha Real Smooth for around $15 million. The streamer has been the front runner for the picture since it premiered January 23 in the US Dramatic Competition category.
Pic is Raiff’s followup to his 2020 SXSW Grand Jury Prize–winning debut feature Shithouse. He plays a directionless college graduate in New Jersey who gets over his head in a relationship with a young mom and her autistic teenage daughter, as he works a job party-starting bar and bat mitzvahs of his younger brother’s classmates. Co-financed by Picturestart and Endeavor Content, the pic is a real crowd pleaser. It stars Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Vanessa Burghardt, Raul Castillo and Evan Assante.
Raiff wrote the script and he produced with Johnson, Ro Donnelly, Erik Feig and Jessica Switch. The exec producers are Jeff Valeri,...
Pic is Raiff’s followup to his 2020 SXSW Grand Jury Prize–winning debut feature Shithouse. He plays a directionless college graduate in New Jersey who gets over his head in a relationship with a young mom and her autistic teenage daughter, as he works a job party-starting bar and bat mitzvahs of his younger brother’s classmates. Co-financed by Picturestart and Endeavor Content, the pic is a real crowd pleaser. It stars Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Vanessa Burghardt, Raul Castillo and Evan Assante.
Raiff wrote the script and he produced with Johnson, Ro Donnelly, Erik Feig and Jessica Switch. The exec producers are Jeff Valeri,...
- 1/27/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYWM5ZGFjYmUtZDE2MC00ZjU3LWEyOTItNzQxOWZmYjViNmZlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Cooper Raiff’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” is officially dancing to Apple TV Plus. The tech giant has nabbed the second feature from the heat-seeking director out of this year’s virtual edition of the Sundance Film Festival.
Apple emerged victorious from a competitive bidding situation that attracted Netflix, Amazon and Sony Pictures as potential buyers.
The deal was brokered by ICM Partners, WME and Endeavor Content. It closed close to $15 million, an individual familiar with the talks stated.
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” stars Raiff as a recent graduate working as a bar mitzvah hype man. While on the job, he strikes up a unique friendship with a young mother (Dakota Johnson) and her teenage daughter (Vanessa Burghardt). Leslie Mann, Evan Assante, Raúl Castillo and Odeya Rush fill out the ensemble.
Erik Feig’s PictureStart and Johnson and Ro Donnelly’s TeaTime Pictures produced the film alongside Endeavor Content. The...
Apple emerged victorious from a competitive bidding situation that attracted Netflix, Amazon and Sony Pictures as potential buyers.
The deal was brokered by ICM Partners, WME and Endeavor Content. It closed close to $15 million, an individual familiar with the talks stated.
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” stars Raiff as a recent graduate working as a bar mitzvah hype man. While on the job, he strikes up a unique friendship with a young mother (Dakota Johnson) and her teenage daughter (Vanessa Burghardt). Leslie Mann, Evan Assante, Raúl Castillo and Odeya Rush fill out the ensemble.
Erik Feig’s PictureStart and Johnson and Ro Donnelly’s TeaTime Pictures produced the film alongside Endeavor Content. The...
- 1/27/2022
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
![Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, and Cooper Raiff in Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjYzMGU0MzUtMTUxYy00MzE4LWFiMjctOTgwODg1ZjkwNTc0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTAyMjQ3NzQ1._V1_QL75_UX140_CR0,1,140,207_.jpg)
The greatest of films mirror life. They capture the events and realties of the world, but also the emotional ride that is existence. A perfect movie, like a full life, will make you experience the highest of highs, but the crushing depths of lows.
Cha Cha Real Smooth is this kind of movie. It’s hard to remember a Sundance movie that made me feel so much in such a short time. I laughed, I cried, I blushed, I hurt. As I write this now I write it with a smile on my face because I was able to experience what Cooper Raiff has brought to Sundance in 2022.
Cha Cha Real Smooth is the second feature film from the director. Raiff wrote, directed and stars in this film and is equally incredibly talented in all three of those fields. He also stars alongside Dakota Johnson, who gives the best performance of her career.
Cha Cha Real Smooth is this kind of movie. It’s hard to remember a Sundance movie that made me feel so much in such a short time. I laughed, I cried, I blushed, I hurt. As I write this now I write it with a smile on my face because I was able to experience what Cooper Raiff has brought to Sundance in 2022.
Cha Cha Real Smooth is the second feature film from the director. Raiff wrote, directed and stars in this film and is equally incredibly talented in all three of those fields. He also stars alongside Dakota Johnson, who gives the best performance of her career.
- 1/25/2022
- by Nathan McVay
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
![Chris Martin](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTI2MjQ4MDIxNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzQxNTEzMg@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR2,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Chris Martin](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTI2MjQ4MDIxNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNzQxNTEzMg@@._V1_QL75_UY207_CR2,0,140,207_.jpg)
Just call Chris Martin "The Scientist" of virtual interviews. As the 2022 Sundance Film Festival carries on with virtual events, the Coldplay front man briefly found himself participating in a panel with his girlfriend, Dakota Johnson. On Sunday, Jan. 23, Dakota was preparing to discuss her upcoming film, Cha Cha Real Smooth, when she appeared to need some Zoom assistance. After a brief delay, the camera started working and Chris appeared in the shot. "Hello!" the singer said before rushing out of frame. "Welcome, welcome. Peace!" While Dakota, writer, director and co-star Cooper Raiff, and co-star Vanessa Burghardt couldn't stop laughing, moderator...
- 1/24/2022
- E! Online
![Cooper Raiff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmUyYjI4MjQtZjE4ZC00MDA4LWFkMzktNmMxYzQ4MjUwOGI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ4NTI0NjE1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR33,0,140,207_.jpg)
![Cooper Raiff](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZmUyYjI4MjQtZjE4ZC00MDA4LWFkMzktNmMxYzQ4MjUwOGI0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ4NTI0NjE1._V1_QL75_UY207_CR33,0,140,207_.jpg)
It’s not exactly cool to be the nice guy these days, but Cooper Raiff is making a good case for them again. In each of the 24-year-old’s first two movies, his sensible zoomer characters have the gift of being goofy, innocent, and naive. They wear their kind and confident hearts on their sleeves, even if they often breach the comfortable boundaries of social norms. Mostly they are empathetic, rid of the toxicity that makes vulnerable young men—and the movies they star in—sour and one-dimensional. That this young and perceptive writer-director is so emotionally honest only elevates the entirety of his humble, charming, crowd-pleasing work.
Raiff established this reputation in his breakout debut Shithouse, a college rom-com that won the top award at SXSW in 2020. Its Richard Linklater-inspired, walk-and-talk ethos supplemented Raiff’s authenticity and anxieties about the transition from home to college and struggles of...
Raiff established this reputation in his breakout debut Shithouse, a college rom-com that won the top award at SXSW in 2020. Its Richard Linklater-inspired, walk-and-talk ethos supplemented Raiff’s authenticity and anxieties about the transition from home to college and struggles of...
- 1/24/2022
- by Jake Kring-Schreifels
- The Film Stage
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTZjOTA5OGYtNGQwYS00ZTY4LWFjMzUtZmU2NmQ2YmQ0ZWUzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
With a promising start with his first film Shithouse for which he starred, directed and wrote and won the Grand Jury Narrative Prize at SXSW, Cooper Raiff looms now also to be one of the breakouts of this year’s Sundance Film Festival where Cha Cha Real Smooth, his small but splendid second film for which he performs the same triple threat duties debuted Sunday as part of the Dramatic Competition lineup. I can only imagine if the festival had managed to be in person as originally planned rather than virtual in this Omicron-stricken year it would be met with a massive standing ovation. Raiff is bound to become an indie darling as if further proof was needed, but Cha Cha Real Smooth cements him as the real deal both in front of and behind the camera.
In the wake of Ted Lasso hitting the zeitgeist by centering on a...
In the wake of Ted Lasso hitting the zeitgeist by centering on a...
- 1/23/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYWM5ZGFjYmUtZDE2MC00ZjU3LWEyOTItNzQxOWZmYjViNmZlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UY281_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
He’s a cha cha real smooth talker. He’s 22, tall and handsome with a beard, but not a scruffy hipster beard — more like a post-millennial, post-ironic traditional beard, which sets off features that are finely chiseled in a Middle American corporate way. He’s just out of college but has no idea what he wants to do. He’s a Zoomer spinning his wheels, part of a tradition of aimless rebel slackers that stretches back to “The Graduate.” He’s sincere but a bit smarmy, a “nice guy” who knows how to use his sincerity. He is, of course, good with the ladies, maybe a little too good, which is why he attracts the amorous attentions of a mother he meets at a bat mitzvah, played by Dakota Johnson. And he’s got problems, but they’re sort of white people problems. You could call them old-school indie-film problems.
- 1/23/2022
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BZTBjNDExNjctYzY1My00MWUxLTg5ZmEtYjNhMTg5NDdkMTg1XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Exclusive: Cooper Raiff can’t seem to catch a break from Covid. A hyphenate who comes into Sundance with one of the buzziest acquisitions titles in Cha Cha Real Smooth, Raiff is coming off the debut Shithouse — it’s more thoughtful than it sounds — that won the Grand Jury Prize at 2020 SXSW. Unfortunately, it was also the first major festival forced to cancel in-person events by Austin when Covid exploded. Raiff has made another charming confused young man comes of age film that he wrote, directed, produced and starred in. And now has run smack into Covid Delta’s sequel, Omicron. Which means he’ll keep intact his festival streak of being unable to experience his film playing in a crowded theater, a disadvantage since he makes crowd-pleasing films. The film, which stars Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Vanessa Burghardt and Evan Assante, makes its virtual Sundance debut tomorrow.
- 1/22/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNzVkYmI5MzUtYjMxYy00MDkyLTg0MzgtNzVhZGUwYThiZjUxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
When You Finish Saving the World The Sundance Institute has announced the films selected for their hybrid 2022 Festival, which will take place in-person in Park City, online, and in arthouse theaters across the United States.U.S. Dramatic COMPETITION892 (Abi Damaris Corbin): When Brian Brown-Easley’s disability check fails to materialize from Veterans Affairs, he finds himself on the brink of homelessness and breaking his daughter’s heart. No other options, he walks into a Wells Fargo Bank and says “I’ve got a bomb.“ Cast: John Boyega, Michael Kenneth Williams, Nicole Beharie, Connie Britton, Olivia Washington, Selenis Leyva. World Premiere.Alice (Krystin Ver Linden): When a woman in servitude in 1800s Georgia escapes the 55-acre confines of her captor, she discovers the shocking reality that exists beyond the treeline…it’s 1973. Inspired by true events. Cast: Keke Palmer, Common, Jonny Lee Miller, Gaius Charles. World Premiere.blood...
- 12/15/2021
- MUBI
![Image](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYTk5NTQzNjktNjcyOC00MDRmLWE2NzMtOGI2M2E2YTI5YWRkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTE0MzQwMjgz._V1_QL75_UX500_CR0,0,500,281_.jpg)
Taking place online and in person, the Sundance Film Festival will return for its 2022 edition January 20th through 30th and now the main lineup has been unveiled. With 82 feature-length films representing 28 countries, these films were selected from 14,849 submissions, including 3,762 feature-length films.
Notable titles include Ramin Bahrani’s 2nd Chance, Lena Dunham’s Sharp Stick, Riley Stearns’ Dual, Ricky D’Ambrose’s The Cathedral, two Dakota Johnson-led films, Cha Cha Real Smooth and Am I Ok?, the Bill Nighy-led Ikiru remake Living, Sierra Pettengill’s Riotsville, USA, Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead’s Something in the Dirt, Phyllis Nagy’s Call Jane, W. Kamau Bell’s We Need to Talk About Cosby, Jesse Eisenberg’s When You Finish Saving the World, Kogonada’s After Yang, James Ponsoldt’s Summering, and more.
“The online dimension of the festival was something that after, having done it last year, we valued greatly,” says Tabitha Jackson,...
Notable titles include Ramin Bahrani’s 2nd Chance, Lena Dunham’s Sharp Stick, Riley Stearns’ Dual, Ricky D’Ambrose’s The Cathedral, two Dakota Johnson-led films, Cha Cha Real Smooth and Am I Ok?, the Bill Nighy-led Ikiru remake Living, Sierra Pettengill’s Riotsville, USA, Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead’s Something in the Dirt, Phyllis Nagy’s Call Jane, W. Kamau Bell’s We Need to Talk About Cosby, Jesse Eisenberg’s When You Finish Saving the World, Kogonada’s After Yang, James Ponsoldt’s Summering, and more.
“The online dimension of the festival was something that after, having done it last year, we valued greatly,” says Tabitha Jackson,...
- 12/9/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
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The Dakota Johnson indie “Cha Cha Real Smooth” has added seven stars to its supporting cast, as production kicks off Thursday in Pittsburgh.
Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Raúl Castillo, Odeya Rush, Vanessa Burghardt, Evan Assante and Colton Osorio have all joined the film project from writer-director-star Cooper Raiff.
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” follows a directionless college grad embarking on a relationship with a young mom and her teenage daughter, all while learning the boundaries of his new gig as a bar mitzvah hype man. Erik Feig’s Picturestart, Endeavor Content, and Johnson and Ro Donnelly’s TeaTime Pictures are producing. Financing is from Picturestart and Endeavor Content, and the latter is co-repping worldwide distribution rights with ICM Partners.
The feature comes on the heels of Raiff’s debut “Shithouse,” which won the 2020 SXSW Grand Jury Prize.
“We are thrilled to begin production on this heartwarming, heartbreaking, heart-pumping and unique film of Cooper Raiff’s,...
Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Raúl Castillo, Odeya Rush, Vanessa Burghardt, Evan Assante and Colton Osorio have all joined the film project from writer-director-star Cooper Raiff.
“Cha Cha Real Smooth” follows a directionless college grad embarking on a relationship with a young mom and her teenage daughter, all while learning the boundaries of his new gig as a bar mitzvah hype man. Erik Feig’s Picturestart, Endeavor Content, and Johnson and Ro Donnelly’s TeaTime Pictures are producing. Financing is from Picturestart and Endeavor Content, and the latter is co-repping worldwide distribution rights with ICM Partners.
The feature comes on the heels of Raiff’s debut “Shithouse,” which won the 2020 SXSW Grand Jury Prize.
“We are thrilled to begin production on this heartwarming, heartbreaking, heart-pumping and unique film of Cooper Raiff’s,...
- 8/12/2021
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
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