Greg and Zanna watch the emergence of a bright new talent.
SCORES
Syrupiness: 5
Salve value: 5
SHE SAW
Like many women I know, this week has left me feeling a bit despondent about the direction the world
is taking and the diminishing hope our daughters have for a better future. Cha Cha Real Smooth was exactly the film I needed to give me a skerrick of hope for the next generation. If Cooper Raiff is in any way representative of the men of Generation Z, he's allowed a seat on my Fantasy Supreme Court. At just 25, he wrote, directed and stars in what is undoubtedly the sweetest film of the year.
The film tells the story of a recent college graduate and probable love addict who, unsure of what he wants to do, finds himself working as a Bar Mitzvah hype person. I came extraordinarily close to doing this job when I lived in New York - you're paid to be the life of the party and get awkward teens and preteens grinding on the dance floor. Raiff's Andrew is far better at it than I would've been - he's exceptionally charming and fun. At one of these parties, he meets and befriends a young mother, Domino (Dakota Johnson), and her autistic teenage daughter, Lola (autistic actress Vanessa Burghardt). He begins babysitting Lola and, as he is wont to do, falls for the already engaged Domino while he's at it.
It's a small slice-of-life story about a deeply feeling young man who racks up soul mates like I rack up reusable masks. Andrew is a completely new male archetype for the screen. In previous iterations of a guy like this, Hollywood would've treated his sensitivity as his fatal flaw and something to overcome. Instead, Andrew's big heart is ultimately his superpower. He's the most endearing character you'll ever meet and did I mention funny? He's cornering Greg's market.