In Chacha Real Smooth, an aimless 22-year-old finds a new direction when he becomes a party

motivator at Barr and Bot Mitzvahs in his hometown.

The film was a breakout hit at Sundance earlier this year.

I'm Stephen Thompson and today we are talking about Chacha Real Smooth on Pop Culture Happy

Hour from NPR. Joining me today is Film Critic and Culture journalist Bedatri D. Chaudhry.

Hi Bedatri. Hi Stephen. I'm very excited to talk about this film with you.

I am excited to talk to you about anything. So Chacha Real Smooth is a comedic drama about

the space between college and real life. In it Cooper Rife plays Andrew who's out of college

and back home, living with his family in New Jersey. He's got a crummy job at a mall food

court. A girlfriend who's moved overseas, a stepdad he doesn't like, and a much younger

brother who seeks his romantic advice. But Andrew's life takes a turn when he discovers

his gift for getting awkward adolescence to dance with each other at parties. Soon he's

working all the bar and bot Mitzvahs for his brother's classmates. He meets Lola, a girl

with autism spectrum disorder. She's played by Vanessa Berghardt. Andrew also develops a bond

with Lola's mom Domino, played by Dakota Johnson, who's at her own crossroads in life.

The two form a friendship that brings complications of its own. Cooper Rife is still in his mid-20s

and he isn't just the star of Chacha Real Smooth. He also wrote, directed, produced, and co-edited

the film, which follows his 2020 feature debut, P*** House. Chacha Real Smooth is streaming

now on Apple TV Plus and available in theaters in limited release. Bedatri, what did you think

of the movie? I don't think it's a very complex dance movie, but it's got its moment, it's layered,

sometimes, and it's not very long, it's like a little short of two hours. So I enjoyed watching

it for those two hours, but I'm not sure if I'm like, quote unquote, taking back a lot from this film.

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