There's been some buzz around the recent Sundance film "Cha Cha Real Smooth," a contemporary coming of age picture. Cooper Raiff directs and stars as Andrew, an aimless post-grad who has moved back in with his mother and stepfather (Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett), while figuring out his next steps. While taking his younger brother David (Evan Assante) to a Bar Mitzvah, he meets an autistic girl named Lola (Vanessa Burghardt) and her mother Domino (Dakota Johnson). Andrew's efforts to impress Domino and Lola result in him getting work as a party starter, and occasionally as Lola's babysitter.
"Cha Cha" occasionally feels like it's in conversation with older films like "The Graduate," specifically in the way that the protagonist faces a prospective romance with an older woman, and struggles to navigate the expectations of everyone around him. However, Andrew is more empathetic and aware of the damage he can cause, and the universe he inhabits is gentler and less cynical. Youthful rebellion and sexual transgressions are tempting, but Andrew quickly learns that the consequences aren't worth it. As coming-of-age films go, "Cha Cha" comes across as well-meaning but toothless. Andrew often feels like he's operating on the sidelines of a more interesting movie, and the other characters are a little too conveniently constructed to teach him life lessons - Domino in particular.
Cooper Raiff is an appealing screen presence, and I admire his ability to bring suburban anomie of a specific cultural context to the screen. I have never been to a Bar Mitzvah, but I know the awkward party atmosphere and the clusters of gossiping, hovering parents all too well. However, there's little about "Cha Cha Real Smooth" that helps it to stand out from so many other indie films about awkward twenty-somethings learning how to adult. Dependable actors like Dakota Johnson and Leslie Mann are barely given anything to work with, and Raiff frankly wears out his welcome long before the film is finished. I like the intentions behind the story, and the filmmaking is promising, but this one is a miss.
Meanwhile, a Sundance 2020 premiere has emerged at last, to make the case that punk is not dead. Kyle Gallner plays a young reprobate named Simon, who goes on the run after a potential love connection goes wrong. He ends up hiding out with Patty (Emily Skeggs), a former classmate with a non-specified intellectual disability. She lives with a stifling (but easily manipulated) family, and her only escape is the punk music of the band PSYOPS, fronted by the mysterious masked lead singer, John Q, who Patty writes love letters to. She's desperate to get to a concert where they're playing in a few days, and Simon sees this as an opportunity.
Torrents of foul language and casual antisocial behavior initially put me off, but "Dinner in America" has a raw energy and a subversive attitude that is infectious, and it's clear from very early on that the filmmakers aren't just here to make us all outraged and uncomfortable. Soon enough scummy Simon turns out to have both a heart and a conscience, and Patty has even more surprises in store. Their romance is genuinely sweet and it's a blast to watch these two outsiders do battle against the mundane suburbia that keeps them down. Written and directed by Adam Carter Rehmeir, "Dinner in America" takes aim at unhappy homes and small-minded bullies. There's a great recurring motif of torturous family meals that act as a microcosm of everyone's terrible family dynamics.
I've seen a few youthful rebellion movies in the same vein as "Dinner in America," and some have worked and some haven't. I think the reason why this one works is that the couple stay underdogs the whole way through, anarchic but always at a clear disadvantage. And while Simon embodies the image of the antisocial punk that we're all familiar with, equal narrative weight is given over to Patty, a mild-mannered, average-looking girl who's even more oppressed by cruel social expectations than Simon is. We end up rooting for Simon to bridge the gap between them, help Patty break out of her shell and embrace her wild side. In short, "Dinner in America" gives us a good reminder of what the punks are rebelling against, and finds room for a little heart and sympathy amidst all the violence and aggression.
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