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.

Cha Cha Real Smooth will premiere in select theaters and globally on Apple TV+ on June 17

Cha Cha Real Smooth will have its NY Premiere at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival (June 8-19) .

SPOTLIGHT NARRATIVE

Cha Cha Real Smooth (United States) – New York Premiere. Fresh out of college and stuck at his New Jersey home without a clear path forward, 22-year-old Andrew begins working as a party starter on the local bar/bat mitzvah circuit, where he strikes up a unique friendship with a young mom and her teenage daughter.

Directed and written by Cooper Raiff. Produced by Dakota Johnson, Ro Donnelly, Erik Feig, Jessica Switch, Cooper Raiff.
With Dakota Johnson, Cooper Raiff, Vanessa Burghardt, Evan Assante, Brad Garrett, Leslie Mann, Odeya Rush.

An Apple Original Films release.

Odeya attended the Premiere of “Cha Cha Real Smooth” during the SXSW cfestival at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas on March 18, 2022. 33 HQ pictures have been added to the gallery . She looks stunning!

APPLEINSIDER – Amongst myriad other releases and updates at Tuesday’s Apple Event, the company also announced that the award-winning “Cha Cha Real Smooth” will debut on Friday, June 17.

In 2021, Apple paid $25 million to outbid rivals vying for that year’s Virtual Sundance Film Festival hit, “CODA.” It paid $10 million less at Sundance in January for the rights to “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” but the sum was still the highest paid for any movie bought by streamers or distributors at the festival.

The film is about Andrew, a 22-year old college graduate, who is still at his family’s home in New Jersey. When Andrew befriends a local mom and her daughter he finally discovers a future he wants — even if it might not be his own.

Cooper Raiff wrote and directed the film. He also stars in it as a New Jersey college graduate.

Apple is said to have been the front runner to buy the film since the Festival premiered it on January 23.

Unlike many recent film deals for Apple other than “Greyhound,” the purchase was acquisition of a completed movie, rather than a production or development deal. It’s not known if the deal includes any theatrical release prior to streaming.

[…]

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER – Cooper Raiff is behind the film as writer, director and star.

For the second year in a row, Apple has landed one of Sundance’s buzziest titles.

The streamer landed the worldwide rights to Cooper Raiff’s Cha Cha Real Smooth in a deal pegged around $15 million. The U.S. dramatic competition feature follows an aimless college graduate who gets a job as a party starter and befriends a young mother (Dakota Johnson, who also produces) and her autistic daughter, played by newcomer Vanessa Burghardt.

Leslie Mann, Evan Assante, Brad Garrett, Raúl Castillo, and Odeya Rush also appear in the feature, which was financed Erik Feig’s PictureStart and Endeavor Content. Along with Feig and PictureStart’s Jessica Switch, Johnson and Ro Donnelly produced.

Raiff is the writer-director-actor behind 2020 SXSW grand jury prize winner Shithouse, with Cha Cha being his second feature. Heading into the festival, insiders pegged Cha Cha, which screened in the fest’s U.S. Dramatic Competition section, as one of the fest’s hottest titles. The Hollywood Reporter review of the film called it “a confident step in a burgeoning career.”

ICM Partners, WME and Endeavor Content negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.

The deal for Cha Cha marks the biggest sale of the fest thus far. At last year’s Sundance, Apple paid a record-breaking $25 million for CODA, which continues to collect accolades in this year’s awards race.

VARIETY – 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, with our friends and partners at TeaTime and Endeavor Content. ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ is going to become a whole bunch of people’s favorite movie of all time pretty soon,” said Feig.

[…]

Rush is best known for her role in Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird,” and she has also starred in Netflix’s “Dumplin” and Sony’s “Goosebumps.” She is represented by CAA, MGMT Entertainment, and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. […]