Cha Cha Real Smooth is a romcom written and directed by, and starring Cooper Raiff, with a supporting cast including Dakota Johnson and newcomers Evan Assante and Vanessa Burghardt. After a truly heartwarming scene where a 12-year-old Andrew asks out the party host at a bar mitzvah, only to be rejected due to their age difference, the film kicks off 10 years later. A now 22-year-old Andrew is still living at home, working at a fast food joint, and has no job prospects. His girlfriend has just moved to Barcelona and seems to be living it up away from him. Andrew’s little brother, David, is now at the bar mitzvah age, so the summer is full of those parties for all of his classmates. At the first one, Andrew goes along (because he has nothing else to do) and becomes the life of the party, as he goes out of his way to get all the young boys and girls to dance with each other and have a good time. As such, he gets invited to host all the bar mitzvahs of the summer. Andrew sees a way to make money, but maybe more intriguing to him, he sees a young mother that interests him. Domino loves that Andrew stands up for her daughter, Lola, when she is picked on at a party for having autism. Lola takes an instant liking to Andrew, and he endears himself to Domino as well when he helps her out of a tricky situation. Unfortunately for Andrew, Domino is engaged to a busy lawyer who, while often out of town for work, seems to have a stranglehold on Domino. Andrew hopes to break that grip and get her to go for him, but he may not know what he is asking for. It’s a cute enough movie, with some good chuckles (Andrew not getting along with this mother’s new husband is a highlight), but as a whole, the film is fairly forgettable. The writing is just OK and the editing is pretty shoddy honestly. I do applaud the team for casting a girl with autism in that role (Vanessa as Lola) rather than Forrest Gump-ing it up, but while the cast gives it their all, the end result is nothing more than an average romcom. ★★½
I initially thought Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache would be the kind of slow, contemplative film that I often really get into, but for whatever reason, this one didn’t do it for me. It follows an entrepreneur in Nepal named Tenzin, who seems to anger some spirits when he visits an abandoned temple with the idea of turning it into a cafe. An earthquake set the temple and surrounding buildings to tumbling, and Tenzin knows he can buy it up cheap and turn it around. But now he has holy men, including a “cool” monk sporting large red headphones and California style sunglasses, telling him that his actions will bring about his fall. Unless Tenzin can hunt down a female spirit called a dakini, he will die in a matter of days. At first, the non-religious Tenzin scoffs, but as he starts to have visions that other people do not see, he starts to believe, and goes on the lookout for his spirit. I didn’t mind the buildup (and yes, it crawls at a snail’s pace), but the payoff at the end just wasn’t rewarding enough to warrant the journey to it. ★★
The Bad Guys looked like a good family film when it hit theaters, but I was busy seeing the latest Nick Cage film that weekend, and missed it. I’m glad I finally got a chance, because this one is a blast. The in-film “bad guys” are a group of bank robbers in a Zootopia-like city of animals, comprised of all the villains you see in children’s stories. There’s Ms Tarantula, Mr Snake, Mr Shark, Mr Piranha, and their leader, Mr Wolf, the Big Bad Wolf himself. Everywhere they go, people shrink away in fear, and rightfully so, as they have a reputation to uphold as being dastardly. However, during their latest heist, Wolf is reaching for an old lady’s purse when she begins to fall down some stairs. Wolf’s hand on her purse saves her from a tumble, and she gives him a friendly hug, and “thanks,” and calls him a good boy. Unexpectedly, and for the first time ever, Wolf’s tail starts to wag, and he likes this feeling of being a “good boy.” He and his crew are nabbed in the robbery anyway, but a motivational speaker, a guinea pig named Marmalade, steps forward to offer them a chance: let him prove they can be redeemed, and all will be forgiven. Wolf convinces his cohorts to “go along with his scheme” when in reality, he is hoping for redemption for them and himself. But even if they get it, there’s a surprise waiting down the road for everyone. Fun movie, with an animation style different than your typical Disney/Pixar flick, and lots of laughs for the whole family. I’m not sure it is one of those movies that I’d watch multiple times, knowing all the surprises, but it is definitely worth an evening in with the fam. ★★★½
I’ve been looking forward to seeing Belfast since it was the darling of the film festival circuit in late 2021. It does not disappoint. The film follows nine-year-old Buddy living with his family in Belfast, Northern Ireland, as The Troubles begin in 1969. Little Buddy doesn’t know what’s going on, but he hears plenty of talk from neighbors and friends. His family is protestant and his dad works across the channel in England, so naturally they are targets by those who want to see a united Ireland. There is violence on the streets, but Buddy’s parents urge him and his older brother to keep their heads down and avoid confrontations. It sounds like it could be a heavy film, and there are somber and frightening moments for Buddy, but there are plenty of moments of brevity too. Buddy has a crush on a girl in his class, but worries that his parents won’t approve of their future marriage because she is Catholic. And Buddy’s grandparents provide humor as well as wisdom, telling Buddy that, while times seem hard now, things always turn around eventually. This is a genuinely funny movie with a lot of heart; highly recommended. ★★★★★
Compartment Number 6 is another one of those quiet, international dramas that I so often love. This one is about a Finnish student, Laura, who is in a relationship with a college professor in Moscow. Laura and her girlfriend Irina had plans to travel by train to Murmansk to see some petroglyphs there, but at the last minute, Irina says she can’t get out of work, and Laura, who always seems to be the odd one out anyway among Irina and her friends, goes alone. On the train, Laura finds herself bunking with a rough-and-tumble Russian miner named Lyokha, who is going to Murmansk for work. Laura is immediately put off when Lyokha makes a crude, ill-timed joke, and though the trip is only a couple days, she doesn’t know how she’s going to make it. When the train stops for a couple hours in St Petersburg, Laura calls back to Irina hoping she’d get an invite to turn around and come back, but Irina already seems to have moved on and is having fun with friends. Getting back on the train, Laura finds a quiet corner to grab a couple hours of sleep, and only returns to the compartment the next morning. However, things do turn around, and eventually, Laura and Lyokha begin to warm up to each other. An unlikely friendship develops, and what follows is a funny and endearing film. The two are from completely different backgrounds, and Lyokha is at times uncomfortable, afraid to come off as uncouth to the “college girl” Laura, but by the end, each is able to set aside their initial impressions and let their friendship grow. ★★★½
- TV series currently watching: Obi-Wan Kenobi (miniseries)
- Book currently reading: Watching You by Lisa Jewell
Jons Movie Takes 