Kindness is underrated, including at the movies.
It's easy to dismiss a movie as nice or lightweight when its exploration of the human condition doesn't involve copious amounts of tragedy or high-stakes drama. To some, those films aren't delving deeply enough into the true trials and tribulations of life. This kind of bias helps explain why certain cinephiles were surprised when "CODA," an inherently kind-hearted film, won best picture at the 2022 Academy Awards.
That brings us to "Cha Cha Real Smooth," writer-director-star Cooper Raiff's follow-up to his 2020 feature debut "S—house" that was filmed in the Pittsburgh area last summer and makes its debut Friday on AppleTV+. This film has the unenviable task of meeting the expectations saddled upon it by the $15 million Apple paid for its worldwide distribution rights shortly after its premiere earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival.
