
He started taking classes from his mum on a regular basis and started improvising Line Dance slowly. He did and came out with his first Linedance choreography called "MJ Smooth Criminal". In 1998, Philip was so "into" line dancing and Micheal Jackson that his Mum (a Linedance Instructor) suggested that he should work on combining his new found MJ moves to some of the "then" current line dances. Philip enjoyed it and picking up the steps was second nature to him. At age of 5, Philip started picking up Line dancing from his Aunt. Whole spin-off movies could be made about about his hookup Marcy or little bro David and his pals.Īs DJ Casper says in the “Cha Cha Slide,” “everybody clap your hands.Philip Gene Sobrielo grew up in Singapore, in a family where dancing is a way of life. Dismiss “Cha Cha” as yet another heartwarming comedy at your peril because every single person in it has layers upon layers of complexity.

More seasoned scribes than him litter their movies with flat characters who only exist to serve a function or land a joke. That, in fact, is Raiff’s biggest gift as a writer. Raiff, Johnson and Burghardt have sublime chemistry as a little pop-up family, and their characters all grow from knowing each other. Johnson gets better and better the longer she is freed from the oppressive chains of “Fifty Shades.” With great tenderness, the actress summons a person, a version of which we’ve all known, who is far too cool for the life she’s leading. Is Andrew an old soul, or a boy in his dad’s suit? Does Domino really want to settle down, or does she deserve another go at her 20s? Raiff keeps us guessing about their future and makes us root for and against the potential couple all at once. What unfolds is a sweet and hilarious romance that, like a great ‘90s sitcom, goes big on will-they-won’t-they tension. We assume the woman is about a decade older than Andrew, but Domino confides that she had her daughter at a young age. Alexandria LiorĪt one party he’s running, Andrew convinces an autistic girl named Lola (Vanessa Burghardt) to dance with him and then starts chatting up her mom, Domino (Dakota Johnson).
#CLAP FOR THE D J LINE DANCE MOVIE#
A regular New Jersey Peter Pan.Ĭharismatic Andrew has no life prospects and is working at a fast food joint called Meat Sticks when some local mothers realize he’d be great at livening up bar mitzvahs - getting kids on the dance floor, telling jokes and, on occasion, flirting with the parents.Ĭooper Raiff’s movie was picked up by Apple for $15 million.

Raiff plays Andrew, a 22-year-old recent college grad who lives with his mom (Leslie Mann) and stepdad (Brad Garrett) and still shares a bedroom with his little brother David (Evan Assante). It was just picked up by AppleTV+ for $15 million and like 2020’s big Sundance seller “ Palm Springs,” in a few months everybody will be watching - and adoring - it. Only his second feature, “Cha Cha” is line-dancing all the way to the bank. At just 23 years old, the guy even had the nerve to discover himself, since he also wrote and directed his own movie. Minutes into the blissful “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, it’s obvious that Raiff is that brand of powerhouse. Lena Dunham’s heinous ‘Sharp Stick’ is a career worstĬooper Raiff is the fresh comedic talent we’ve been waiting for.Ī new one shows up on-screen every few years - a modern guy-or-girl next door like Steve Carell, Seth Rogen, Emma Stone and Adam Sandler - with appeal so broad and a personality so genuine we immediately crave to see them in something else. Or to, you know, go bowling with them.

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