'Resistance is futile' in Sundance charmer 'Cha Cha Real Smooth,' streaming on Apple TV+

Judging by his first two films, nothing intrigues actor-writer-director Cooper Raiff more than enigmatic women. We saw it in his debut, “S---house,” in which his homesick college freshman was seduced by his curvy question mark of a resident assistant, and again in his latest, “Cha Cha Real Smooth.” Like before, the woman of his lusty desires is slightly older, exceedingly more mature and harder to read than an economics textbook.

As played by a jaded, wounded Dakota Johnson, the single mother with the curious name of Domino immediately captures the attention of Raiff’s professional “party starter,” Andrew. It begins at a bar mitzvah, one of many bar and bat mitzvahs the two will attend over the course of what proves a frustrating, but ultimately rewarding, relationship. He spies Domino across the room and is captivated by her affection for her painfully shy teenage daughter, Lola (excellent newcomer Vanessa Burghardt).

The noise-canceling headphones dangling from Lola’s neck instantly proclaim she’s on the autism spectrum. Charmer that Andrew most definitely is, he impresses Domino by achieving the seemingly impossible triumph of coaxing Lola onto the dance floor. Within seconds, Andrew wins both their hearts, and they, his. Thus, the stage is set for a very familiar adult-coming-of-age tale in which a recent college graduate learns the hard way that love is an emotion of many colors.

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Up front, I’ll say “Cha Cha” would have been an even better movie had Raiff made Domino the focus instead of himself. But when you’re as big a ham as Raiff, that just wasn’t in the cards. He clearly loves himself as much as the camera does, mugging his way through scene after scene, relying on his looks and inarguable charisma to hold our gaze. His Andrew can be despicably cruel one minute, boyishly naïve the next. In other words, he conveys as achingly real, as do Johnson and Burghardt. The three dance around feelings of disappointment and alienation like Rogers and Astaire.

Where it’s all leading seems clear from the start. But don’t be so sure. To put it in baseball terms, Raiff’s best pitch is his changeup. He repeatedly drops it in for strikes. And you’re transfixed as you watch it breeze by time and again. This, you realize, is why Raiff is being billed as the “next big thing,” one who impressed Apple TV+ enough to impel them to plunk down $15 million for “Cha Cha” shortly after its crowd-pleasing debut at January’s Sundance Film Festival.

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Money well spent, if you ask me. Like last year’s Apple offering, the best picture-winning “CODA,” Raiff’s “Cha Cha Real Smooth” is a movie that rankles critics with its pandering, but thrives on its ability to speak emotional truths about family and the power of love. Resistance is futile. And, like “CODA,” the performances are the secret sauce, from Raiff’s dorky man-child to Johnson’s wrenching portrayal of a young woman whose perpetually defeated expression tells you all you need to know as to why Domino is so resigned to disappointment.

Burghardt is right up there with them, but as a person who also resides on the spectrum, I must quibble with Raiff for not being as attuned to autism as he is to romance. Why, for example, would someone as highly functioning as Lola need a babysitter? She’s 15 and more than capable of being left alone for an evening. And why would Domino hire Andrew, a young man she barely knows, to do the sitting? The scenes of he and Lola alone in her bedroom with him scratching her back border on creepy.

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Raiff is equally off base with his portrayal of the bipolarity afflicting his mother (Leslie Mann). She’s rarely seen, and never when she’s experiencing an episode of depression. So why even ascribe her that condition? Such missteps are a distraction, as is Raiff's insistence on portraying Andrew as a millennial worthy of sainthood. No one is that charming, that caring and that doe-eyed. And, no, a single blowup, like when Andrew takes his festering frustration with Domino out on his adorable little brother (Evan Assante), can tarnish the perception that his character is too good to be true.

Although bothersome, those flaws are unlikely to distract a less-discerning viewer. Heck, I considered them bygones by the time I waded through the puddle of tears I shed during his film’s affecting finale. Like Andrew, “Cha Cha Real Smooth” is not perfect, but it sure comes close.

'Cha Cha Real Smooth'

Rated: R for language and sexual content

Cast: Cooper Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, Leslie Mann and Brad Garrett

Director and writer: Cooper Raiff

Where to watch: Apple TV+

Grade: B

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This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: 'Cha Cha Real Smooth' is a bumpy look at the power of love