Today the Golden Globe nominations were announced. Last week the National Bored of Review put out their list, so did the American Film Institute. Many critics groups around the country have published their lists.
None of these lists included Cooper Raiff’s charming, smart comedy “Cha Cha Real Smooth.”
Last January, at the Sundance Film Festival, Apple paid a record $15 for “Cha Cha,” which starred the filmmaker, Dakota Johnson and Leslie Mann. At some point last spring, “Cha Cha” — which has a robust 86% on Rotten Tomatoes — appeared on the platform with little fanfare. And then it faded away.
Now we’re in awards season, and “Cha Cha” has been ignored even by the Gotham Awards and the Spirit Awards. The critics have just not thought about it. And today I received an email from GoldDerby promoting three Apple films. None was them was “Cha Cha.”
What a shame. This was truly a missed opportunity. Raiff must be disappointed — and surprised, since so much money was involved. This should also teach festival watchers a thing or two. Over spending at Sundance is no guarantee of anything.
