LICORICE PIZZA
2021 | Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson | 133 Minutes
"I'm not gonna forget you, just like how you're never gonna forget me."
Precocious teenage actor Gary Valentine falls head over heels for twenty-something Alana Kane, a young woman searching for her calling in life. Gary embarks on one trendy business venture after another while he attempts to woo the woman of his dreams by including her in all of his questionable exploits.
Licorice Pizza is a quirky coming-of-age comedy featuring a cast of entertainingly off-beat characters that are undeniably Paul Thomas Anderson creations. The plot meanders quite a bit as its young protagonist crosses paths and occasionally runs afoul of show business elites, hatching various harebrained business schemes, but the film is consistently captivating thanks in no small part to its two talented lead performers. No matter how outlandish the situations become, Gary and Alana are always authentically presented as genuine, flawed young people that alternately demonstrate warm affection, deep jealousy, and youthful vulnerability throughout the narrative, knowing exactly which buttons to push to elicit a reaction from their suffering love interest.
Through exemplary production design, Anderson recreates the San Fernando Valley of his youth, immersing the audience in the bygone 1970s California setting. Licorice Pizza presents a warm, lived-in, somewhat dingy cinematic world, somehow dreamlike but not quite idealized. The gorgeous, nuanced lighting courtesy of industry veteran and frequent Anderson collaborator Director of Photography Michael Bauman truly gives the film its distinctive look.
As Alana and Gary, Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman prove to be engaging stars as they make their screen debuts, each bringing more than enough charisma to carry the film. Haim is a natural performer, exuding frustration and romantic longing with convincing grace and playfulness. The moment Hoffman appears on screen, he immediately carries himself like a veteran screen actor giving an exceptionally measured and nuanced performance. The supporting cast notably features Sean Penn as an arrogant aging film star, Tom Waits as an eccentric director Rex Blau, Benny Safdie as charismatic politician Joel Wachs, and Bradley Cooper in a memorable extended cameo as the wildly unpredictable and threatening Jon Peters.
Licorice Pizza is a technically masterful film that is at its core, like many Paul Thomas Anderson films, an unconventional love story that may seem delightfully quirky to some while uncomfortably off-putting to others. The film is nevertheless a fully-realized reflection of a time when the world wasn't exactly less complex but perhaps just complicated in different ways. How well the audience receives the picture essentially hinges upon its acceptance of Anderson's views on romance.
FRAGMENTS
- To hilarious effect, Alana Haim's bandmate sisters Danielle and Este, and her parents play her character's family
- Cooper Hoffman is so much like his late father, frequent Paul Thomas Anderson collaborator Philip Seymour Hoffman
- It's great to see Mary Elizabeth Ellis, perhaps best known for playing the waitress on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
- Bradley Cooper also delivers a harrowing lead performance in 2022 Best Picture Oscar Nominee Nightmare Alley
MCU CONNECTIONS
- Bradley Cooper (Rocket in Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3)
- John C. Reilly (Rhomann Dey in Guardians of the Galaxy)
