LICORICE PIZZA REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Paul Thomas Anderson is best known for creating dark and serious dramas such as There Will Be Blood, The Master and Phantom Thread, all of which have been received well by critics who praised the filmmaker’s skill at telling stories through his unique vision. Because of this, expectations were high for his latest film, Licorice Pizza which is set in the San Fernado Valley during the 1970s and focuses on the unlikely yet tender bond between teenager Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) and Alana Kane (Alana Haim), who, at the age of 25, is significantly older than Gary. While Gary is smitten, Alana doesn’t feel the same way, however, the pair form a meaningful friendship.

Prior to watching Licorice Pizza, I had only seen three films by Anderson, There Will Be Blood, The Master and Phantom Thread, which I thought were all well made and told interesting stories with impressive performances, however, I didn’t love them as much as I was hoping. Because of this, I wasn’t sure I was going to like Licorice Pizza, despite the positive critical reception it has received. Fortunately, because it’s a lighthearted drama that is easy to watch (unlike Anderson’s previous films), I thoroughly enjoyed Licorice Pizza. 

At first, the ten year age gap between Gary and Alana may seem controversial, however, Anderson knows when to not cross the line. Their relationship is purely platonic for the majority of Licorice Pizza’s 134 minute runtime. The film begins with Gary and Alana sharing an engaging conversation when they meet when the latter works as a photographer at the former’s school. As they walk through the school, the camera always stay focused on them. It’s a perfect way to open the film as it quickly establishes the tone. 

What’s most impressive about Licorice Pizza is the performances by both Hoffman and Haim. Most of Anderson’s films feature a talented cast, however, for his latest film, he has casted two non professional actors, including Cooper Hoffman who is the son of the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman who appeared in many of Anderson’s films. Despite having no acting experience, Cooper Hoffman proves to be a natural in front of the camera and delivers a charismatic and witty performance as Gary. He also shares chemistry with Haim who is best known for being one third of the rock band of the same name with her older sisters. However, as Alana, she impresses with her skills as an actor and portrays her character as laidback and confident. Licorice Pizza also features memorable appearances from Bradley Cooper as real life producer, Jon Peters, and Sean Penn as Jack Holden, an actor based on William Holden. The former doesn’t appear until late into the film but provides comic relief with his over the top performance.

Although the premise for Licorice Pizza is simple as it focuses on the close friendship between two characters, Anderson’s directing is not. With Gary and Alana, he’s created two interesting characters and makes the right decision to focus on them and their relationship. What I liked most about the relationship between Gary and Alana was that it wasn’t perfect. Although Gary believes that Alana is The One for him, Alana sees him as nothing more than a friend as she’s an adult and is interested in serious issues (later on in the film, she begins working for Joel Wachs’ mayoral campaign), however, Gary is immature and knows little about the world.

Although there’s a lot to praise about Licorice Pizza, it’s not without its issues. John Michael Higgins has a small role as a Los Angeles businessman, Jerry Frick. He’s only in a couple of scenes but I found this character to be problematic as he tries to attempt a Japanese accent. I can imagine this was meant to be comical but came across as more offensive. Fortunately, this character was only a few scenes.

It’s not even been a week since the start of the year, however, Licorice Pizza has quickly become, not only my favourite film by Paul Thomas Anderson but one of my favourite films of the year.

8/10