Licorice Pizza

Licorice Pizza gets its name from a chain of record stores that existed in the early 70s in the Southern California area.  It has nothing to do with the film itself, but according to writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson, the name evokes a feeling for that time period for him, which his story is set in.   The film itself is an episodic and loose coming of age story made up of various young triumphs, embarrassments, and romantic awkwardness.  Watching the film, you get the sense that Anderson is not so much making a plot-driven film, but rather showing a few months in the life of an average teen, who has a few amazing experiences along the way, as well as more than a few everyday ones.

The film's focus is 15-year-old Gary Valentine (played by newcomer Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who appeared in many of Anderson's past films), who starts the film out as a child actor, but during the course of the film, will get into selling waterbeds, and opening his own pinball arcade.  Anderson loves using actual people for the inspiration in his stories, and in this case, Gary is inspired by former child actor and Hollywood producer, Gary Goetzman, who did many of the entrepreneur adventures in his youth that we see in the film.  In the opening scene, Gary has a chance encounter with the 25-year-old Alana Kane (played by recording artist Alana Haim) at school picture day, and becomes immediately smitten by her.  This is also supposedly based on a real life experience that Anderson witnessed once, and the friendship that slowly builds between the two feels true.

One of the many pleasures within Licorice Pizza is getting to watch Hoffman and Haim together.  Both are relative newcomers when it comes to acting, but they display real star-quality here, both individually and whenever they share the screen together.  The movie also beautifully handles the relationship between the two.  When they meet, she's the assistant to the school photographer, and he tries to impress her with the list of films and TV shows that he has appeared in.  The two will meet up again, and eventually, she agrees to be his adult chaperone to an acting job in New York.  Gary is awkward, but also confident.  Maybe that's what Alana likes about him.  He's willing to throw his hands in so many business ventures at such a young age.  Meanwhile, Alana still lives at home with her parents and sisters (all of whom are played by Haim's real life parents and sisters), and seems to be going nowhere in her life.  It's not that she truly believes in Gary's many business ideas, but maybe she's inspired by his youth and energy.

The movie follows both their personal and business relationship together, and follows them through a number of moments where they encounter film producer Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper), as well as other figures based on Hollywood icons of the time, and deal with the oil crisis that came about in the early 70s.  Watching it, you get the sense that Anderson is not so much making a nostalgic film, as he is simply showing what life was like back then.  These are not personal memories of the era, rather he is touching on various events of the time, and putting the sweet and awkward relationship of the two leads in the middle of it all.  This is a loose and light film, but it never comes across as being flimsy.  The performances and the central relationship are strong enough to carry this material, and the dialogue that Anderson has provided is quiet and witty in a way that few modern day screenwriters can match.

But best of all is how Anderson handles the relationship that is its main focus.  There is a jealous immaturity between the two that feels natural.  It is awkward and messy, but it is also genuine, and we understand what Alana sees in him, since Gary is one of the few people who seems genuinely interested in her and her worth.  Yes, the age difference between the two characters might be questionable to some, but again, the movie handles the situation with great and quiet precision.  Alana knows that Gary is a kid, and that it's strange that she spends so much time with him and his friends.  At its core, it's a sweet and innocent relationship that will eventually lead to something more, which we do not see.  Still, the movie contains some achingly romantic moments, such as the scene where Gary is briefly arrested for a crime he didn't do, and as soon as he is released, Alana embraces him fully, and they run down the streets together joyfully.  

Licorice Pizza is made up of a lot of small, intimate moments of awkward, early love like that, and it's part of why the film is one of the most memorable and very best of 2021.  It's also able to create the time period so that the movie doesn't feel like a throwback, but feels more like an actual film from the era.  There is stunning and clear cinematography here that perfectly captures the films of the time its set in, and unlike Anderson's own earlier film, Boogie Nights, it doesn't feel like a tribute to the time.  It's an intimate time capsule, and also probably the director's sweetest and most down to Earth film.  I have been a long admirer of Anderson's work, but this time, he has surpassed some of his earlier success, and made a truly beautiful film.

This is the kind of movie you want to watch again as soon as possible when it's over, and one that is not easily forgotten.  It's also my pick for the best film of last year.

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