Licorice Pizza
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA)
Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Bradley Cooper, Will Angarola, Sean Penn, Tom WaitsEste Haim, Danielle Haim, Skylar Gisondo, Maya Rudolph, Benny Safdie
Reason for watching: This is an awards’ season contender, plus I do enjoy a good PTA movie
Number of times I’ve watched it: first time viewing
***
When the trailer came out for this, my immediate thought was as follows: “We do not need another American Graffiti, much less from the dude who made There Will Be Blood.” And that was a biased thing to say, and I am sorry, Mr. Anderson. But I will stand by my initial emotional reaction. The movie theater industry has seen enough of the genre where we follow teenagers and young people just drifting through life. As a whole, the idea of following around adolescents as they make bad decisions can only work on you so many times especially when there is no serious issue facing them. But Paul Thomas Anderson has the right amount of charm to make it work.
Licorice Pizza follows young actor and entrepreneur Gary (Cooper Hoffman) and twenty-something slacker Alana (Alana Haim) as they go on reckless adventures in San Fernando Valley in the 1970s. Along the way they have some encounters with a few famous folks including Jon Peters (an ECCENTRIC Bradley Cooper who is dialed up to 11) and Jack Holden (Sean Penn). Through their time together (and apart when their emotions get the best of them), Gary and Alana realize their need for each other and what makes their relationship so important to both of them.
First of all, Hoffman, who is the son of the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, is a revelation in his first time on screen. He has the ability to convey suave and nervousness all at once. Plus his comedic timing is excellent and is always there to break up scenes that could be made awkward with the wrong actor in his role. Right behind him is Haim who has the emotional goods as well with her bubbling anger and touching grace making her an excellent foil for Hoffman here. Honestly, I cannot really say either one of them is the protagonist over the other. They both truly are the leads of this story.
Backing them up we get some brief appearances from Cooper and Penn in their brief appearances. Penn turns in a serviceable performance as a brash and intolerable superstar of the 1970s; while Cooper really is going hard in the paint. Every conversation between Cooper as Jon Peters and anyone else feels like the last conversation they will ever have in a very hilarious and over-the-top way. It is nice to see Skylar Gisondo again after his nice turn as loveable loser Jared in Booksmart. His quiet awareness kindness in that performance is interesting next to his role in Licorice Pizza as a stuck-up and idiotic child star.
One thing that PTA always manages to do well in his movies is tether his works into the generation and time where they takes place. Boogie Nights is the best example of this, but my goodness if Licorice Pizza does not give it a run for its money. I know shows like Stranger Things conceptually do the same thing, but if I am being honest shows like that only feel surface deep in the times they take place. Product placement and pop culture references are the anchors that hold one’s attention on that time frame. But something like Pizza seems immersive in a way that cannot be captured. The movie acts more like a dream than a time machine: you cannot really explain why it feels real but for the two-plus hours while you are watching the screen but you just know that you are in that world until you awake and the illusion shatters.
I have my misgivings about this movie; namely, I do not enjoy this genre in general. An oddysey type story can be fine if done right, but again I do not enjoy watching characters just meander through their life. That is what life already is to some extent, and I go to movies to be wowed, baffled, or entertained. I can look in a mirror anytime that I want. On a more specific note, I do not enjoy the age-gap between Cooper and Haim’s characters because said difference really adds nothing to the story in my opinion and only reminds us how strange our protagonists’ relationship is. But PTA’s magic touch and handling of this genre wipes away my hatred for this genre.
The best way to describe this movie is a great hangout. Just kick back, relax, and enjoy the experience. If you can let yourself go, you will have a good time.
8/10
Until I see another one