Licorice Pizza - Movie Review

Critics Score - 9 of 10

General Audience Score - 8 of 10

If you lived in Southern California in the late 1960’s and wanted to go get yourself the latest Motown record or the new Rolling Stone album, Let It Bleed, you’d probably go to a local record shop. One of your options if you’d lived in that place and time would’ve been Licorice Pizza, a record shop that’s long since went out of business. A new film of the same name from writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson is an impressive time capsule of a movie that takes us back into the early 1970’s in Los Angeles. P.T. Anderson has created many great films but this is among some of his best work. This film is an easy watch, the actors extremely well cast, the characters are delightful and the humor flows through the duration of the over two hour and ten minute runtime. The situational humor is top notch although not all the scenes add a ton to the story and many are used simply for laughs, but this was easily the funniest film of the year. It’s unique, quirky and different, but you’ll never forget your first bite of Licorice Pizza.

SYNOPSIS - This trip back to the 1970’s kicks off in a high school bathroom where several teen boys including Gary (Cooper Hoffman) are coming their hair and getting dolled up for the ladies. Gary is waiting in line for school picture day when he sees Alana (Alana Haim), one of the helpers that works with the photography crew, walking towards him and he can’t take his eyes off her. After engaging in some first class banter, the almost sixteen year old Gary invites the twenty-five year old Alana to dinner, he’s going to be eating at his favorite place but she makes no promises to stop by. Later at a hot dog stand he tells his younger brother that he met the girl he’s going to marry someday. When he’s finally sitting alone at the restaurant later, Alana comes in behind him and sits down next to him, leaving him speechless and gawking at her for quite some time. The film continues to dance around these two as their relationship develops and evolves and their individual journeys are almost as interesting as where their relationship is headed.

After every last slice of the Licorice Pizza they order at the finale has been consumed, we’ve gotten a masterclass lesson in how to direct something you’ve written a screenplay for. While Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the best screenwriters currently working, he truly shows some directing chops in bringing so many elements of great filmmaking together. The performances are as solid as the writing and directing, relative newcomers Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim are fantastic, especially Alana. They’re supported by a superb cast including the borderline out of control Bradley Cooper, intense Sean Penn and a myriad of others great performances. The soundtrack is full of classic jams, the costumes and production design some of the years best and visually many shots are well constructed, but in general the cinematography is pretty standard and even a bit underwhelming at times. The pacing is also strong with the framework the screenwriting supplies, but when the film pushes past the two hour mark, even the most dedicated Paul Anderson fans will notice. But don’t be dissuaded, this movie is wonderful trip into a world many of us have never experienced, it’s full of life and love and longing, something we could all use a little more of.

SUMMARY - This movie is expertly crafted on many levels, the writing and humor are on point and although the humor especially might not leave every audience rolling on the floor, most will find some genuine hilarity in many of the films sequences. Setting the humor aside, there’s a charming, delightful, coming of age story from a bygone era here, this Licorice Pizza will have you coming back for more slices for many years to come.