Licorice Pizza
Licorice Pizza
Starring Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
In the San Fernando Valley in 1973, Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) is a fifteen-year-old child actor who falls for Alana Kane (Alana Haim), a photographer's assistant who's taking school pictures at his high school, despite the fact that she's twenty-five. The two hit it off immediately as unbreakable friends, with Alana constantly telling Gary that nothing will happen due to their age difference. Yet Gary is undeterred, and showcases a wisdom and sophistication wise beyond his years, but also isn't above partaking in childish hi-jinks. He helps Alana get into the movie business, where she lands a gig working with the great Jack Holden (Sean Penn). He then decides to start his own waterbed business and Alana serves as his co-boss, and they manage to make a lucrative career out of it, selling a waterbed to eccentric film producer Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper), who's dating Barbra Streisand. Alana then volunteers for mayoral candidate Joel Wachs (Benny Safdie), while Gary starts a pinball arcade business. Through it all, the two flirt, make each other jealous by using other people, and come back together as Alana specifically struggles with her feelings for Gary, since he's still only fifteen.
"Licorice Pizza" is one of those magical films that accentuates the past and makes it come to life in such a way that seems almost impossible, as Anderson utilizes everything at his disposal to transport you to the time, and spares no expense to make every small detail as intricate as possible. You wonder how he managed to transform the San Fernando Valley to the 70s, but he accomplishes this in great detail, which only serves as the beautiful backdrop for the understated powerful message the film conveys about love, jealousy, and everything in between.
The story itself is as varied as the tone, which shifts from moment to moment but not in a choppy, uneven way - but moreso in a way that makes you crave to see where it goes. It's a story about two young people starting businesses. It's a story about the same two young people flirting and falling for one another, acting like they're not, and then using other people in hopes of falling for them instead of each other. From waterbeds to pinball arcades to mayoral candidates and gas shortages, "Licorice Pizza" (the title itself coming from a record store chain in Southern California that existed when Anderson was younger, and he felt that "it's two great words that go well together and maybe capture a mood") pinballs itself in many different directions, all the while keeping you firmly grounded on earth due to the two impeccable lead performances.
These performers are newcomers to the big screen, but not unknown to the industry. Cooper Hoffman plays the fifteen-year-old Gary Valentine (who's based off former child actor Gary Goetzman, who's now a frequent producing partner with Tom Hanks), and if his last name sounds familiar, it's because it is. He's the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, whom worked with Thomas in his films "Boogie Nights" and "The Master," (the later earning him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor). Despite this being his first film, the younger Hoffman exhibits his father's unnatural acting talent, and plays Gary off as a kid much older than his years, and who gives off an infectious charm that you can't help but fall in love with. Having your first film be a Paul Thomas Anderson flick, you can be sure that he'll have a highly successful and long career ahead of him.
Likewise, Alana Haim makes her film debut as Alana Kane, but she too is no stranger to the industry. She and her sisters (who also play her sisters in the film) make up the Grammy-nominated band Haim, and Paul Thomas Anderson has directed them in several music videos. Alana exudes a confidence, a charm, and a unique "it" factor that's extremely hard to pinpoint, but all of these qualities make for a budding, rising star that's elevated by her ability to adapt to comedic timing and dramatic chops in equal measure, captivating and holding your attention like a seasoned pro.
Surrounding these great young actors is a slew of big-name performers who chew up the scenery for the short duration they're on screen. From Sean Penn's eccentric performance as actor Jack Holden (based off famed actor William Holden) to Bradley Cooper's Awards-deserving performance as Jon Peters to Benny Safdie's tortured Joel Wachs, there's not a supporting character in this film that's wasted. In fact, there's not a moment period in this film that feels wasted, but by the time it ends it'll have you longing for more.
It's difficult to write such a story, especially in today's day in age, about a fifteen-year-old falling and pursuing a twenty-five-year-old, and that lies the film's only source of controversy. If the roles were reversed, and the fifteen-year-old was a girl, then things would have a much different feel, but since it's a guy pursuing an older woman, in some sense it feels more acceptable, even though it isn't really. Yet the biggest controversy comes from a couple blink-and-you'll-miss-it scenes where a white actor is doing exaggerated Asian speak, which is done for laughs but falls incredibly flat, especially considering the world we live in today (the Media Action Network for Asian Americans have decried any awards recognition for the movie, and brought down the critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes). While Anderson said he included these moments to "be honest to that time," they still felt uncomfortable. Still, it's one minor flaw in an otherwise perfect film, even if the age-gap love story itself feels a bit strange on its head.
By taking a risk with placing two new actors in the lead roles, Paul Thomas Anderson once again strikes gold with "Licorice Pizza," a unique love story set against the backdrop of 1970s San Fernando Valley, while also giving birth to two careers that'll undoubtedly have decades to grow and prosper.
The Score: A+
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