Licorice Pizza – Film Review

Licorice Pizza is the story of Alana Kane (Alana Haim) and Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) growing up, running around and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley, in 1973, and tracks the treacherous navigation of first love.

When it comes to filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, there isn’t really much I can say that hasn’t been said about him and his filmography already. Long story short, he’s a master at what he does and he continues to make it look so easy every single time. Unfortunately, when it comes to Anderson, there is usually a several year gap between each of his films, meaning that there’s a huge waiting game involved when it comes to whatever his next movie might be, but whenever it does come out, you can bet that it’ll be a great time.

There is absolutely no exception when it comes to his newest feature, Licorice Pizza – a deeply introspective, hilarious, emotional, and romantic journey into the lives of two youngsters growing up in the 1970s in San Fernando Valley. Not one single moment in Anderson’s latest film feels out of place which is genuinely saying something considering how this is a coming-of-age movie that runs at a relatively lengthy two hours and thirteen minutes. You’d think that somewhere within there, perhaps a scene or two would feel out of place, but gratefully not.

Anderson uses every little bit of screentime to his advantage and brandishes one of the best scripts of 2021. Although I absolutely adore coming-of-age movies with all my heart, I have to admit that a large portion of them are insanely predictable. And while certain elements of Licorice Pizza are indeed predictable, the majority of the film is totally surprising. The characters of Alana and Gary go to some genuinely shocking places throughout the course of the film. Here, Anderson tries his best to subvert genre tropes and he does so effortlessly.

In some weird way, this movie reminded me of a mix between Lady Bird and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It has that oh-so-sweet charm that Lady Bird has, while it also has the mundane yet strangely interesting feel that Hollywood delivered. Some people that didn’t like Hollywood complained that nothing really happened throughout the film, and I have to disagree completely. Is it an all-out chaos fest like every other Quentin Tarantino movie? No, absolutely not. But there are so many fascinating things happening with the characters and the location they’re interacting to each other in, that to say nothing of substance happened would be to admit that you didn’t really pay attention to the movie.

I have a feeling that these same people will say the same things about Licorice Pizza. There is not a single scene in this film where somebody explodes. There isn’t the cliched argument scene between the two leads. There isn’t a single moment where something hugely dramatic happens that changes a character’s life forever, and that’s okay. Licorice Pizza didn’t need to have any of those scenes in it. Instead, the film takes its time to develop its characters, and it wants to show you how they interact with each other in this time period. It’s a beautiful work of art to behold.

And it also helps that the two lead actors have dynamite chemistry together. Cooper Hoffman delivers one of the most charming and charismatic performances I’ve seen in a long time in the role of Gary Valentine. He’s a fascinating blend between sweet and smart, while also being incredibly goofy and over-the-top. He’s not so much a lovable idiot because he is quite smart, but he’s the closest thing to one.

Don’t even get me started on Alana Haim as Alana Kane, either. After watching this film, I am quite shocked that she did not receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role because she did absolutely everything right with this performance. It’s made even more amazing when you consider the fact that this was her first-ever acting role. Watching this film, you’d swear she’s been an expert in the film industry for years.

Long story short, Licorice Pizza is a delightfully heartwarming, oftentimes hilarious and deeply moving coming-of-age story further propelled by Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman’s excellent chemistry.