‘Licorice Pizza’ Review — Paul Thomas Anderson’s Latest Masterpiece is an All-Timer

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Licorice Pizza Review

There are no filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson working today. What makes Paul Thomas Anderson such a fascinating filmmaker is the way in which he’s consistently evolving as an artist. As a young director, Anderson seemed to wear his influences on his sleeve, blending the styles of his favorites into his energetic ensembles. Then Anderson started to really become his own singular filmmaker starting with Punch-Drunk Love. Since then, Anderson has expanded as an artist, making films that challenge audiences on an intellectual level while displaying an unparalleled visual style. Few directors have ever had the combination of confidence and talent, and that’s reflected in his last decade of masterpieces. Now Paul Thomas Anderson may have made the best film of his illustrious career with Licorice Pizza, a touching coming-of-age tale that blends Anderson’s immense talent, idiosyncrasies, and romanticism into a dazzling cinematic experience.

Set in California’s San Fernando Valley in 1973, Licorice Pizza follows 15-year-old Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) after he meets 20-something Alana Kane (Alana Haim). The two meet on Gary’s high school campus as the young woman works for the company doing the school’s yearbook photos. There’s a brazen confidence to Gary which seems rooted in his work as an actor and PR man at his mother’s company which culminates in Gary asking Alana to dinner. Noting the considerable age gap, Alana resists but eventually relents, though she’s very clear that their encounter is by no means a date. The two form a strong friendship which has an ebb and flow to it – the two drifting in and out of the other’s orbit often due to moments of insecurity or jealousy.

The plot of Licorice Pizza isn’t the most important element of the film. It has a straggly form of plotting and yet that’s what makes the film feel so naturalistic with its characters. Gary’s an ambitious teen, someone who is older than their age yet still very inexperienced in the ways of the world. This is apparent in his various entrepreneurial schemes, such as establishing the company Fat Bernie’s to sell the hot new fad of water beds. Alana, on the other hand, feels as if she’s been left behind, pondering if she’s a loser for hanging around Gary and his younger friends. But the youthful doubts and frustrations that course through both Gary and Alana are brought to the screen with amazingly powerful performances by Hoffman and Haim, both appearing in their first feature film.

Throughout Licorice Pizza, Gary and Alana encounter odd situations and interesting characters. While selling water beds, Gary and Alana are called to the home of legendary hairstylist-turned-producer Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper), and his manic coked-up energy is equally hilarious and menacing. In just a few short scenes, Bradley Cooper delivers some of the best work of his career. Alana works for an idealistic young politician Joel Wachs (Benny Safdie), and sadly the futility of idealism winds up socking the young woman in the gut. And then there’s Alana’s encounter with the actor Jack Holden (Sean Penn) and his good friend Rex Blau (Tom Waits), which takes a rather unexpected, albeit quite inebriated, turn. The OPEC oil embargo of 1973 and the gas shortages it caused are also a major factor in the film, and an empty fuel tank leads to one of the film’s most astonishing sequences that is equally hilarious and full of riveting suspense. But the way these events unfold over the course of Licorice Pizza never feels like the invention of a screenwriter, but the kind of odd events that happen in one’s youth as they continue their journey towards self-discovery.

This period piece is a visual triumph without a dull frame. Paul Thomas Anderson serves as his own cinematographer alongside Michael Bauman, and the two capture the immaculate costumes by Mark Bridges, the dazzling production design by Florencia Martin, the lush art direction of Samantha Englender, and the gorgeous set direction of Ryan Watson. This team collaborated on an awe-inspiring look that revitalizes a lost section of Los Angeles that has been razed and redesigned since 1973. In capturing the look of the era, the creative team of Licorice Pizza doesn’t use the fashion of yesteryear as some kind of comedic kitsch, which unfortunately happens all to often in movies set in this era.

And yet for the flurry of nostalgia that runs through Licorice Pizza, it’s not a film that looks at the past as a better time than the present. Anderson is clear-eyed in showing the good and bad of the era, the casual racism, the casual sexual harassment, a criminal in the White House, and the societal shock of the OPEC oil embargo. The nostalgia here is for that freedom of youth, the pain of personal uncertainty, and the thrill of young love.

Now, I’d like to hit on a few aspects of the film that have been deemed problematic by some colleagues. First of all, a restaurateur (played by John Michael Higgins) unleashes an incredibly offensive imitation of an Asian accent, and the scene is played for laughs. However, the film is not trying to get laughs from the man’s overt racism but from the fact that he’s a complete idiot. And then, of course, there’s the age gap in the film’s central relationship. There is sexual tension between the characters but there is no sex. The complicated nature of the age gap is central to the film’s story, and it’s handled with grace and tact. None of these characters are predatory towards one another, there’s mutual respect that fuels their connection even if the age gap gives these characters pause. The whole film is interrogating this situation and doesn’t handle it blithely. And Licorice Pizza isn’t like Anderson’s other recent films in that he’s much more textual here than he was in, say, Inherent Vice or The Master.

Licorice Pizza is walking a tightrope with its central relationship, and Anderson pulls off this feat seemingly effortlessly. Of course, the director has incredible help in the form of Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim. I can’t think of a recent film where two actors headlining a film for the first time in their lives not just pulled it off, but did so in such a convincing manner that you’re looking forward to their next big role. Cooper Hoffman plays Gary Valentine with such swagger, a boastful exterior that hides his youthful inexperience and self-doubts. The young actor obviously inherited quite a bit of charisma and screen presence from his father, but his debut is nothing short of incredible work. Alana Haim is the film’s real revelation, though. As written, Alana is difficult character to bring to life, and yet the musician-turned-actress brings the character to vivid life. Haim makes Alana feel like a real, well-rounded person fighting familial and societal expectations while trying to find her way in a steadily changing world.

Licorice Pizza is among the best films of the year, if not the absolute best. It stands among the best films of Paul Thomas Anderson’s career, which is really damn impressive. It’s a whirlwind of romanticism from a filmmaker whose romanticism is often overlooked. This enchanting film captivates you for over two hours before it crescendos into a stunning, affecting finale punctuated with a perfect final line. Leaving the theater after Licorice Pizza, I was riding the high of knowing that I had just seen one of my favorite films of all time.

Licorice Pizza
  • Overall Score
5

Summary

A dazzling cinematic experience, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza is a unique coming-of-age tale featuring two astonishing breakout performances by Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman. Licorice Pizza stands as one of the best films of the year as well as one of the best films of Paul Thomas Anderson’s illustrious career.

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