December 19, 2021
Review: Paul Thomas Anderson’s Coming Of Age Story ‘Licorice Pizza’
Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn
Four years since Phantom Thread (2017), Paul Thomas Anderson is back with something completely opposite in Licorice Pizza. Anderson delivers a light, delightful, nostalgic experience set in the San Fernando Valley in 1973. Based on several anecdotes he’d experienced over the years, Anderson stitches together a coming age, romantic comedy that hits the sweet spot of those genres. A frequent collaborator with Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who passed away in 2014, Anderson introduces Hoffmans son Cooper Hoffman, in his film debut as the 15-year-old smooth talking and business curious Gary Valentine.
Alana Haim, member of the popular pop rock band ‘Haim’, plays Alana Kane, a quirky but spoilt 25-year-old photographers assistant. Valentine, also a successful child actor, meets Alana on his high school picture day. Although 25 years of age, Alana is charmed by Gary, and she agrees to go to dinner with him. What follows is a layered, semi confusing, but never not entertaining story of the two falling in love while running around sunny California.
Star cameos include Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper, Maya Rudolph, John C Reilly, John Michael Higgin, Skylar Gisondo and the entire Haim family. While these cameos pack in an extra punch of fun, it really is the stellar performances and chemistry between Haim and Anderson that carry the film. Although inexperienced, the banter between the two actors always seems completely natural and doesn’t seem forced even for a second. Both leads successfully capture the emotional accuracy of young love and the possibilities of the 1970s.
The film flows from start to finish in an unpredictable but easy-going nature. With every scene is always a new joke, a new smile or new character escapade that leads to a pleasant viewing experience. But overall, it is the sweetness and complexity that Haim and Hoffman bring to the role that make this film truly joyful and captivating.
Licorice Pizza is in Australia cinemas December 26th