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A vision of the 1970s San Fernando Valley, captured in “Licorice Pizza” by Paul Thomas Anderson is so dreamy and full of possibility that it appears as if it could not possibly have existed in the real world at all. As the day turns to night, it’s a place where anything could happen, thanks to its lengthy magic-hour walk-and-talks and its sense of adventure around every corner and down every block.
Despite this, there is an unmistakable undercurrent of danger lurking beneath the surface of this joyful, playful reverie. It’s in the score, composed by Anderson’s frequent collaborator, the brilliant Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, and it serves to put you on the verge of losing your mind. It’s shining brightly in the searchlights outside the grand opening of a pinball parlor on Ventura Boulevard, beckoning to the heavens at all hours. Furthermore, it’s in the big, brash moments that Bradley Cooper and Sean Penn, both of whom go all-in on their supporting roles, steal the show. As the day fades into night, anything could happen—but are you prepared to deal with it?
Anderson has a strong connection to this location because it is where he grew up and where he still resides today. With its sprawling suburbs and uninspiring strip malls, the Valley holds a special place in his heart and is tangible to those who know him. In addition, this is the location of my childhood—I grew up in Woodland Hills, which is just a few miles down the 101 Freeway from where the events of “Licorice Pizza” take place, and I have fond memories of the Southern California record store chain that serves as the film’s title. (I used to frequent the one on Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Canoga Park, which was across the street from Topanga Plaza when I was a kid.) He’s already taken us on a tour of this region in a couple of the great, early films that helped put him on the map (“Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia”), but in “Licorice Pizza,” he takes a more gentle approach to the subject matter. Anderson has harnessed all of the thrilling, muscular techniques that have become his directing trademarks, as well as his love of high drama that he has developed as a writer, and applied them to telling a story that is pleasantly surprising.
It’s also completely unpredictable from one scene to the next, thanks to Anderson’s masterful transitions from absurd humor to tender romance, with a couple of legitimate action sequences thrown in for good measure. It meanders in the best possible way: you’re never sure where it’s going, but you can’t wait to find out where it’s going to end up, and when it’s over, you’ll wish it hadn’t come to an end so quickly. Despite the fact that the credits were about to roll, I had no desire to get up from my seat and leave the theater because I had become so enchanted by the film’s cozy, wistful spell.
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Moreover, Anderson has provided us with the most magnificent guides in the form of Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman, who are both making their feature film debuts. “Licorice Pizza” will undoubtedly elevate them to superstardom, and with good reason. In addition to being the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hoffman has a long and fruitful relationship with Anderson, which has resulted in some of Anderson’s most defining work, ranging from the heartbreaking (“Boogie Nights”) to the terrifying (“The Master”). Hoffman is a very different person from his father in terms of appearance and demeanor (he exudes an infectious, boyish optimism), but he possesses the same captivating screen presence as his father. Haim, on the other hand, is a straight-up movie star. She possesses that “something”: a radiant, magnetic aura that makes it impossible to take your gaze away from her at all times. She’s the youngest of the three sisters who make up the indie rock band HAIM—they’ve had a long and fruitful relationship with Anderson, who has directed several of their music videos—and she’s got impeccable comic timing as well as a knack for making inspired choices. Together, she and Hoffman have a snappy chemistry that’s reminiscent of classic screwball comedies, but they both appear to be completely at ease in this ’70s milieu. The presence of Haim’s sisters, Danielle and Este, who play Alana’s sisters, contributes to the authenticity of the production. And their real-life parents appear as their characters’ parents, which culminates in a hilarious shabbat dinner scene on a Friday night.
We haven’t even gotten started on the plot, but that isn’t really the point of this discussion. The film “Licorice Pizza” is a romantic comedy in which Alana played by Haim and Gary played by Hoffman are seen running around the Valley, starting various businesses, flirting, pretending that they don’t care about each other, and potentially falling for other people to avoid falling for each other. One thing: she’s 25 and he’s 15, and they happen to meet cute at his high school, where she’s assisting the photographers on picture day when they first meet. Why this amorphous romance works is because a) it is extremely chaste, b) she is somewhat stunted at the beginning of the film, and c) Anderson wisely establishes early on that Gary possesses confidence and intelligence well beyond his years. All of the adults Gary comes into contact with take him seriously and treat him as an equal, in a manner that is reminiscent of Max Fischer’s character in “Rushmore.” One of the reasons for his maturity is his long-standing role as an actor in children’s films (and the character of Gary is based on Tom Hanks’ longtime producing partner Gary Goetzman, who was also an actor in his youth). As a result, when he meets Alana and is immediately taken with her, he exudes such self-assurance and addresses her in such a direct manner that she can’t help but be drawn into his world.
Licorice Pizza Quiz
The film is structured around their ever-changing relationship, but “Licorice Pizza” is really about this young woman’s journey of self-discovery, as she tries on various jobs and clothes, as well as different priorities and personalities, to see what works for her. (Award-winning “Phantom Thread” costume designer Mark Bridges creates a look for her that is completely different for each situation.) From Dirk Diggler to Reynolds Woodcock, Anderson has primarily focused his attention on male characters throughout his career; therefore, to see him direct the vast majority of his immense artistic instincts toward a female character is only part of what makes “Licorice Pizza” such a welcome breath of fresh air. Alana’s optimism is unwavering, but the reality of life as a young woman in Los Angeles—or, for that matter, anywhere in the world—continues to rear its head. Perhaps it’s an intrusive conversation with an agent when she’s thinking about pursuing a career as an actress. Alternatively, it could be a midnight motorcycle ride with a much older movie star (Penn, as a William Holden figure, gets to be unusually charming). When Cooper plays Jon Peters, a real-life hairdresser turned producer who once dated Barbra Streisand, he comes across as much more obvious source of danger. Cooper absolutely tears it up in just a couple of scenes, and does so in an entertaining and ferocious way that is both funny and ferocious at the same time. In this crowded cast, there are many actors who stand out for their performances. (Christine Ebersole, Skyler Gisondo, Benny Safdie, Joseph Cross, and Tom Waits are among the many actors who stand out for their performances.)
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Peters’ presence in this location is critical to the overall narrative of Hollywood’s dominance in this time and place. When I saw Gary, I was reminded of so many of the kids I grew up with: they had agents and headshots, they got to leave school early to go to auditions, and they had parents who would schlep them all over town in order to pursue their dreams of becoming celebrities. Instead, Gary simply takes that initiative and channels it into a variety of endeavors, with Alana finding herself thrown in to accompany him on his journey. “Boogie Nights” opens with a long tracking shot of Gary entering the Hollywood Palladium to launch his waterbed company (something Goetzman actually did), which is reminiscent of the beginning of “Phantom Thread” as well as the end of “Boogie Nights.” Once again, Anderson, who is also directing the film and serving as cinematographer (this time with Michael Bauman), infuses this and so many other moments with a mixture of wonder and melancholy.
And, as is always the case with him, he gets a lot of details about the setting and time period right. A baby-blue rotary phone hanging on the kitchen wall or a billboard for the rock radio station KMET perched above a gas station are examples of accurate details that never devolve into kitschy caricature. Gary does indeed reside in Sherman Oaks, but rather than in one of the more exclusive neighborhoods south of the boulevard, he lives in a modest, mid-century ranch-style home. And the gas shortage that plagued this time period adds yet another source of tension to the characters’ already high levels of anxiety as they attempt to make their way in the world. Anderson does not beat us over the head with geopolitical reasons, but instead shows Gary running in slow motion past long lines of cars at the gas pumps, with David Bowie’s “Life on Mars?” playing in the background as a powerful choice of music.
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Nonetheless, by the end of the film, an achingly romantic tone has returned, as has the feeling that, despite the fact that we may not have arrived anywhere in our wanderings, we have just witnessed the best film of the year.
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On sale in select cities beginning November 26th and nationwide beginning December 25th.
For more personality quizzes check this: Sing 2 Quiz Quiz.
