91% on Rotten Tomatoes (out of 240 reviews)
Runtime: 134 minutes
Directed by: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, many faces (whether famous or not) in small roles
From: MGM/Focus/BRON
Apparently, Jon Peters really WAS (is?) a terrible human being.
It took some time but finally I saw this movie last night; I haven't watched all of P.T. Anderson's motion pictures and not everyone I have seen I liked... one day I should revisit Magnolia as it's been 20 some odd years but at the time I thought of it as crap; will I feel the same now? I saw the trailer a few times-although it did not follow me around like the Scream trailer has, seemingly playing in front of the last 12 movies or so I've viewed theatrically-and it looked interesting with its early 70's So Cal setting. I'll admit surprise when hearing that Licorice Pizza was about a 15 year old boy's relationship w/ a 25 year old woman. Yet I did not soil myself in overreacting like many people in general did; I avoided hearing much about that nonsense from people who (to be frank) seemingly are waiting for something to be offended over. The “jokes” where someone acts quite inappropriately to an Asian character... to me that was SUPPOSED to make the character look like a dumb SOB-it wasn't to rip on
That relationship was (mostly) fine and not something to bring out the pitchforks and torches for; it's more touching than you might expect from when you initially pictured it in your mind. Gary is 15 yet an actor who has enough drive and confidence to attempt some businesses-which was the only reason why Alana even gave him the time of day then became a friend-yet he is still a typical immature 15 year old boy so he does some rather dumb things-even I wasn't immune to foolishness at that age. Meanwhile, she is rather listless in life so having a better than crummy job is worthwhile, but she's also fascinated with her new pal... even if he acts like a real dick at times. Much of the movie is “wacky s*** happening in early 70's So Cal/Hollywood” but as some of the characters-including Gary-are at least loosely based on real life people, I can't dismiss even the wildest moments. Their relationship grows as they both mature in their own ways, although even at the conclusion it is clear that both still have their faults and issues.
As an aside, it's hilarious to me that apparently Jon Peters gave approval for him to appear here as a character. Many people will know him infamously for his behavior in attempting to bring Superman back to screen in the late 90's; well, apparently he has been an awful human being for decades and I don't know how he fees about his portrayal in Licorice Pizza! This is pure conjecture but I did hear that Bradley Cooper does not like Peters as they had to work together on the A Star is Born remake. Cooper being able to play Peters as a raging A-hole has to be his way of giving Peters the finger.
Unlike a typical PTA joint, it is the female lead who is the focus instead of the male. The cast full of familiar faces is good overall but it is the two leads (also making their acting debuts) which stood out. It was not just a gimmick for this to be led by the son of the director's frequent collaborator and a rock star. Credit has to be given to Cooper Hoffman and especially Alana Haim for their real, naturalistic performances that help you buy this unusual laid-back tale that has some peculiar moments. It was also cute that Alana Kane's family was portrayed by... Alana Haim's real life family. Even with all the ups and downs it's a nice friendship you see play out in the San Fernando Valley, which is where PTA grew up IRL. It looked like quite the era which has some things I dig-like the groovy fashion-yet there's also the oil embargo crises which must have been a real drag.
As the title of this movie references a now-defunct record store chain in So Cal (you see, records look like black licorice and are pizza-shaped...), no surprise that this has a bangin' soundtrack, or that PTA would put together a bangin' soundtrack. Typically, it would be artists that I recognized but songs that I didn't. Everyone from Sonny & Cher and Taj Mahal to Suzi Quattro and The Doors—hell yeah. The movie not working for everyone in the general public is no surprise to me; it is possible that I'll rate this even higher upon revisit sometime in the (far?) future. For now, I do have inspiration to see some PTA that I've neglected over the years; that will come later in 2022.
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