Review of Licorice Pizza (2021) by Jamess — 02 May 2022

Take Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Rushmore and you essentially have Licorice Pizza. Paul Thomas Anderson sets the film in the early seventies in the valley, where the siren call of Hollywood beckons, but there's a reason there's the Hollywood hills, and being in the valley.

Cooper Hoffman (son of the late great Phillip Seymour) portrays Gary, a fifteen year old child actor, who is a forty year old trapped in a teen's body. As they would say in the day, the kid's got moxie.

He's constantly hustling, looking for the next venture with his band of underage cronies (ala Rushmore). Alana Haim is the mid twenties photographer's assistant Gary meets at school. He's smitten. She's amused by this hyper confident kid, but states right out their age difference and even says a relationship would be illegal.

In fact throughout the film they always deny any relationship, despite their growing affection for one another. The film does meander along, but it does so amicably. They meet Jon Peters, a bit unhinged Bradley Cooper, as the hairdresser/boyfriend of Barbra Streisand, who would become a major producer, proving that sometimes it's not what you know but who you know.

Alana meets up with middle aged star Jack Holden (Sean Penn), who literally dumps her off the back of a motorcycle while attempting a drunken stunt. Haim and Hoffman have such a natural charm and presence that it's hard to believe they haven't acted for years before this.

Licorice Pizza may not be two great tastes that taste great together, but it's a mighty fine slice.