4 stars out of 5
In the ongoing battle of the Andersons, Wes served first this year with The French Dispatch, but Paul Thomas has returned serve strongly with Licorice Pizza. Interestingly, both films are actually more collections of scenes rather than cohesive plot-driven narratives. And where Wes’s was studied and precise, P.T. throws it all out there — joyfully so — and wins this match.
I can’t say enough about the leads, Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim. As you likely know, Cooper is the son of Philip Seymour Hoffman, and in terms of sons of deceased actors in 2021 movies, he wipes the floor with Michael Gandolfini. Cooper effortlessly shifts moods: enthusiastic, happy, sad, cocky, determined, conniving, disappointed, jealous, lovestruck, often with a sense of wonder in his eyes. Watching this incredible debut performance, I became thrilled by the notion that we have decades of another Hoffman to look forward to (assuming he continues working — there’s nothing else listed on his IMDb page, arrrrggghhh!!).
Then there’s Alana Haim of the popular sister act HAIM and how is it possible they’ve been around for NINE YEARS already? How old am I, fer crissakes? This is her debut as well, and she pretty much matches Cooper in the acting department. Her “Alana” does not suffer fools, especially foolish young Gary Valentine (Hoffman), and she’s built a sturdy emotional fortress around herself. Yet occasionally she shows us a glimpse of vulnerability. Add in that Haim is s-e-x-x-y in a nerd-magnet sort of way and very comically gifted, and, well, I’d watch these two actors do anything.
Which P.T. Anderson basically lets them do, setting them loose in the obstacle course of 1973 Los Angeles. Here they deal with young vs. old, fame vs. obscurity, the greater good vs. personal gain, religion, fads, phoniness, platonic relationships and the insane jealously that often results, etc. etc. etc. And oh we also get Waitress from Sunny as Gary’s stage mom, and Sean Penn as a fading action star, and Tom Waits as who the hell knows but it’s vintage Waits, and Bradley Cooper as actual-person Jon Peters, and no spoilers but there are names in the credits that will make you smile from ear-to-ear. P.T. then places them variously in a runaway truck, on a nighttime golf course, at Shabbat dinner, in the — wait, is that the campaign office from Taxi Driver?? — and on and on. What a rush!
OK, so there isn’t really a plot beyond “will they or won’t they” and Alana coping with their zany age difference. But there are big laughs and sweetness and groovy tunes. So go enjoy yourself at the movies, you’ve earned it!
Jack Silbert, curator