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The release of a new Paul Thomas Anderson film is always a big event in the film world. There’s just something about the writer and director and his often head-scratching films that stirs up all kinds of buzz. He’s done everything from dark dramas to whodunits. But his latest comedy, Licorice Pizza, might be his most widely accessible film yet.
Licorice Pizza follows the stories of Gary (Cooper Hoffman), a 15-year-old actor and entrepreneur, and Alana (Alana Haim), an aimless 25-year-old who lives with her family and works for a school picture photographer. Fast-talking Gary immediately asks her out, but while she tells him that he’s much too young, she still ends up meeting him for dinner and giving him her phone number. And despite their differences, the two drift in and out of each other’s lives, never really committing to their relationship as they connect on one business plan after another.
Gary and Alana spend the film in each other’s circle. When Gary needs a ride—or a chaperone—Alana is there. When Gary starts a new business, Alana is there to help (and improve on his ideas). Theirs is a common story of young love. They may deny their true feelings, and they may even try seeing other people, but they’re always there to help and support each other. And though they’re relationship isn’t defined, they both tend to act out in jealousy—and, no matter how frustrated they get, they just can’t walk away.
The two characters are definitely different. Alana doesn’t seem to know what she wants in life. She hasn’t found anything that she’s truly passionate about. Gary, meanwhile, is passionate about everything. He loves the attention that acting brings him, but he’s also quick to jump on anything that will make a buck—from PR to waterbeds to pinball. He’s constantly wheeling and dealing and looking for his next big thing. But as Alana points out during one scene, she pays attention to what’s going on in the world, while he believes that it revolves around him.
The relationship between these two young people is endearing—and their story is often whimsical in the way that only a film set in the early ‘70s can be. Their adventures and conversations and business deals tell a playful yet totally relatable story about young love. Despite its frequent randomness, though—including a hilarious encounter with Bradley Cooper’s Jon Peters—the most off-putting thing about it is Gary’s age. There seems to be no reason why he couldn’t be just a little bit older. It would definitely make more sense when it comes to his business dealings, too. And the fact that he’s 15 to Alana’s 25 sets the story on an uncomfortable foundation.
Still, with its simple story of the games young people (and sometimes not-so-young people, too) play when they’re falling in love, Licorice Pizza is a charming and entertaining romantic comedy. If you’ve found Anderson’s films a little off-putting in the past, there’s no need to worry about this one. Really, the most perplexing thing about it is its title.
Licorice Pizza expands to a wide release on December 25, 2021.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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