Licorice Pizza (2021): A Retro Hollywood Romance

Are you craving for some pizza right now? Just try some “Licorice Pizza”! But sadly, Licorice Pizza is not edible. Written, co-produced and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, “Licorice Pizza” is in fact a romantic comedy set in the sun-bleached 70s era Hollywood. It features Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman in the lead roles. The film runs exclusively in theaters across the U.S.

Licorice Pizza is based on the romance between a 15-year-old high school student named Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) and a 25-year-old assistant photographer, Alana Kane (Alana Haim). Gary likes Alana and tries to make advances on her but remains friend zoned. They both even get into business partnerships. A series of misadventures occur which finally make Alana realize her love for Gary.

Licorice Pizza (2021) Trailer:

The Good:

A Story Based On True Elements

Licorice Pizza may be termed as a fictional coming-of-age romantic comedy but I must tell you that this film features characters which have some relevance with real life Hollywood celebrities. Reports say that the character Gary Valentine is based on former child actor and film producer, Gary Goetzman who happens to be Anderson’s friend.

Licorice Pizza shows Gary starting a waterbed business where he employs Alana as his assistant. One of the scenes shows them delivering a waterbed to film producer Jon Peters’ (Bradley Cooper) house. Gary messed up the house which angered Peters. Based on reports, a similar incident had happened with Goetzman when he used to be a waterbed salesman. However, it was not as intense as shown in the movie.

Bradley Cooper’s character of Jon Peters is also based on a real film producer by the same name. Licorice Pizza also shows Alana trying her luck in acting. The motorcyclist actor named Jack Holden (Sean Penn), who was the lead in the film for which Alana gave her audition, is actually based on Oscar-winning actor William Holden. And not to forget the variety show in which Gary appeared whose host was Lucy Doolittle (Christine Ebersole). The character Lucy Doolittle is actually based on a popular former actress and producer named Lucille Ball. The film also shows a film director named Rex Blau (Tom Waits) whose character is based on the legendary Hollywood director Mark Robson.

So, you can understand why Licorice Pizza is a complete Hollywood feast! I feel the real life 70s era Hollywood characters portrayed in the movie did amplify the screenplay and make it an entertaining retro viewing experience.

The Retro Setting

The real enjoyment was watching Licorice Pizza’s retro setting. Being an early Millennial, I enjoy vintage collections which remind me of my childhood days. Though I am settled in India, the film’s vintage Hollywood setting did evoke a nostalgic feeling in me. It’s like revisiting the most joyful moments of your life.

The wardrobe of the actors by costume designer Mark Bridges was truly nostalgic. I also believe the cinematography of Licorice Pizza did play a major role in amplifying its retro essence. I have to credit Anderson along with cinematographer Michael Bauman for being able to create such an entertaining periodic cinematic masterpiece in the modern day.

Astounding Performances

Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman rocked the show. Their acting styles, action sequences, body languages and dialogue deliveries in the movie were extraordinarily captivating. Alana as the happy-go-lucky assistant photographer and Hoffman as the romantic school guy Gary seemed great fit for their respective roles. Besides, Bradley Cooper’s agitated and angry Jon Peters character was extremely intriguing.

Licorice Pizza does have some action sequences with motorcycle stunts shown. It also has some thrilling instances where we see Alana driving a truck along with Gary and Peters. Peters is portrayed as an angry guy who had threatened to murder Gary’s brother. After he got down at a gas station, he threatened a customer too. Alana and Gary tried to leave Peters behind but they soon ran out of gas.

Anderson Deserves The Real Credits

Anderson is the man behind Licorice Pizza as he handled the screenplay, direction and cinematography all by himself. He is also one of the producers of this movie. No doubt, this periodic masterpiece does shed light on Anderson’s unsurpassed filmmaking style.

The Bad:

The Depiction Of A Huge Age Gap In A Relationship

Honestly, I don’t have any right to address a relationship with a huge age gap as “bad”. In fact, relationships with huge age gaps have proven to work out better than normal ones.

Still, I feel some awkwardness associated with Alana and Gary’s relationship. Gary was only a high school kid and Alana was much more mature than him as she as well in her mid 20s. In certain parts of the film, I felt that Alana was only playing with Gary’s emotions.

In the beginning of Licorice Pizza, Alana is dating Gary’s co-star Lance (Skyler Gisondo) with Gary just being a mere onlooker. Later, in another scene where Gary decided to open an arcade business, Alana herself admitted that he was “immature”. The funny part is here Gary also admits that she’s “old”, actually “for him”. But the ending of the film was too good to be true, where she finally did realize Gary’s love for her and started loving him back.

Happy ending, for sure! But what if, she never had a realization? If Alana had continued thinking Gary as an immature individual, I believe she would never have opted to go in a relationship with him. Things would have turned out differently for Gary as this relationship wouldn’t have begun in the first place.

Rated R!

Licorice Pizza is rated R. I feel sad at the thought how this beautiful and captivating 70s era Hollywood romance could end up being rated R. But let me tell you that Licorice Pizza being tagged as a “coming-of-age” film does have some sexually explicit materials and obscene language in it. Also to mention, the drug use shown.

The Verdict:

Set in the breathtaking Fernando Valley of California, Licorice Pizza will take you to the good old Hollywood days. Reports reveal that Anderson got the idea of this movie while walking by a middle school in Los Angeles where he saw a student nag a female photographer. I appreciate his quick thinking here as he decided to turn this incident into a romantic comedy. Also, I believe Anderson has some attachment with the Fernando Valley where he grew up. It is because most of his films are set in that region only.

Licorice happens to be a medicinal herb and though parts of the film have been shot in various old restaurants across the Fernando Valley, there was no “pizza” consumed in its entire run duration which exceeded two hours. So, you may wonder, what made Anderson give this move the unique title of “Licorice Pizza”?

Licorice Pizza, in fact was the name of a popular SoCal record store which was in business during the 70s and 80s era Southern California. Licorice Pizza is also slang for the popular vinyl records which come in sizes of small pizzas and appear as shiny, black licorice. So, you can see how they use this title to match the retro essence of the movie.

Overall, Licorice Pizza is a complete entertainment package. If you want to have a slice, then don’t forget to book your tickets at your nearest theater!