LICORICE PIZZA – Review

Even though many families exchange their presents on the night before the big day, the best Christmas present may just be unwrapped the afternoon of the 25th, at least for movie fans of a “certain age”. Yes see, that’s when this nostalgic gem will spread across the country’s theatres. It’s hard to fathom that its setting is almost fifty years ago, but its director/writer has made his mark by meticulously recreating the past. Plus he’s particularly adept at getting the presiding pop culture touches just right. And he’s not just “churning them out” as we haven’t seen a feature from him in the last four years. So, instead of munching down a slice of pie or cake after the big holiday meal, savor a sweet and salty ( and a bit tart) slice of LICORICE PIZZA.

Roll the cinema clock back to 1973 in the California burg of Sherman Oaks. Sometimes actor/full-time high schooler 15-year-old Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) notices a pretty young woman offering a hand mirror to the line of students waiting to sit for their class picture. She’s the photographer’s assistant Alana Kane (Alana Haim). As he’s being seated for the shot, Gary makes his move, introducing himself to her and giving a brief rundown of his resume. She might have spotted the big multi-family (think the Bradys and the Bradfords from “Eight is Enough”) feature film “Under One Roof”. And though she dismisses him by revealing that she’s 25, Gary still invites her to meet him at a swanky “watering hole”, Tail o the Cock. That night she decides to get out of her house (she still lives with her parents and sisters) and shocks Gary by showing up. Thus begins several months of flirtations between the two, as they squabble, yet somehow stay connected, especially during Gary’s career ambitions. When his acting gigs start to dry up (thanks mainly to his behavior during a TV talk show appearance with a big-time star), he dives (sorry) into the waterbed business (where a famous ex-hairdresser turned film producer is a difficult client), then opening a pinball arcade (they were illegal in the state till then). Alana tries to go out on her own by auditioning for a movie starring a boozy former “matinee idol” and then working for a mayoral candidate, Joel Sachs (Benny Safdie). But though they go their separate ways after one of many big verbal “blow-outs’, the magnetic attraction between the two keeps them in each other’s orbit.

It’s surprising that the two stars of the film are really making their feature film debut. Hoffman (no relation to Dustin, rather the son of Phillip Seymour) actually has no TV or film credits at all, yet has authenticity as though he, like his character, has been “on the boards’, all his life. He’s got an endearingly goofy “cockiness’ as he continues his hustle, “selling himself” to backers of his “big money” schemes and to any “foxy lady” he encounters. And the “foxiest” of all may be the delightful Haim (who’s been in several music videos with her sisters as part of the alt. rock trio “Haim”) who projects a world-weary sullenness, although she’s still exploring her options. Alana’s eager to escape the ‘sanctuary” of her family, but is still unsure of her direction. Is it acting, retail, politics? She has a refreshing unpredictability, going from cool “party chick” to screeching harpy (the scene of her verbally pummeling her sister as they share some “herb” is a giddy riot). Happily the duo has an exceptional supporting cast popping in for many memorable scenes. Harriet Sansome Harris is ferocious and a bit sad as the extremely “tightly wound” Hollywood agent Mary Grady. John Michael Higgins give a fearless “non-PC” performance as exotic restaurant mogul Jerry Frick. As “past his prime” leading man Jack Holden, Sean Penn is a twinkling tipsy gasbag, a good match for bellowing blowhard director Rex Blau played with scratchy-voiced tenacity by Tom Waits. Ah, but the film’s true secret weapon, guilty of scene-stealing in the first degree, is Bradley Cooper as a true, but very real, outrageous character, “mega-producer” Jon Peters (rumored to be the inspiration for Beatty’s role in SHAMPOO). He’s pure ego-fueled 70s “blow-dried” machismo, all swagger in his tight white jumpsuit, and somehow threatening Gary while bragging about his “luck with the ladies”. He makes you wish for a solo biopic, though keeping that energy level might exhaust Cooper and the audience (I’d happily risk it).

The finished film feels so authentic, that’s it’s hard to believe that writer/director (also a producer and co/cinematographer) Paul Thomas Anderson wasn’t a teen in the swingin’ 70s (he would’ve been three at the time). This makes an excellent “prequel” to his own BOOGIE NIGHTS, while being a sequel “in spirit” to Tarantino’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD. Both expand on “Tinseltown” legends and myths, while having their fictional characters interact with real life stars (though nobody in this film is an prominent as Sharon tate in the 2019 flick). Plus Anderson’s homage characters are easier to pinpoint (Penn’s Jack is really Bill and Gary’s angry red-headed co-star is also in a recent film). The casting works so well, especially the decision to pair Haim with her real-life family (her pop has a way with “f-bombs”). The expert art direction, the costumes, and the hairstyles, work with the pop culture background bits (TV screens, a superb soundtrack playlist, along with an eye-popping segement at a “teen fair”) make us feel as though we’re joining the long gas lines of the era. But it’s not all “mood rings” and “pet rocks”. Gary’s run-in with “John Law” is terrifying and harrowing, while a couple in the “closet’ is truly heart-breaking. But for most of its “blink and they’re done” runtime, this is a true joyride of nostalgia set in a time we never thought we’d miss. Really, this romp is the perfect “chaser” to these brutal last couple of years. I know I had a “hankering” for another slice, heck I’d devour another whole pie, of the tasty LICORICE PIZZA.

4 Out of 4

LICORICE PIZZA opens in theatres everywhere on Christmas Eve, including St. Louis’ Hi-Pointe Theater