THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Love really does come in all shapes and sizes.
PLOT
Licorice Pizza takes place in 1973 San Fernando Valley, following 15 year old Gary Valentine fall in love with 25 year old Alana Kane. They first meet in high school, while he is preparing for his high school picture day, whereas she is working as a photographer's assistant. He flirts with her, but she turns down her advances. However, they are able to remain when they meet for dinner. Gary briefly works as a child actor and when he gets involved in a press tour to promote a film with actress Lucy Dolittle (Christine Ebersole), Alana is able to be his chaperone when his mother Anita (Mary Elizabeth Gillis) is unable to. She then briefly dates Gary's co star Lance (Skyler Gisondo), but it goes nowhere after an awkward dinner with her family. Gary then starts his own waterbed company, eventually getting her onboard as his assistant. When selling beds at an expo, he is falsely arrested on suspicion of murder, quickly getting released once the cops realize the mistake. As their business does well, Alana starts pursuing acting, scoring a gig with actor Jack Holden. When she accompanies him to dinner, they encounter film director Rex Blau (Tom Waits), who convinces Holden to recreate a motorcycle stunt. Alana tags along, but topples off the bike before successfully performs the stunt. When Gary sees her topple, he quickly rushes to her to check on her and luckily, she didn't get injured. When the gas crisis sweeps the country, it cripples his waterbed business. So he, his friends and Alana make their final delivery to producer Jon Peters. When he threatens to kill his brother if the house, Gary defiantly floods the house after the bed is set up. However, he surprisingly gets waved down by him whose car ran out of gas. When the group drives him to a gas station, they leave him behind as he threatens another customer. When they run out of gas as well, Alana is able to maneuver the truck backwards down a hill to a gas station. Wanting a new direction in life outside her friendship with Gary, she begins working on the mayoral campaign of city councilman Joel Wachs. Gary stops being involved with the campaign when deciding to open his own arcade full of pinball machines. They reach a crossroads when he criticizes her over-commitment while she mocks his immaturity. As his new business gets up and running, she gets invited to dinner by Wachs himself. She meets his boyfriend Michael, who are both closeted during this period. It is shown to be rocky when Wachs asks her to pretend that she's dating Michael as she takes him home. After she does so, she runs to Gary's arcade, realizing he is the only one who has truly loved her and at the same time, he is looking for her as he misses her deeply. When they find each other, they accidentally fall down after running into each other. The film ends with Gary announcing at his arcade that they have commenced an intimate relationship after sharing his first kiss with her.
THOUGHTS
I recall being highly anticipated for this one when originally being called Soggy Bottom and now after making the time to see it, it brings me great joy to admit that I loved watching it as much as I hoped I would. This one is gonna be glued to my heart for a long time because Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson brought out something you just don't see everyday: It just feels youthful and becomes just as unique as its title by balancing the most absurd humor possible, and having an unconventional yet investing love story. This one easily has the healthiest of romance in Anderson's filmography, when comparing it to Punch Drunk Love, because it is an optimistic look at what love can lead to people realize what's important when searching for others to invite into your life. Thanks to two leads who have the best chemistry you'll ever see in a PTA film, both are able to two sides of the same coin that involves exploring the spontaneity of youth and uncertainty of adulthood. Alana Haim is memorable for making Alana Kane the most down to earth person possible, who is trying to find her own purpose. Her pursuing other men is her attempt to her lack of direction & maturity through people who are stable. Aside from the age gap, she always avoided Gary because she also felt superior around those she was around. Enter Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who made the male counterpart the most charismatic yet determined character in the whole film. He wanted to succeed as a businessman and he wanted the girl everyone wanted, which is a bold goal when you think about it. At first, he pursues Alana for her beauty and feels confident, but the more time they were together, he started respected her more than he thought he could. Alana finally gives him a chance because she appreciates him for helping her get on track and truly makes her feel good about herself, validating his charm. Just hearing her 'I love you' is a giant relief because you know she means it and you know she's finally happy. While the age gap won't allow their relationship go any further, their embrace is good enough to know that they'll be happy together for a long time. While both leads make this film shine, the supporting cast are able to get my attention as well. Aside from John C Reilly's bizarre cameo as Herman Munster or John Michael Higgins as the hilariously offensive Jerry Frick, I can't get over the ecstatic appearances of Sean Penn and Bradley Cooper as Jack Holden and Jon Peters respectively. Penn played Jack exactly like people would describe William Holden, an intoxicated figure who was always the life of the party. If he really rode a motorcycle over a pit of fire, I would believe it. Cooper on the other hand portrayed this fictional version of Peters as a guy who enjoys being chaotic to get what he wants and seeing how he was towards everyone proves it. Last but not least, I was easily thrown off guard of Benny Safdie’s two faced performance as Joel Wachs. At first, he wins our hearts coming off as a charming people person, but quickly appears to be selfish when choosing to be closeted for his own gain, not caring how it affects his boyfriend. It just comes to show how you just don’t always know people like you think you do. This movie will never not be awesome to watch, but having said that, it still had its moments that confused me afterward. Like first off, how did Anita not know anyone to chaperone Gary before Alana joined at the last minute? I mean I know she is busy, but it’s not like she doesn’t know anyone that would’ve babysat if necessary. And why was Gary so hesitant to leave the police station? The second you’re un cuffed and your crush is looking at you through the door, you’re good to go. And lastly, it was ridiculous how jealous Alana got when Gary was briefly hanging with a girl his age. She should’ve been rooting for him at that point because there was no telling if they were gonna make it. Other than that, this movie will remain excellent. In short, Licorice Pizza is one of the best movies of 2021 for having the biggest heart to ask for. If you enjoy original stories that are without a doubt unorthodox, see this now.
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