Film Review: LICORICE PIZZA (2021): Paul Thomas Anderson’s Most Creative Project To Date Is Simply A Masterpiece

Licorice Pizza Review

Licorice Pizza (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Cooper Hoffman, Alana Haim, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, James Kelley, Sasha Spielberg, Anna Cordell, Patrick Hoelck, Este Haim, Danielle Haim, John Michael Higgins, Skyler Gisondo, Maya Rudolph, George DiCaprio, Bradley Cooper and Benny Safdie.

Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, There Will Be Blood) is a master craftsman who could never have too many masterpieces under his belt. His latest picture, which is an early 1970’s based, mostly California-set, comedic drama, is called Licorice Pizza. It features star-making turns by two bright up-and-comers–the late Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son, Cooper Hoffman and one of the most unique and creative actresses of her generation, Alana Haim, in the year’s best breakout performance. Haim is hysterically funny and knows how to deliver lines with zest and creativity. Even if the script was just mediocre (which it certainly is not), Haim would, without a doubt, elevate the material above and beyond what it initially set out to do. While Hoffman is a lot of fun and terrifically charismatic, Haim is the performer who will get the most accolades in Anderson’s new gem which also stars the hysterically funny Bradley Cooper (cast against type) and, of all people, Sean Penn.

As the picture opens, we meet 15-year old Gary Valentine (Hoffman) who takes a liking to a wildly energetic 25-year old high school photographers’ assistant, Alana (Haim). Gary takes an interest in the older woman, Alana, and asks her out on a date. Alana immediately wonders how Gary will pay for the date being that he is just a teenager but Gary is a young actor and does pretty well for himself despite his young age. But, there’s the pesky matter of that difference in age. Nevertheless when the two meet up later on, Gary is, for obvious reasons, nervous and, as a result, breathes heavy a lot. Alana, in a hysterical way tells him to “stop breathing.” Gary then questions her on whether or not she really wants him to do that. It’s witty and clever dialogue like that which makes Haim’s character so appealing. This script is certainly one which has “Oscar” written all over it.

Guess who soon comes crashing in to the movie? It’s none other than Oscar winner Sean Penn portraying “Jack” Holden who ends up having dinner with Alana and the conversation between the two consists of Sean Penn’s character, Jack, delivering ridiculous, overly dramatic lines and the audience is never sure if he’s meant to be taken seriously until Alana asks him what the audience is thinking all along. Are these lines from a script or an attempt at real conversation?

One of the film’s best and most laugh-out-loud moments comes after Gary gets involved with selling water beds and has Alana welcoming customers to the store in what looks a lot like her underwear. Gary and Alana argue and Alana comes into her family’s house with almost nothing on and her father’s response is simply brilliant.

Bradley Cooper appears in one of his best supporting performances in an over-the-top role as Jon Peters who was known for dating Barbra Streisand. Cooper goes way in with this role and comes up with a creative concoction of a character that ultimately makes for some of the film’s best scenes. His involvement with the plot leads to a terrific sequence with Alana at the wheel of a truck which has run out of gas going down a hill. This scene is another standout part of the movie and the less the said about it the better as to avoid giving away what, exactly, happens.

Benny Safdie plays a politician named Joel Wachs who Alana ends up working for and he’s almost like a catalyst for the plot to reach its conclusion. This character of Joel is very important to the plot and the well-written, realistic character is terrifically played by Safdie. I liked when a key character tells Alana, who is trying to make a career for herself, that she can get “free Pepsi” and Alana, who is more concerned with what is really important in her life, sets out to pursue her own priorities in life. Only when Joel leads her in the wrong direction can she face her true desires in life and what motivates her most turns out to actually be her affections for Gary who is about to start a pinball game-playing business.

I could name all the great things about the film like its amazing cinematography which beautifully captures the era, the perfect soundtrack (which includes so many various songs from artists that are simply amazing) and the glorious 70mm print I saw which is replete with cigarette burns. No film I am aware of has captured this time period in Southern California so remarkably well.

Paul Thomas Anderson is simply a genius and every scene in Licorice Pizza has his signature stamp of originality. I liked a scene where Alana confronts a guy standing outside the office where she works for the aforementioned politician. She’s no-nonsense and yet her insecurities regarding life and love plague her. She doesn’t know which way to turn next but she does what she can to try to make her life better. Her life takes many different directions during the course of the movie and I was never quite sure which place she’d end up at by the time the film ended. I love the unpredictability of this movie and it is perfectly enjoyable for almost any true movie fan who appreciates the art of cinema.

There will certainly be Oscar nominations for this remarkable piece of film-making. Paul Thomas Anderson will likely find himself up for directing the picture and I’d like to think that even in a stellar year for female performances that award branches would recognize Alana Haim. We know that Halle Berry and Kristen Stewart are top notch this year but were their performances as perfect as Haim’s? I am not so sure. I go to the movies for unpredictability and I never knew what Haim’s character would say next in this picture. I think that her ability to have viewers follow her every step of the way and be mesmerized enough to never get even a little bored is an aspiration all actors should reach for and few ever accomplish. Haim should be recognized for her work in this picture. Hoffman, in a less showy role, more than holds his own beside Haim. Bradley Cooper is wildly unpredictable as well and would be deserving of award consideration if only his role was just a little meatier in terms of screen time.

Licorice Pizza is, quite simply, a genius film-maker at work and at the top of his game. Paul Thomas Anderson has never made a more creative film and that includes Punch Drunk Love which may have been wildly original but never hit the bullseye the way Licorice Pizza does. I’d like to see a movie like this one win some major Oscars and prove that all it takes is a lot of heart and taking big risks to entertain audiences. It’s the best film I’ve seen so far this year.

Rating: 10/10

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