REVIEW: Licorice Pizza

Licorice Pizza is a tale of unconventional love between 15-year old Gary Valentine and 25-year old Alana Kane.

Oozing with 70s style, Director Paul Thomas Anderson blasts viewers back to the past with this coming-of-age rom-com containing a quirky twist.

Similar to his previous films, Anderson executes awe-striking visuals partnered with compelling and complex storylines.

Based in the San Fernando Valley, California, we are first introduced to our protagonist Alana.

Alana is a photographer’s assistant at school and meets her love interest Gary, a student. This section of the storyline raises questions around attitudes to relationships in that era, as well as of the characters’ morality.

After a date, Gary and Alana continue their odd ‘relationship’ by going through a series of unusual endeavours including starting a waterbed company and opening an arcade.

Personally, I thought it was a shame that the 10-year age gap in Licorice Pizza involved a character who is three years underage. The difference in the characters’ maturity, dotted with sexual references throughout the film, makes their relationship uncomfortable to watch. However, the questionable storyline doesn’t take away from Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman’s incredible performances in their debut film appearances.

The talent each actor has is obvious and the witty dialect between characters as well as the actually funny jokes are in abundance throughout the story.

One joke that fell flat, however, was the inclusion of a white character performing a caricature of a Japanese accent. The two scenes where this occurs appear unnecessary in the 133 minutes run time as it does not contribute to the plot at all and seems to be purely for ‘comedic effect’. Surely we're past using race as a punchline in 2022?

Bizarre and problematic elements such as this make the film less enjoyable to watch. I found the plot felt unfocused at times and relied on nostalgia to keep the audience engaged. Due to the amount of content and minor storylines that are present in the film it felt as if I was watching a series of short stories mashed into one.

Undoubtedly, there were many flaws in the creation of this film. Still, as I watched, I was often drawn back in through the groovy 70’s soundtrack and the gritty, unpolished realness from the actors.

There is definitely room to relate to the flawed protagonist who navigates the mysteries and complications of first love.

If you are a fan of cheesy, fast-paced rom-coms I would recommend Licorice Pizza. It wasn’t perfect but the realism, aesthetic and interactions between characters make it an intriguing watch.

Edited by Jemma Snowdon