I was watching the new Paul Thomas Anderson movie, but the voice inside my head kept saying, “Man, it sure is nice to see Cameron Crowe back in form.” I swear that’s true. ‘Licorice Pizza’ (old slang for a vinyl record) is nostalgic and sunny and light on its feet, even when it veers into the fraught areas that come with being a teenager. I liked it a lot.
Set in 1973 in Paul Thomas Anderson’s beloved and oft visited San Fernando Valley, the movie starts with 15 year old Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) hitting on the older young lady who’s working crew for the high school photo day (remember those?). He is relentless in his totally unrealistic pursuit and Alana (Alana Haim) is certainly not giving him any false hope. Her rebuke is stinging…to us- Gary is undeterred.
But she shows up for dinner at Gary’s favorite restaurant (“it’s not a date”) and an unlikely friendship is born. Despite the age difference, there is certainly chemistry and, at least on Gary’s part, serious sexual desire.
Paul Thomas Anderson makes great films with big casts and multiple, interweaving storylines. But here is the official synopsis, which I’m sure he wrote:
“Alana Kane and Gary Valentine grow up, run around and fall in love in California’s San Fernando Valley in the 1970s.”
Huh? And it’s a 2 hour 13 minute film. But I take his point and I will abide by the spirit of it, which is:
Look, an unlikely friendship develops between these two people and lots of random stuff happens, including small parts by Bradley Cooper, Sean Penn and Tom Waits (not all at once) and they are freaking phenomenal. He’s going to get into the water bed business and the pinball machine business, and she’s going to help him, drive him, and outgrow him in ways that…well, you’ll have to see.
It’s episodic. There’s an ebb and flow within the relationship which keeps things dynamic, in spite of the mostly low key vibe. But most of all, the performances by Hoffman (son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Alana Haim, from the music group Haim – she has never been in a film before and she is absolutely amazing. Hoffman has both the belly and the cockiness of his dad, or at least his character does, and he’s terrific.
I am always up for an Anderson film. I always go into them with great anticipation, but often come out feeling slightly let down by my own high expectations. That did not happen here. Without being too sentimental, Anderson has made a sweet movie. Cameron Crowe, you have competition in this lane.
‘Licorice Pizza’ is in theaters | Rated R | 3 ½ out of 4 Stars
