Licorice Pizza: An Amusing, Funny “Slice” of the San Fernando Valley

Writer/Director Paul Thomas Anderson has directed some terrific films, including "There Will Be Blood" (2008) and "Boogie Nights" (1997).  He grew up in Woodland Hills, and still lives in the San Fernando Valley.  "Licorice Pizza" takes place in the San Fernando Valley in the 1970's, and, in many ways, it's a tribute to its charms and uniqueness.  The film has received an AA nomination for Best Picture and is on just-about-everyone's Best 10 list.  However, although it has a 91% critics rating on RT, the audience gave it only a 65%.  I liked the movie, but it isn't on my Top 10 list.  It has some very funny and interesting scenes, but its 133-minute length was way too much for me.  (It would have been a much better and tighter film at 105 minutes.) Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman – the son of the deceased legendary Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a teenager who is much more mature than his 15 years.  He has been a childhood actor, which has given him confidence.  He's intelligent, ambitious, and has an entrepreneurial gift.  Gary meets Alana Kane (Alana Haim), who is helping out at his high school's photo shoot, and he is immediately smitten.  Alana is 25 and, although she likes Gary and enjoys his company, she is adamant that their significant age difference precludes any romantic involvement.  (Gary, ever the optimist, thinks that love conquers all.)  Alana is less mature than her age and is floundering, while Gary is definitely going places.  They hang out, develop a substantial relationship (with considerable sexual tension), and help each other to evolve.  The main "thrust" of the film is their complex relationship and how they influence each other.  If that tight focus had only been kept, I would have liked the film much more. The film loses its way with two long scenes that have some relevance to the movie but either weren't essential or at least could have been much shorter.  One involved Bradley Cooper (Jon Peters), and the other, Sean Penn (Jack Holden).  These detours also weren't of the same quality as the rest of the film. The best reason to see this movie is for the terrific performance of Haim, who I anticipate will become a star!  This is her first full-length film (as it is for Hoffman, too), and she really "shines."  I think she deserved an AA nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role, but she didn't get one.  In any case, I'm now a big fan.  (She is also in an Indie Rock band with her sisters called "HAIM."  Her sisters and her parents also make appearances in the film.) Bottom Line: "Licorice Pizza" would have been better served with just tomato sauce and cheese, but, unfortunately, it had too many "toppings" that diminished its impact.