REVIEW: Licorice Pizza is an unlikely romance, nostalgic and fun

With three Oscar nominations 2022 — Best Picture, Best Direction and Best Original Screenplay — Licorice Pizza is a comedy-drama written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. The critically acclaimed American filmmaker recognized for his psychological dramas such as Magnolia (1997) and Black Blood (2007), appears in a lighter plot that addresses the possibilities of youth and first love in the 70s. The long, successful at the US box office, opens in Brazil this Thursday (17).

Rotten Tomatoes: 91% | Metacritic: 90 | IMDB: 7,9

Screenplay and Production by Paul Thomas Anderson

Licorice Pizza tells the story of how a young adult and a teenager meet, fall in love and develop together in the San Fernando Valley, California, in the 70's. for the distinguished name. Licorice Pizza was a very popular record store chain in Southern California at the time, and according to Paul Anderson, the words remind him of his childhood and "can capture the feeling of the film and illustrate its vibe."

Gary Valentine — a self-assured young man from almost 16, as he likes to put it — he's an established child actor who takes an interest in Alana Kane — a snarky 25-year-old photography assistant — who still doesn't know what he wants out of life. They meet during her service at the young man's college. The result of this meeting is Gary's immediate passion, which captivates us in an insistent attempt to convince the uninterested Alana that the large age difference between them does not prevent her from accepting his invitation to go out.

With engaging, funny and, at times, surprising dialogues, the couple establishes a commercial partnership, with Gary trying new ventures, which yield great scenes, such as the sale of water mattresses, while Alana migrates between trying an acting career and being political voluntary. Their romance slowly develops into their friendship, despite Gary's advances as Alana questions the nature of their relationship. At this point, Cooper and Haim's performances never fail to show that the different personalities of young people are perfectly compatible, without appealing to sexuality.

The feature is captivating, impressive in the details and is apparently simple, but still manages to address relevant issues. Social inequality, racism, homophobia and machismo are shown in everyday moments, fitting in with the decade in which the film is set and which, even on the margins of history, stamp the face of Anderson's works in Licorice Pizza. The plot refers to an innovative realism, without boring parts, where not everything needs a meaning or will have a sequel.

The long sequences, another outstanding feature of the American director, are repeated in Licorice Pizza, together with a generally noisy and colorful background, typical of youth, which involves us in the paths taken by the protagonists. Everything is in context with the time, costumes and photography with strong but opaque colors, and many prints remind us of a nostalgic time, even for those who didn't live in the 70's. music scene like Nina Simone, David Bowie e Paul McCartney.

List of Licorice Pizza

Anderson is known for working with big names, but just like in the script, Licorice Pizza surprises in the cast. Among the protagonists is Alana Haim, lead singer of the band Haim, together with her sisters Este and Danielle. The entire Haim family guest stars in the film as themselves, including the musicians' parents, Donna and Moti.

The feature marks Alana's debut on the big screen and earned her nominations for the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards as Best Actress in 2022. However, Licorice Pizza is not the first collaboration between her and the American director, as Anderson has directed music videos. and a documentary about the pop rock group.

Co-starring in the film is Cooper Hoffman, who, like Alana, also debuts in his film career in Licorice Pizza. His performance earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in 2022. Both debuts are convincing, received critical acclaim, and we bet the actors have great potential to jumpstart their careers in Hollywood.

The cast of the feature also consists of names already known on the big screen: Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Benny Safdie, Skyler Gisondo, Joseph Cross, Nate Mann, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Destry Allyn Spielberg, Emma Dumont, Emily Althaus and the actors who are repeated figures in Anderson's productions: John C. Reilly and Maya Rudolph. But it's Bradley Cooper's participation, as Jon Peters, inspired by the namesake and eccentric celebrity hairdresser, that surprises and brings a good extra dose of humor to the scenes, even earning him some nominations as best supporting actor.

Licorice Pizza brings yet another unexpected participation. An iconic scene is by the writer George DiCaprio, father of the renowned actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who was invited by Paul for a brief appearance in the long, as the eccentric owner of a wig shop and water mattresses, for the incredible similarity with the character. .

Licorice Pizza opens this Thursday (17/02) exclusively in theaters.

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Sources: Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, IMDB.