First Take: Licorice Pizza - bold, but very, very different

SYNOPSIS: The story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.

It’s a brilliant feeling when your local cinema gets a film that they’d never usually get, and my god, are we lucky this year- a cinema in Preston got to show the new Paul Thomas Anderson release. While it’s a departure from his more recent and experimental works, Licorice Pizza returns to the classic approach he used on Magnolia and Boogie Nights - and while it has its problems, it is a damn good film.

As ever, PTA is writer, director and cinematographer on this film, and it’s clear that he knows what he’s doing - coming in at a tight 2 hour 13 minute runtime, this is a very unconventional love story partly based on true events, with elements (including the controversial relationship that forms a major part of this film) being added by Anderson to make it a feature film that tackles the coming of age story in a refreshing new way. However, 10 to 15 minutes could’ve been cut just to refine things a little bit- this is my only issue with the technical side of things, as Jonny Greenwood’s score comes in at the right moments, and visually, Anderson and Michael Bauman’s cinematography works on so many levels, especially as they shot on film during the height of the lockdowns in 2020.

Performance wise, this is quite literally a family affair - leading this one is a pair of feature debut performances from Cooper Hoffman (son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman), and the breakout role for Alana Haim (someone who has worked with Anderson several times with her fellow Haim bandmates on a couple of music videos), and these two are destined for some long careers, as they are the glue that holds this film together from start to finish. Working with them are a cast of heavyweights that include Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Benny Safdie, and Bradley Cooper. It may be a controversial film, especially when it comes to the idea of a 15 year old falling for a 25 year old, but if anything it proves one thing: we’ve come a long, long way since 1973.

THE VERDICT

Licorice Pizza is an incredibly strong film that definitely won’t be to everyone’s taste - but if you’re after a bit more arthouse in your life, get on this film as soon as you can. It’s a real gateway into the raw diamonds that a lot of cinemas traditionally say no to - including my beloved Vue, which was lucky enough to get this film just before it completes its theatrical run in the UK.

RATING: 4/5