Licorice Pizza (2021)

"I met the girl I'm going to marry one day."
Licorice Pizza is simply about two young people growing up and falling in love in the Valley. Perhaps more importantly though, it's a love letter from director Paul Thomas Anderson to his hometown. As someone who has never been to South California, I felt invited into a living, warm, and bright town that is bursting with opportunity. Gary Valentine (Hoffman) is a fifteen year old entrepreneur and takes advantage of this opportunity as an actor and a owner of business. We don't know his motives or aspirations previous to meeting Alana (Haim), but we understand that after his aim is 100% on her. The above quote is one of the first lines in the film. He wants to make her happy. If selling water beds in the summer will help get him closer to her than damn it, he's going to do it. Alana continuously falls for his fun traps and eventually for him. That's not a spoiler its just the synopsis. The joy of experiencing this film comes from the scene by scene adventure. We never know where these kids are going next as they swirl around the Valley. Paul Thomas Anderson has never made a film so light hearted and whimsical and damnit, it's such a fun experience. It will have you laughing out loud and when the film is over you won't want to leave. The two main actors, Haim and Hoffman, are making their debut with this film. Picking Cooper, the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, was an excellent choice that must have been emotional for Anderson as a life long collaborator with his Philip. It's clear these two have just been launched into stardom. They were excellent.

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