I must say going in I was primed to like it. A coming-of-age film set in the San Fernando Valley in the ‘70s — all that was missing was me on the radio at K100 during that time (that would have made the movie great.). But Anderson really got the details right. Vin Scully, Tail o’ the Cock, KMET billboards, the gas crisis, waterbeds, vintage cars, and phones you still had to dial — they were all represented. There’s a scene at the Teenage Fair that was freaky in its authenticity (having been to many Teenage Fairs). Ironically though, we never see a Licorice Pizza record store (still not as great an omission as "Beaver Cleaver" spinning the hits on K100).
The lead actors were wonderful. Anderson cast two unknowns, which may not help the box-office but sure added to the picture. Alana Haim was fantastic — and so refreshingly REAL. Cooper Hoffman (Phillip Seymour’s son) pulled off his difficult part with elan. His dad would be proud. But stealing the movie was Bradley Cooper as producer/asshole Jon Peters and Sean Penn as an Evil Knivel-type.
The film is part AMERICAN GRAFFITI, part BOOGIE NIGHTS (without the porn or nudity -- I know -- the two best parts), and part CHARIOTS OF FIRE. If you took out the scenes of Alana and Cooper running you’d shave an hour off the running time. And shaving would have helped. It runs 2 hours and 13 minutes. Considering the story is very anecdotal and meandering, that length seems a ted indulgent. There’s not enough story or suspense or scope to warrant that long a film — and this from a guy who loved being back in that world.
Anderson presents a rather unique relationship — a 25 year-old girl and a 15
year-old boy. (Thank God Woody Allen didn’t get his hands on this
material.) So it had to be treated with great sensitivity, which it
was. I was relieved that the story didn’t go in the SUMMER OF ’42
direction where the older woman sleeps with the callow youth. The
angst and joy and confusion of adolescence and young adulthood are more the
focus, explored in small telling moments. They too felt refreshingly
real.
Visually, Anderson films are always handsome. And he
must’ve gotten a deal on dolly tracks because Alana and Cooper each got in
their 10,000 steps.
There are some funny moments in LICORICE
PIZZA — notably with Bradley Cooper and considering everything else is deadly
serious, I guess you could qualify this movie as a comedy. There’s
also a great soundtrack of the 70’s and some ‘60s but I wouldn’t call it a
musical. I’m sure Anderson doesn’t want it labeled a musical since no
one wants to go to musicals these days. (If Spielberg had a few
hits from the ‘50s in WEST SIDE STORY and had Tony & Maria run from Soho
to Harlem maybe more people would’ve seen it.)
Anyway, I
think you’ll enjoy this movie even if you’re not from the valley. I'm
hoping for a sequel set in 1977. I was on TenQ then and sounded even
better.
25 comments :
Wasn’t Sean Penn’s character supposed to be based on William Holden?
If there is a sequel set in 1977, how about a scene with a TV set in the background showing a promo for "The Looooovvvvve Boat." Ernie Anderson, the voice of ABC promos in the seventies and eighties, was Paul Thomas Anderson's father.
Looking forward to this. I hope PTA corrects some problems he had with INHERENT VICE( presence of scratchy vocal-fried Joanna Newsome as narrator, paucity of period music).
I was thinking about seeing this, and your mention that it includes the Tail O' The Cock restaurant seals it, since that's where my wife's parents met when her dad was playing with the Ernie Felice Quartet. Do they actually recreate the interior of the place, or just show the sign? We'd like to see if it matches what appears in her family photos.
I agree with you completely. I thought they could've trimmed 20 minutes out of it, but on the whole I enjoyed it. I lived in the Valley in the early '70s, though not the ritzier neighborhood depicted in the movie. In fact, I lived around the corner from the first Licorice Pizza store. Back then, there still were traces of the area's rural past, and it was very blue collar. As one KPFK radio host described it, the Valley was "a hotbed of conservatism." Since I grew up on the other side of the hill, I found his assessment accurate. Also, whenever it rained, the streets would flood. They still do.
"But stealing the movie was Bradley Cooper as producer/asshole Jon Peters..."
Was this intended to be the former hair stylist and Act III Giant Robot Spider Action Sequence fan, Jon Peters[1]?
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo2KB1dEDdk
I really hated this film, although I enjoyed Tim Conway Jr in a small supporting roll. It’s beyond meandering, it’s plotless and pointless. What in the world was the Jon Peters “arc” about? And Sean Penn? Insane. Joel Wachs running for mayor? Goes nowhere. Plus the fundamental creepiness of a 25 year old with a 15 year old. Mary Kay Letourneu anyone? The movie is shot in closeups and you see nothing of the SFV, so it doesn’t even rate as nostalgia unless your childhood consisted of being a chubby kid who acts like a forty year old lounge lizard and some how leases retail space to sell waterbeds. In case I’ve been too subtle and haven’t made myself clear, this is my lest favorite film of this or any other year.
I have up on Paul Thomas Anderson years ago. He was trying so hard to be Robert Altman that it was cringe inducing. Not sure if he's moved past that or not. (I do think it's cool though that his father was Ernie Anderson, the voice of ABC in the 1980s)
Good job, Ken! I had heard that weird name "Licorice Pizza", two things I like, but not together. I didn't know if it was a TV series or a movie. After reading your review, it sounds like a movie that I would really enjoy.
I so wanted to love this movie. I'm of the right generation, though the wrong coast. I didn't hate it, but it seemed meandering and a bit pointless. https://www.rogerogreen.com/2022/01/05/movie-review-licorice-pizza/
The elder Tim Conway and the aforementioned Ernie Anderson were friends and performing partners at a Cleveland television station in the early sixties. Anderson served as the off-camera announcer during the later seasons of "The Carol Burnett Show" and on Conway's own subsequent, short-lived variety show.
Ernie Anderson will forever be remembered as 'Ghoulardi' to Clevelanders. In fact, there was a petition to re-name the Indians the 'Ghoulardians'and there's a Ghoulardi-fest every year at Halloween.
OK, it's Cleveland, but still, the love is there. For those in the know: Cool it with the boom booms.
-- Alana Haim is a bit known outside of movie circles; she and her two sisters perform in the pop/rock band under their surname, Haim. I don't keep up with modern music, but from the songs I've heard, they're not bad.
-- Re: older woman/younger guy "creepy" relationships, I give "Summer of '42" more of a pass, as that moment was more about two people being there for each other in the midst of a tragedy, and not the hookup stuff of '80s sex comedies.
-- As someone who has been to Southern California only three times in his life, I would be interested in a movie set in the Valley's transition from "Licorice Pizza"'s '70s setting to the "Valley Girl" phenomenon of the '80s.
Licorice pizza is a gag/joke term for vinyl records.
FQ
In your very entertaining podcast episodes 243 and 244 warmup luminary Bob Perlow voices his annoyance about some sitcom actors and producers being unwilling to invest just five minutes to talk to their audience before the taping. Perlow reasons that apart from showing a lack of appreciation, an opportunity to increase the show's fan base was wasted.
Did you experience similar situations in your career where you felt that not enough effort had been made to reach or to accommodate an audience?
The fidelity notwithstanding, EVERYBODY sounded better on 10Q.
And now another First Person Meaningless Anecdote!
I was recently on a van being chauffeured around on a film shoot, and the young lady sitting in the seat in front of me was prattling on about this commercial that had come on the radio for "Licorice Pizza". She says something to the effect of, "Um, I dunno, I like pizza, and licorice is okay I guess, but I don't think I'd want to eat them together, y'know?"
Having lived for a number of years in California, I was tempted to tap her on the shoulder and explain that a licorice pizza was a 33 1/3 RPM phonograph record, and there was a record store chain called that.
Then I realized that thanks to social distancing, she was talking to absolutely nobody, so I decided to let her deep thoughts marinate inside her head all by themselves.
I was a 12 year old kid from upstate NY in 1979 when we moved to the west valley. Got bussed to Van Nuys for a few months. That was a culture shock, fortunately, I could play point guard. Going to the Topanga Mall was cool and the So Cal experience began.
Thankfully we moved to Agoura Hills that summer...
Apparently Anderson has also directed several of the band Haim's music videos.
Mr Levine: “If Spielberg had a few hits from the ‘50s in WEST SIDE STORY and had Tony & Maria run from Soho to Harlem maybe more people would’ve seen it.”
The inherent unreality of a theatre stage allows for the unreality and excitement of singing and dancing performers.
Nowadays—similarly—film musicals work best when set in the unreal realities of comedies, fantasies, “back stage” musicals, or filmed live stage performances. WSS would certainly have thrived as an animated feature — what Disney/Pixar film since Mary Poppins has had
more great tunes? God help us if I’m wrong, which luckily,!up to now, has never been the case.
Kevin, I know that. Tim jr was my roommate for two years.
FYI: Tim Conway and Ernie Anderson did a couple of comedy albums together: "Are We On?" (1967) and "Bull!" (1968.) I have copies burned to MP3 if Ken ever wants to play them on his podcast.
I met Cooper when he was six years old. He was the funniest kid I ever met.
Cooper Hoffman, I mean.
@Liggie, the period between the Licorice Pizza era and Valley Girl era was the Disco era. I don't think we need to see that...
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