I grew in Los Angeles, specifically South Central L.A. which was way more racially diverse than portrayed in local media at the time. Our family lived on East 124th Street, one in a series of cul-de-sac blocks off Central Avenue. Our neighbors on our block were Black, Mexican American, Filipino and White. We had great neighbors. I loved growing up in Southern California. When I was a kid, there was a chain of Southern California record stores called Licorice Pizza. Think about it -- a record album was the size of a pizza and black like licorice.
Paul Thomas Anderson has directed three films that I love -- BOOGIE NIGHTS, THERE WILL BE BLOOD and the exquisitely structured PHANTOM THREAD. Over the weekend, I saw his new, critically acclaimed. Like BOOGIE NIGHTS, it set in SoCal's San Fernando Valley area. Paul Thomas Anderson take us back to 1973 to show us a predominantly White Southern California in the coming-of-age, first love comedy/drama, LICORICE PIZZA. It's driven by the smart. believable performance delivered by screen newcomer, Alana Haim. A real-life, self-proclaimed "valley girl," She's in a rock band called "Haim" and she makes her film acting debut in this Paul Thomas Anderson feature. Her sisters and parents are also in the film. She was on Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show recently and was absolutely charming. A lively, warm, gracious young lady who obviously adores her family and Paul Thomas Andeson for giving her this film opportunity. Alana Haim is wonderful in the film as the smart, independent, complicated 20-something Alana who's the object of a 15-year old high schooler's affection.
Another screen newcomer, Cooper Hoffman, plays the nearly 16 high schooler who asks Alana out on a date. She recognizes him because he's an actor who has booked film and TV work. He's a hustler when it comes to booking work for himself and he wants to start his own business. Alana turns teen actor Gary down for a date because of the age difference. But they become friends and, later, business associates. Alana was on campus as an assistant to the photographer taking high school yearbook photos.
Alana is determined to make something of herself. She doesn't want to be 30 one day and still helping a photographer take high school yearbook photos. Gary invites her to meet his mom and watch him do a TV appearance promoting the new comedy film in which he plays a member of a large family.
In the evolution of their friendship which turns into a business partnership, which benefits from her quick brain, Gary still loves her while she has borderline romances with handsome males, most of whom have fascinating jobs. This starts with the handsome dude she brings home to have Shabbat dinner with the family. Alana has a date with the William Holden-inspired character, Jack Holden. Jack, a veteran actor who just completed a film with Grace Kelly, is played with a sophisticated loopiness by Sean Penn. Jack and Alana are in a popular Encino restaurant. Also in the restaurant is the larger-than-life and Mark Robson-inspired character, director Rex Blau. He's colorfully played by Tom Waits.
And then there's the local politician who hires Alana to be on his campaign team because of her intelligence and integrity,
Gary, on the other hand, has started his own watebed business with Alana helping with sales and driving the delivery truck. One of his customers is the totally narcissistic, self-absorbed and totally annoying Jon Peters, the movie producer and then-boyfriend of Barbra Streisand. He's well-played by Bradley Cooper. This portion of Gary and Alana's misadventures has one of my favorite characters in the film -- Jon Peters' sweet and stressed out gay personal assistant, Steve. Steve once worked for Julie Andrews ("She was difficult.") Ryan Heffington plays Steve.
The more Alana has experiences with fascinating men and sees the truth about them, she comes to realize that the regular guy ordinariness, the honesty and true affection of Gary may not be such a bad thing after all.
As a native-born Southern Californian, I was surprised by the lack of racial diversity in the film. Two Black actors have brief, one-scene roles. There's Maya Rudolph as a casting director and there's a Black actress who plays a salesperson in a waterbed store. Looking at the extras -- the background actors -- that large group was predominantly White too.
I did get a kick out the of the celebrity-inspired characters Sean Penn and Tom Waits played. In the beginning of the film is Broadway veteran (now an MVP on the CBS sitcom, BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA), Christine Ebersole. She's a hoot as Lucille Ball-inspired Lucy Doolittle. Gary was in Lucy Doolittle's movie, sort of a YOURS, MINE AND OURS (which starred Lucille Ball). I have no idea why the movie is called LICORICE PIZZA. But it is. Here's a trailer for the movie written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.
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