Licorice Pizza

 

Licorice Pizza

Quirky is the best adjective to define this movie. It is about two would be lovers who circle each other but have a hard time landing. Alana Haim plays Alana Kane a twenty five year old photographer’s assistant who meets a precocious fifteen year old Gary Valentine played by Cooper Hoffman (son of Seymour Philp Hoffman). Gary is obsessed with Alana but their courtship has many road bumps. The story takes place the San Fernando Valley in the 1970’s. The sets are festooned with 70’s long forgotten furniture and lots of polyester.

This is Alana Haim’s first acting role. She is part of the Haim Sister pop rock group. Her role as Alana Kane perfectly suits her. Her acting is self-assured and natural. She has comic chops and great timing. She and Cooper Hoffman have good chemistry. It is a bit strange for a twenty five year old to have a fifteen year old love interest (there are certain laws).The sexiest thing in the movie is a long denied kiss.

Gary is a hustler. He was a would-be child actor, a purveyor of water beds, and a pinball parlor impresario. Off and on Alana teams up with him in his ventures which do not always succeed. Their relationship is fractured and they have tertiary liaisons to their mutual annoyance.

Usually the principal actors are the focus of the film. What makes this movie succeed besides the interaction of Gary and Alana are the hilarious vignettes by the supporting cast. John Michael Higgins (Best in Show) opens a Japanese restaurant. His sketches with his Japanese wife/wives are uproarious and border on offensive. Sean Penn plays Jack Holden based on William Holden. The Jack Holden character could not be further removed from the actual Sean Penn. He plays Jack as an actor who has peaked and does stupid dangerous stunts for his fans. Bradley Cooper should return his paycheck because he is having too much fun. His acting is over the top and very funny. Also the entre Haim family is in the film, albeit with bit parts. The are other well-known actors you need to keep an eye out for.

I knew very little about Licorice Pizza, but I give it five Yelp stars.

p.s.- Licorice Pizza was a chain of record stores with 34 locations in LA. By the time it was sold in 1985 and eventually rebranded as the national chain Musicland (and later Sam Goody)