User Reviews

This guy Skyler Gisondo should really be the next James Bond and Ethan Hunt.

Only thing keeping this from a 0 is the fact that technically the film looks good and I generally love PTA films. But this is easily PTA's worst film. A 2 hour movie that felt 4 hours long. No plot. No interesting characters. No stakes. Barely any conflict. You could remove half of the scenes in this movie and nothing would be lost. I can't believe all of these positive reviews. This is 2 hours of "dude, 70s vibes, lol".

Sit back and relax 70's vibes. The kind of movie which keeps your entertained and where the outcome isn't certain throughout the movie. I loved it.

It's fabulous how Anderson brings the early '70s to life. Haim and Hoffman are electrifying. The film meanders a bit and takes about half an hour to get going, which you have to like. If Bradley Cooper had also unpacked his flamethrower, "Licorice Pizza" would be just as well-reviewed as the equally atmospheric "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

This is an aptly titled, nonsensical story that follows a long, platonic romance between a young man and a slightly older woman. There is something very charming about it, even if it frequently makes for weird, pointless viewing. In this film, PT Anderson revisits his dreamlike vision of California in the 1970s, which was probably the CA of his youth.

Licorice Pizza, an apt name for a movie about two things that don't belong together. Weird movie, beautifully shot, well acted, decent score. Felt like the plot was kind of bloated and didn't really make a point, akin to "slice of life" style anime. Not my cup of tea, but scores slightly above average for the cinematography and acting.

Copied, with plot and events too much forced, film that doesn’t ententain or appassionate the watcher

Licorice Pizza is a cute, enjoyable movie but also -probably- a movie that I won't remember in the future. The movie only proves that P.T. Anderson is a fantastic director and master at period movies. If I could remember the movie one day, somehow, the reason will be Alana Haim. On the other hand, there is nothing to remember, mostly soap bubbles.

While the film superficially can seem disjointed or even incompetent, the more time I have to digest it the more layers I discover. That doesn't mean it's for everyone, and even I wanted desperately for some scenes to end sooner than they do. But I feel strongly that the film's style and tone serves to enhance the story and especially the themes. The movie is a coming-of-age story but about someone who is rather late to the event and not dressed for the occasion

Another nostalgia trip from PTA. It's probably his most accessible film to date and has plenty of gags and comedic moments. Young Cooper Hoffman shines in the film and Alana Haim compliments him beautifully. A time machine to a better decade.

Completely random scenes enriched with other random action-scenes in two random protagonists life. I have absolutely no clue what's the point of this movie, except it is a more or less okay-ish love story.

Easily one of the best movies I've seen in the last 5 years. A masterpiece in building a sense of time and place, and is even shot and lighted like it was actually made in the 1970's. Oozes atmosphere and period detail. You can tell the director made this with love and care. Ultimately your enjoyment will come down to how much you want to inhabit this world and hang out with these characters though, because that's what you will be doing for the not-insignificant runtime. I enjoyed the two central characters and their tumultuous relationship. The acting was great especially as these were effectively newcomers. Complete nepotism hires by the director, but good is good. It was refreshing to see lead characters who actually look like real people, flaws and all, visible pimples and questionable DIY makeup. To those recoiling at the 15/25 age gap, this was obviously deliberate. You aren't supposed to know how to feel about this, or know for sure whether you should be rooting for them to end up together. You will go back and forth between being put off by the ick factor and thinking that maybe there is some way these two can make it work. The leads really pulled this off through genuine chemistry. You're supposed to be uncomfortable: that's the central conflict. Can a boy who is 15 going on 25 and a girl who is 25 going on maybe 17, just split the difference? Are adolescence and adulthood about more than just numbers? Along the way a lot of random stuff happens. Some of it is amusing, some of it poignant, and some of it just happens. Kind of like life. You follow these characters through numerous vignettes that they navigate together, and track the ups and downs of their unusual relationship. Kind of like real life, with the sense of wonder and weird magic you experience when you fall in love. Plot wise, sure you could wipe out like half the movie, but the destination isn't really the point. Refreshingly, this movie doesn't hit you over the head with a tiresome 2020's "woke" agenda. Shoehorned unrealistic diversity is kept at a minimum, which is a relief these days. At the same time, the film has a major undercurrent which effectively criticizes the outlandishly entitled behaviour of every adult character depicted with even a modicum of power - realistically for the time all of them white and male. This is fair criticism of 1970's America and done in a way that doesn't patronize the viewer. The fact that none of these louts get punished or even called out on their behaviour is also realistic. The depiction of Asian stereotypes by a white character was just one example of this, and serves to criticize the casual racism of the time. Reviewers offended by this are being tone deaf. I went into this with zero expectations and found a marvellous hidden gem, and contender for the best film of the Covid era.

Masterful cinematography, the slowly moving travellings blend gorgeously with the decor and the lighting (PT Anderson always loves the brash lighting contrasts). Wonderfully quirky acting and cameos; writing is witty. Pacing is slick as well. A great moment. Maybe the whole endeavour is a bit too shallow, nostalgic and phoned in? Too self-aware? However, compared to the dearth of intelligent films out there, this is still a treat for the eyes and mind.

Um espetáculo em edição, e funciona tanto como comédia romântica quanto como retrato de época de uma juventude que está no limiar entre a liberdade e o convencionalismo. PTA se mostra aqui firme o suficiente pra abordar questões como estereótipos, política, romance não convencional, meios de sobrevivência, e ainda assim parecer filmar um filme despretensioso, portanto, tomos os temas abordados saem naturalmente, com uma fotografia oitocentista que nos remete de forma fácil ao universo do filme. As atuações estão muito à vontade nos seus respectivos papéis, e a comédia funciona. Mesmo que o final seja o básico, você sai com um grato sorriso no rosto.

Another really great slice of life film with great performances, direction and cinematography.

Although the love story is cringe-worthy, the film is well-made. Tried to be an American Graffiti, but not close enough.

This is a film that's very much nostalgia based - a coming of age tale with a good soundtrack and some good cinematography/camerawork - it features a fair bit of soft focus. It does have a bit of a seedy feel at times, due to the plot - there's not too much graphic content but it may make some feel a bit uncomfortable, due to the age difference between characters. The cast do a decent job with their performances and while its categorised as a drama, it has quite a laidback feel generally speaking. It's a bit like a summer holiday romance depicted on screen. I enjoyed it for the most part - the scenes with Sean Penn were quite good and yes, I'd recommend it.

The category of the movie should be fantasy. Trying to understand where everything goes Besides his dream. Yeah, I get it why it was nominated for best picture category, it had an too optimistic vibe, but it was very disorganized, nothing went anywhere until the ending. The situations were too good to be true. I couldn't see those happen in this time, not to mention in their timeline. I liked Seymour Jr acting, I hope he will have a good career, he started well. As in for the other nominations, not deserved. It deserved for the music department, the songs were excellent, but that's it.

(Mauro Lanari) In high school the highly acclaimed PTA must have been struck by the subsection "Herrschaft und Knechtschaft" ("Lordship and Bondage", "master-slave") of hegelian "Phenomenology" to compulsively direct films that always focus on human relationships as relations of force, oppression and prevarication. "Licorice Pizza" is the adolescent variant of "Phantom Thread" (2017) and the television one of "Boogie Nights" (1997): a quarter of a century entirely dedicated to a concept formulated in 1807 and to which the equally acclaimed trusty Jonny Greenwood contributes. "Over the course of his career, he has received eleven Academy Award nominations, including three for Best Director without ever winning it, making him the living director with the most nominations for the statuette without any victory." Really incomprehensible.

This was more LGBT propaganda. Poorly written and poorly acted. It’s boring and drags on like a **** soap opera.

There are too many long and tracking shots in the film to the point where they lose significance. It is slice of life but not the best executed film in the genre.

If you like this movie, you have lost your mind. There’s no plot. There are no scenes. Just people talking. And then stuff happens. But doesn’t change anything. Characters learn nothing. The actual dynamic (older woman grooming a minor) is completely ignored. The Japanese scenes were mindblowing. Imagine PTA setting these scenes in an Ethiopian restaurant and pulling the same thing. He would lose his career. But I guess mocking Asian language is okay? Pitiful. It’s hard to believe that it’s a movie that was actually made. The whole thing almost makes me lose complete respect for PTA. It makes his earlier movies seem bad.

An incredibly disjointed and over-rated series of pointless vignettes, Licorice Pizza, doesn't work as a character study and has no discernable plot to speak of. The two characters are alternately cloying, then grating and the premise itself is uninvolving and rather absurd. I wanted to like it based on the reviews but it's just awful and I had to turn it off half way through.

Alana Haim was magnificent in this film, especially considering its her movie debut. Other than that, why does this movie even exist? And why is it so hyped? Sadly, my disinterest in the movie began from its very first scene and it grew with every subsequent scene. Overall, I think it is a very uninteresting movie. Not to mention, highly questionable and toxic. The plot/story of Licorice Pizza is awful and the movie aspires to nothing other than justifying its atrocious story while being entirely full-of-itself. Who was this movie made for, and why?

Take Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Rushmore and you essentially have Licorice Pizza. Paul Thomas Anderson sets the film in the early seventies in the valley, where the siren call of Hollywood beckons, but there's a reason there's the Hollywood hills, and being in the valley. Cooper Hoffman (son of the late great Phillip Seymour) portrays Gary, a fifteen year old child actor, who is a forty year old trapped in a teen's body. As they would say in the day, the kid's got moxie. He's constantly hustling, looking for the next venture with his band of underage cronies (ala Rushmore). Alana Haim is the mid twenties photographer's assistant Gary meets at school. He's smitten. She's amused by this hyper confident kid, but states right out their age difference and even says a relationship would be illegal. In fact throughout the film they always deny any relationship, despite their growing affection for one another. The film does meander along, but it does so amicably. They meet Jon Peters, a bit unhinged Bradley Cooper, as the hairdresser/boyfriend of Barbra Streisand, who would become a major producer, proving that sometimes it's not what you know but who you know. Alana meets up with middle aged star Jack Holden (Sean Penn), who literally dumps her off the back of a motorcycle while attempting a drunken stunt. Haim and Hoffman have such a natural charm and presence that it's hard to believe they haven't acted for years before this. Licorice Pizza may not be two great tastes that taste great together, but it's a mighty fine slice.

a seventies ballad filmed with hands in pockets and a smile on his lips. Because the PTA film obeys a childish logic and proceeds unpredictably in a world that has (almost) banned adults. Adults, when they are there, enter the scene with their exaggerated and grotesque behavior, as often happens in PTA films. The prologue is like lightning, it is love at first sight. History is as old as the world and its packaging has the 'flavor' of an old adage. In the image of its title, Licorice Pizza designates the unreal world of memories, where everything is possible. Another wonderful film from PTA, not his best one (i prefer many other movies among PTA's ones) , but certainly the most nostalgic and the most heartfelt one. The "most commercial", in other words, many people would say.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Having heard the hype about this film, I decided to stream it. Let me start by saying that I was 22 years old in 1973 and already married, living on the East Coast. The film had an absurd plot from the get go: a pimply faced, chubby teenager is madly attracted to an average looking young adult who comes to his high school for work. Right then, the movie lost me. The film’s plot gets even more ridiculous: the teen seems never to attend school again, instead he ricochets from one crazy business scheme to the next, with some questionable acting jobs in between. Meanwhile, the young woman, whose Jewish identity was revealed through a somewhat anti-Semitic encounter with a talent agent, and a brief scene during a Sabbath dinner in her home, made me wince, as I am Jewish. She was portrayed as an aimless, unmoored person, who for some unknown reason, ultimately submits to the attention of the teen. The total mismatch between these two people, both physically and age wise was hard to believe in. The in-between scenes were chaotic and disjointed. I literally hated every second of this film. It deserves no awards by the Academy of Motion Pictures. None.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Un 6.7 es una puntuación demasiado baja para una película tan bella y encantadora. Desde el momento en el que Alana y Gary se conocen crean un vínculo instantáneo con el espectador, empiezas a formar parte de su historia y te vuelves a merced de sus acciones, crean una complicidad que es compartida, a veces no entiendes el por qué, pero es una sensación adictiva e hipnótica. Definitivamente Licorice Pizza fue una de las mejores películas del 2021 y posiblemente de la década, aunque pienso que Alana Haim merecía mas reconocimiento como actriz y ser incluida en las nominaciones al Oscar. Larga vida a esta película, las emociones quee transmitió no las sentía desde hace muchos años

Licorice Pizza is a meandering coming of age love story. An incredible looking slice of the 1970's Valley with all preconceptions realized. It feels like a dream or distant memory. The underlying story doesn't reach the same height. Characters for critics, pacing, & double standards abound.

For P.T.Anderson this is a relatively small, low-key film in comparison to some of his previous films, and a welcome return to comedy after several more serious psychological dramas. The casting is perfect, and the film is a totally immersive return to the San Fernando Valley, this time in the early 1970s amongst the start of the oil crisis. Not a demanding watch, but satisfying all the same.

Enjoyable if you try not to think too hard about the relationship between a 15-year-old schemer and a 25-year-old who wants to return to the safety of high school. The lightness of the movie and the accurate capture of the life of a 1970's teen are the best parts of the movie. It never gets deeper than topsoil.

"Licorice Pizza" is a coming of age story set in 1973's Los Angeles-Encino. A pudgy, pimply-faced yet over-confident 15 year old Gary Valentine falls for a barely average looking 25 year old year-book photog. She's firm that they can't be a thing and his many, many attempts to impress her enough fuels the film's 2hrs. Look it's not a bad film but it's a low-budget affair that in yester-year would be straight-to-video. Some will love the authenticity of the moment, the attraction between two unlikely unattractives. Alana Haim as Alana Kane is new to mainstream Hollywood but her very plain looks and equiv acting won't advance her from this. This is Cooper Hoffman's first film credit and would've fit in well in the '80s "Porky's".

Muy difícil de catalogar, entre esa comedia-drama-romance ocurren un montón de cosas incluso llegando a situaciones algo extremas dentro del contexto de la película, pero sus personajes, ambientación y la concatenación de historias al casi puro estilo de un sketch la hace maravillosa para aquellos que encajen desde el principio, para los que no, puede ser un visionado tedioso y algo raro. · Cosas buenas: la música, se nota de dónde viene Anderson, la película en sí es muy videoclipera, con planos de grúa y cambios no muy vistos en cine. El tratamiento de la fotografía es magnífico, y en general toda la ambientación, diseño artístico, puros 70s vaya. Cómo no, el pedazo casting que no podía haber sido mejor. · Cosas malas: es arriesgada, coquetea en varios momentos con no gustar al espectador, con tomas de decisiones extremas, cosas inconclusas. El guion es algo errático. · Conclusión: puede ser rara de ver para un público medio, porque detrás de todo el entramado sí es verdad que hay una historia de amor, pero la forma de contarlo, con eso de coquetear con no gustar, se hace extraño y no es fácil, pero si entras desde el principio es totalmente maravillosa.

I was a little confused why the characters were made to be so grating. As if they were defying you to like them. They kept each other at arms length the whole time as if they knew no one else could stand them. And I can't explain why sometimes I like characters like that and why I didn't this time. Maybe because they were never self-effacing in their faults or were enriched by any back story. This movie will win awards because the awards people ignored PTA's awesome stuff. This will be a make-good.

This movie had a great vibe, and despite the two leads being inexperienced actors, (or because of it), they do a great job carrying the movie. Kind of a sequel to Once Upon A Time in Hollywood; a love letter to LA with the optimism of the 70s. Refreshing optimism.

What makes this story of youth romance of first love interesting is that P.T.Anderson knew how to give it a more personal stamp, without clichés and alluding to typical topics of the 70s, related to politics, to go no further. What if it's worth the ticket? Of course yes.

Licorice Pizza was not really for me. The aimless and often plotless nature of this film felt off-putting and strange, and I was never able to fully get invested in the story, nor the characters. It's really well helmed by PTA, creating an authentic and raw 70s world that was fun to be immersed in, but I kept being pulled out of the story by some of the plot decisions. I do believe that this was PTA's intention, it just didn't really work for me!

This movie went absolutely nowhere with anything. Its supposed to be this artsy movie about young love, but you can't do that when the girl is **** 25 years old and the guy is 15 years old. It feels like the director is trying to justify this premise the whole movie but miserably fails. The plotpoints introduced couldve made the movie better if they didn't put in new ones every ten minutes and never closed off any. This movie was creepy, racist and made my **** shrink a couple inches every half hour. I'm happy i saw this movie on a wim and i wasn't actually looking forward to it. Shrek the third was better than this. This movie felt like it was trying to groom me. Hell, this movie felt as if every character was trying to groom eachother. Why was it that everyone wanted to have sex with the two main characters, it's so illogical especially for Gary Valentine who is a MinOr. **** this movie.

As per usual, PT Anderson does not disappoint! I was a bit worried, because I wasn't too fond of his Pynchon adaptation, Inherent Vice. But I love every other PT film, so I of course didn't want to shut the door on it, just because of one stinker. Phantom Thread was enjoyable, but I wouldn't write home about it. But here with Licorice, PT kicks it back to a feeling of Boogie Nights sans the sex meets Punch Drunk Love, and then twist it into a coming of age piece. It plays out in vignettes and the passage of time is never fully clarified, to evoke a nostalgic feeling. Like this is all being pulled from Gary Valentine's adult memory and only the important parts stick out, just like how real people remember things. Great editing and smooth flow to pull off such a feat of nostalgia, with great YA performances all around, and some great but not contrived cameos! Loved it. One of the best of the year, and one of the best coming of age stories of the decade. PT nailed it once more.

A solid slice of life movie with good performances by a lot of first time actors and a bunch of small roles by talented veterans. The writing was funnier than I was expecting from the trailer and the line deliveries were spot on and they did well replicating the feel of the era it's set in.

Ok, I'm 32, and, of course, didn't live in the '70s; but now I kind of feel like I did after watching this. And don't get me wrong, 'Licorice Pizza' is no cheap nostalgia; this is a tribute to the complexities of an era long gone: the good and the bad. And, incredibly, Paul Thomas Anderson didn't live in these times per se. This is like a memory brought back to life. Now someone please put together a drive-in screening of 'American Graffiti,' 'Dazed and Confused' and 'Licorice Pizza' and call it: "Back to the Future."

Charismatic performances, hilarious sequences, a direction that exudes elegance and a wonderful soundtrack. One of those movies that you wouldn't mind watching again right after finishing it. Haim and Hoffman are great, but the supporting actors are not far behind. All this coupled with an electric script and mesmerizing camera movements make Licorice Pizza an incredible experience. To mention something negative, I found the ending a bit abrupt.

The is a real colourful oddball of a movie. From start to finish we are instantly thrown into Alana´s journey and are taken trough a series of strange situations. There is no pre-development, little to be told about the main characters history. The movie is a moment-to-moment story of love and its ups and downs. However i enjoyed the little humour moments in it and i had to giggle at times. Catches the 70´s mighty good. I movie i felt weird and awkward but loved nevertheless. All the woke idiots (Anita Sarkeesian) taking to social media because of a 25 year old interacting with a 15 year old can be ignored. They deserve to burn. Enjoy the film.

That's a movie. How I miss good movies, those that make us immerse ourselves in the story being told, that are made for entertainment and exercise the ability to watch a story, regardless of the physical characteristics of the characters. Hollywood, please stop staring at your own belly button, make art. Nobody is interested in your political agenda, look for a rally and be happy on your own. For more movies like this, for art, for true entertainment, for beauty. Thanks, PTA!

With SO much utter garbage out there in film-land nowadays this movie has to be a ten, it's everything I love about good cinema. If you haven't seen it see it, and if you have seen it see it again! - 10 Fat Bernies

PTA has never been better. Alana Haim gives the most revelatory performance of the year.

I think , it's a good film, but the scénario is incohérent , i liked the film