It’s 1973 and child actor Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) is now an industrious 15-year-old. He’s getting a bit too old to just get by on childish looks and antics, but that doesn’t stop him from continuing to try out for the same type of roles he’s always played. However, Gary always has some sort of side hustle going, such as starting a PR firm and hiring his mother (Mary Elizabeth Ellis) as his employee. Gary is a bit mature and sophisticated for his age, and is always on the lookout for the next big money-making opportunity—such as selling waterbeds, or starting a pinball arcade. Even at just 15 he has no issues renting a storefront and setting up shop all on his own.

On high school portrait day, Gary sees Alana Kane (Alana Haim) for the first time. She’s working for the photography company, and it’s love at first sight for Gary, who immediately starts to flirt with the 25-year-old. While Alana initially rejects Gary’s advances, part of her appreciates the attention, and can’t help but be charmed to some degree by Gary’s more grown-up demeanor. The two strike up a friendship, and Gary asks Alana to be a part of his latest business venture. Whenever a friend asks Gary if Alana is his girlfriend, he insists there’s nothing between them, but he definitely wouldn’t say no if Alana were to suddenly express feelings for him. Licorice Pizza follows the summer adventures of Gary and Alana as they navigate their bumpy and unconventional relationship, explore their feelings, and interact with the off-beat and unusual characters who reside in the San Fernando Valley.

I will start off by saying that I have never really been much of a fan of Paul Thomas Anderson’s work. I’ve never understand why he always gets showered with praise and nominations/awards. While I found the two main characters fun and unique, at the core of this film is a will they/won’t they relationship between a 15-year-old boy and a 25-year-old woman. As much as I enjoyed the characters, there was no way I could really root for this. This film received a Best Picture nomination, but if the ages had been reversed, people would have been all up in arms trying to cancel the director. While Gary may have a crush on Alana, a responsible adult would nip any suggestions of a statutory relationship in the bud right from the start, and yet she encourages it by flashing her breasts at Gary, and later allowing him to touch her (while clothed). Another cringe-worthy part of the movie finds Japanese restaurant owner Jerry Frick (John Michael Higgins) doing an incredibly offensive, exaggerated Japanese accent while speaking English to his Asian wife. While this kind of humor may have been “acceptable” in the 1970s when the film takes place, I don’t know how this was even considered appropriate in 2022, let alone how a film containing this got nominated for an Oscar alongside Drive My Car.

But enough about the negatives. I think the main cast is quite good, especially given that this is the acting debut of star Cooper Hoffman. His performance is excellent, delivering on both the humor and the drama, making you both admire and get annoyed by Gary. Gary is this industrious young man who won’t take no for an answer. If things don’t go his way, he just brushes it off and tries something else. Most of the time he seems overly mature for his age, but there are moments where his immaturity manages to slip through. Alana Haim is also quite engaging in her performance. Looking at IMDb, it appears that this is her first major scripted role as well, primarily appearing either as herself or performing in her band with her sisters (who also appear in the film). She and Cooper have great chemistry with one another, but the age differences of their characters was too disturbing to mentally fully appreciate it. I kind of wish they had just aged up the Gary character slightly so that there wasn’t this underage aspect to their relationship. The setting, atmosphere, banter and wackiness of the film was quite enjoyable at times, when I wasn’t constantly thinking about this.

The film doesn’t really have a plot per se, going more for a vibe and following the relationship between the two main characters. As such, it veers off into these unrelated vignettes featuring some big stars. First we see Alana having a strange encounter with odd, self-centered actor Jack Holden (Sean Penn), and later Gary has this really bizarre encounter with another over-the-top actor, Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper), who makes sure that Gary understands he’s dating Barbara Streisand. Several of the characters in the film are based on/inspired by real-life people. There are many other cameos in the film, including Maya Rudolph, George DiCaprio, Tom Waits and more. While these scenes can be fun, they feel more like non sequiturs/padding that could have easily been removed without affecting the film.

Universal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great. The picture is clean and clear, with a muted tone and color palette that helps to evoke the 1970s setting. The level of detail, while pleasant, never really stood out as really remarkable. The audio track provides clear dialogue and an excellent 1970s soundtrack throughout. The film is more dialogue-driven, and I never really got an immersive feeling from the presentation. The film did not receive a 4K disc release, but is available in 4K on digital, and the digital copy redeems in iTunes in 4K.

The Blu-ray and DVD discs come packed on either side of a standard HD keepcase with a carboard slipcover. The release also contains an insert with a code to redeem for a 4K digital copy of the the film via Apple TV (it is not Movies Anywhere compatible) as well as a limited edition folded poster. Both the Blu-ray & DVD discs contain the same 18 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, outtakes and deleted scene.

What’s Included:

Film: (2:13:25)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), French 5.1 DTS Digital Surround
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD:

• 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), French 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Digital (code may not be valid after 4/26/2027):

• 4K iTunes-only Digital Copy (Not Movies Anywhere compatible)

Extras:

The bonus feature can be found on both discs. Play All, or select from:

• Camera Tests (4:14)
  Montage of pre-production camera tests, outtakes and gag reel material, with “July Tree” by Nina Simone playing in the background throughout.
• The Handman Scene (2:19)
  In this deleted scene Alana gets in car with Gary, and threatens to shove a baton where the sun don’t shine—she’s upset with his sales tactics and wants to known who the Handman is.
• Fat Bernie’s Commercial (:58)
  Gary directs a commercial for beanbag chairs at Fat Bernie’s, starring Jerry as Bernie.
• Behind the Scenes (10:37)
  Montage of behind-the-scenes photos (taken by Michael Bauman, Paul Thomas Anderson & Melinda Sue Gordon), video clips, and outtakes with score playing in the background throughout.

Limited Edition Poster:

• A sticker on the slipcover indicates a poster is included inside the Blu-ray case. The double-sided poster unfolds to approximately 7.25″ x 11″.
  
  
  

Final Thoughts:

I have never really been a Paul Thomas Anderson fan, and Licorice Pizza did not change that. The film does a nice job of recreating the era, and is led by two excellent performances by fairly inexperienced actors. However, there are some problematic themes at the core of the film that made it difficult to really root for the characters. At times, it also felt more like a series of vignettes showcasing guest actors rather than a full plot-driven story. The Blu-ray presentation is pretty solid and includes some fun behind-the-scenes footage. This is an easy recommendation for PTA fans, but for those who aren’t, they may wish to rent it first.