Paul Thomas Anderson signs his comeback, after the magnificent Phantom Thread, with Licorice Pizza, a lighter but equally endearing film. On the occasion of his return to the big screen, PTA (Paul Thomas Anderson) has assembled an amazing but very successful cast with Alana Haim, known for more than 10 years in the world of music with his group Haim, as well as Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman who had launched his career with the same director 20 years earlier. Focus on Licorice Pizza:
California Dreamin'
The film takes place in San Fernando where we discover Gary Valentine, a 15-year-old actor who seems capable of anything, falling madly in love with Alana Kane, a young woman 10 years older than him, doing odd jobs. Their meeting will become the fruit of new adventures for the two characters, crossing on their way different characters all as amazing as each other … 
Licorice Pizza is a bit like the cassettes of his childhood that we find at the bottom of a cardboard in the attic. It is a memory of an era, a life, a part of history that moves away over time. However, not for PTA, who wanted to revive this golden age through his ninth film, a coming of age, a film of learning towards adulthood. We understand very well through the film that it is not a question of a simple love story but rather of a point of view on the sometimes blurred and complex transition between adolescence and adulthood. Accompanied by the sets of La Vallée, also in transition, the lives of the two characters intertwine, detach, unite throughout the film. PTA takes the liberty of adapting its childhood memories while drawing inspiration from characters who really existed like Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper) hairdresser and boyfriend of Barbra Streisand or actor William Holden (Sean Penn). 
Licorice Pizza is also the great debut of Alana Haim, with a fascinating presence, offering a sincere and natural performance. It was also the debut of Cooper Hoffman, son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was as promising as the latter made his debut with PTA a few years earlier. Licorice Pizza highlights the tender but also embarrassing moments sometimes present when you fall in love for the first time through an era that is also in transition, with the oil crisis marking the end of an era of prosperity in the United States.
A lack of context
However, the film is sorely lacking in context, causing a detachment from Gary and Alana's slices of life. PTA presents his vision and childhood memories of an L.Has. now gone, with references that lack readability. The very title of the film "Licorice Pizza " refers to a famous chain of vinyl stores in Los Angeles, which is however not present in the film.
PTA's aversion to predictable stories is felt. Especially since we can detect the intimacy that the director has for this period. However, it is not necessarily easy for the viewer to find himself through a film with a jerky rhythm, chaining scenes of life without purpose or particular message. We can highlight the strength of PTA to keep us in suspense during a large part of the film. But the lack of meaning makes the viewer lose interest during the film.
Licorice Pizza : dive into the 1970s
The film wants to reproduce this phase of the 70s. A troubled period when social barriers were not the same as today but it is good to wonder if some passages could have been omitted in this tribute at that time. The age difference, while perhaps not shocking for the era presented, is shocking for the era we are in today. The film revolves around the discovery of love and the awkward passage between adolescence and adulthood. But was it really necessary to build this representation around a 10-year age difference? Despite the endearing character of Alana throughout the film, we can wonder about PTA's choices regarding this story. 
We can also question the "jokes" and the representation of Asians in this film, basing the humor on a clichéd accent that may have made people laugh fifty years ago but does not make anyone laugh today. In summary, PTA's choices for this film are questionable and it is worth wondering if it would have been as well received by another director. Licorice Pizza is above all the memory of a past era, that of PTA's childhood in the San Fernando Valley. Although the film manages to immerse us in this 70's atmosphere, the lack of film lacks depth causing a constant detachment and a mixed feeling in front of the adventures of Gary and Alana. https://youtu.be/9aFhtQrgZX8
