Licorice Pizza

If you’re in the mood for a film that leaves you saying, “I don’t know what is happening, but I’m here for it,” Licorice Pizza is for you.

The film centers on Alana Haim’s character Alana Kane (far cry) and her journey with 15-year-old actor Gary Valentine (I know). From the get go, the dialogue dances between familiar and heightened.

While Gary plays well beyond his years in both that charming and annoying way young actors who don’t know how the world beyond L.A. can be, Alana starts off seemingly in control and armed with perfect retorts. There’s a When Harry Met Sally-esque montage where Alana is Harry but Gary is also kind of Harry. You’re not sure how to feel about these two as a potential couple, but you know there’s something there that makes you want to go along for the ride.

This contrast of relatable emotional dynamics — in situations that are almost relatable until they become ridiculous — is layered throughout the film. Plot points such as 15-year-old Gary showing up as a regular in a darkly lit bar/restaurant named Tail o’ The Cock (which is more drinks than food) and Alana deftly maneuvering a water bed-moving truck backwards through windy Valley roads leave you as intrigued as the enigmatic title of the film (more on that below).

The transportation to ’70s Los Angeles is largely done through production design, costuming, and music (plus Jonny Greenwood’s score), which are all effective in adding character to the film.

There are delightful scenes that could satiate as stand alone short films, such as Bradley Cooper playing a somewhat unhinged Jon Peters during the period when he was Barbara Streisand’s sex-obsessed boyfriend, and Harriet Sansom Harris (Phantom Thread) nailing an off-her-rocker Hollywood agent full of industry indoctrination.