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“Licorice Pizza” felt like what I’d imagine director Paul Thomas Anderson (PTA) would do with an idea like FX’s “Atlanta” but as a 1970s period piece with an aim to make it as bland as possible with a few folks of color, including his wife, actress Maya Rudolph, and with racist Japanese jokes that did absolutely nothing but turn me off to the idea of this film being a comedy.
To be clear, the film is what it is. It had its moments of humor, and I did enjoy some elements, but this did not work for me overall.
One thing I did appreciate about its problematic screenplay is that it wrote a check it could cash, meaning the premise of the story was strange and so the conclusion playing out exactly how I thought it would—strangely—was just about the best feeling I had when it ended.
And I could not wait for it to end.
I hit a watch-check a few good times because the moment I thought was the climax was not. The scenes I thought were leading to the falling action or conclusion did not.
I just felt like this film was PTA art-ing for the sake of it. Just Jackson Pollock-ing the fuck out of a love story that is as intriguing as it is uncomfortable. 🤨🤨🤨
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The shit I appreciated:
- Alana Haim is great in this. She just is. I really want her in more film things. She seemed at ease with this role. Just fluid.
- The agent “Mary Grady” who commented on Haim’s nose is portrayed by Harriet Sansom Harris, who played an agent in the 1990s sitcom “Frasier.” Bruh, when she popped up, I did the Leonardo DiCaprio point from “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” 🤣🤣
- The colorist gets a thumbs up. The editor gets a thumbs up. The cinematographer gets a thumbs up. There were a few shots I took mental pictures of, and one was Haim returning home in a swimsuit after being out all day and the look on her father’s face as he furiously screams “what in the fuck?!”
- The change in the aspect ratio when filming Benny Safdie’s character in the political reels. Changing from 2.39 : 1 to 1.33 : 1 helped me refocus the setting’s time.
- The soundtrack is the most memorable character. Outstanding. 🤌🏾 🤌🏾 I shall listen to it for ages. You’d figure a film named after a record store in Encino, CA, which is where this film was set, would have a grooving ass soundtrack.
🎼A funky good time. 🎶 🎵
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In all, did I love this effort? No.
It was one of the most neutral, “okay-i-est” experiences I’ve had with a film in a while, and I hate that shit. 😐😐 I can’t stand a “neutral” option on a Likert scale.
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I believe the aim of this piece was to explore the palpable uncomfortableness of the two main characters’ budding romance.
This film felt like it was a fever dream 🛌 😴 💭 about a place and time in which anything and nothing made total sense, but you just let it flow and saw what happened. And for that, I appreciate it.
But it’s strange, bruh.
Hail Haim, though. The whole family lit. 🔥🔥🔥