may derive from Goetzman’s tales but it feels
almost like a home movie for Anderson,
made with friends and family.
“Is this lines or this real?” asks Alana in one
of several scenes at the Tail o’ the Cock bar-
restaurant in Encino.
It’s the performances of Haim and
Hoffman that most lend “Licorice Pizza” its
authenticity. Neither has acted in a film
before and their fresh-faced presences
electrify the film. There’s obvious poignancy
to Hoffman, 18, starring in a film by
Anderson, but he has a sincerity all his
own. Even more of a revelation is Haim,
the youngest of the three San Fernando
Valley sisters who make up the band Haim.
(Anderson, a fan, has shot several music
videos for them.) Gary already knows
himself, but Alana is figuring it out. Just what
Haim is capable of — including steering a
daring backwards escape in a moving van
— seems to only expand as “Licorice Pizza”
winds its joyful way home.
“Licorice Pizza,” a MGM release, is rated R by
the Motion Picture Association of America
for language, sexual material and some drug
use. Running time: 133 minutes. Four stars
out of four.
MPAA Definition of PG: Parental guidance suggested.