What an experience watching "Licorice Pizza" was. In terms of aesthetic qualities like the ability to put the viewer in a setting (in this case 1970s Los Angeles),a wonderful soundtrack, some rollicking fun sequences, and phenomenal cinematography. Truly a technical masterpiece in nearly every sense.

Sadly, "Licorice Pizza" is also not all that great of a film for one very specific reason: it completely and utterly lacks a plot or overall meaning to all the technical expertise.

For a very basic overview, the movie tells the story of Gary (Cooper Hoffman),a high school student with a taste for showbiz, and Alana (Alana Haim),a 25-year-old Jewish "Valley Girl" stuck in neutral but always looking for the next adventure. As the two circle around each other trying to determine their romantic wants/needs, they stumble in and out of any number of period-specific historical events/schemes, such as a fuel shortage, waterbed craze, and pinball machine ban being lifted, to name a few.

Like I said, "Licorice Pizza" is truly remarkable at setting a scene. I felt like I was back in time and nothing ever broke that illusion. I was also extremely impressed by the acting performances from newcomers (at least to the big screen) Hoffman & Haim. They are more than capable of carrying the entire film, which is exactly what they are asked to do here.

But when the credits rolled--and even some time after--I'm struggling to figure out any discernible value or lasting concepts to take from the experience. In a certain sense, the viewing experience (plot-wise) felt like a cipher to which I wasn't given the key. A whole bunch of mini-escapades transpire--all at least somewhat entertaining--and the movie just ends. No more, no less.

I very much liken "Licorice Pizza" to 2019's "Once Upon A Time In Hollywood", though I have to say I liked that Tarentino film a bit more because even it hewed to the plot--not just the spirit--of the current events it was depicting. Here, director Paul Thomas Anderson creates a movie that is almost entirely aesthetic and eschews plot/meaning entirely. As such, it is difficult for me to grade it as "good" or "bad", hence the right-down-the-middle five stars.

"Licorice Pizza" is a coming of age story set in 1973's Los Angeles-Encino. A pudgy, pimply-faced yet over-confident 15 year old Gary Valentine falls for a sub-average looking 25 year old year-book photog. She's firm that they can't be a thing and his many, many attempts to impress her enough fuels the film's 2hrs. Look it's not a bad film but it's a low-budget affair that in yester-year would be straight-to-video. Some will love the authenticity of the moment, the attraction between two unlikely unattractives. Alana Haim as Alana Kane is new to mainstream Hollywood but her very plain looks and equiv acting won't advance her from this. This is Cooper Hoffman's first film credit and would've fit in well in the '80s "Porky's".

Honestly, there are days I despair over the members of the Academy of Motion Pictures, or Hollywood in general. This movie is flagrant self flagellation. If the industry wasn't so enamoured with itself, this film, no matter how many A-listers it cast, would never have seen the light of day, let alone been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. I'm embarrassed for them. I give this film a 3 (bad) out of 10. {Inane Dramedy}