Frank Longo Member since Nov 18th 2003 86670 posts
Fri Nov-19-21 02:06 AM
"Licorice Pizza (PTA, 2021)"
Fucking terrific, duh. So sweet and pure and hilarious, ducks down so many unexpected and delightful paths (as all PTA movies do). Some of the sequences are fall-down funny-- the Bradley Cooper sequence got multiple applause breaks from my theater.
And the cast is flawless. Can't imagine we'll see a better leading actress performance than Alana Haim's. And Hoffman is so wonderful-- you can see his dad in his smile sometimes, and it adds a hint of wistfulness to an already nostalgic affair. Heard at least one critic call this PTA's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," and while that's obviously not perfect for many reasons, the affection for the place and era definitely shine.
Will easily be near the top of my favorite movies of 2021, if not at the very top.
7. "pinball was illegal in California?" In response to Reply # 0
when i looked it up, it said yes. when i asked people who were around, the response was always.. "huh? don't think so. we had pinball" my guess it it was technically true but not enforced. at least once we got to the 60s and 70s
someoene described this movie as someones faulty memory, so that kind of tracks. i def see the 'Once Upon a Time in the Valley' thing. Plus I always love how PTA reps the valley. and having lived there a couple years as a kid and was there farily often due to friends, he captures it so well. I can't really explain it other than he really 'gets' the valley. especially in that era.
I wasn't as blown away as most by Cooper Hoffman. I mean he was good but nothing that really stood out. Mostly his character was a version of Max Fischer.
Alana Haim was pretty fucking fantastic tho. And it's weird because in the beginning i found her presence jarring. It made me question a lot of conditioning . She's not unattractive but def not what I was used to seeing as a female lead (really she just looks like an actual person). I found myself thinking this could be a side story about say, one of Elizabeth Shue's annoying friends in Karate kid. Also i found her more and more attractive and engaging as the movie went on.
Their 'relationship' dynamic cracked me up. as problematic as it would be today, back in that era/place it's something that would be a conversation piece or an aspect people would make fun of. hardly anyone would be saying its criminal. in some sense he had the upper hand. she liked his fame, and how easy everything came to him
even the contrast of how easy things were for this child who's kinda breezing trhough life. they generally didn't 'feel' that apart in age, (and she slipped with Cooper that she was 28 and not 25). but there were moments where their age difference felt pronounced, like when she got on the phone with that customer.
I think my favorite funniest moment from her was when she said "I'm a politician"
I could ramble on about this movie for a long time, but just don't ask me what it's about.
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