Ladies & gentlemen, today, we are going to be going into the works of romantic comedy, or drama, whatever kind of genre you call today’s movie review. The one, and only Licorice Pizza!
Plot: Set in the San Fernando Calley in 1973, a 15-year-old guy named Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman), who is getting into the acting/celebrity business, attempts to pursue 25-year-old female named Alana Kane (Alana Haim), who works at his high school? Though she initially refuses his advances due to the age difference, and their points in life, the two begin to form a friendship later on. Will they just stay friends, or will their relationship form into something else later on?
Well, what can I say about this film? First off, Licorice Pizza does a very good job of playing the kind of music that played during this time period, the culture in America during that time period, and the acting is very good, especially with leads Cooper Hoffman, and Alana Haim, along with Bradley Cooper in a more minor role, among the others involved in this film. Other than those aspects, however, Licorice Pizza was not all that great. First of all, the story was not the best. In addition to these, the characters were okay, but not exactly likable, not by a whole lot. I mean you have people who act like creeper stalkers, our main leads acting disrespectful to each other, and to other people at times, and things like those. Oh, and another thing! Who on Earth thought it a good idea to attempt a relationship between a 25-year-old, and a 15-year-old? Okay, forgive me if I might be ruining this film by a bit! But you know what, as you watch this film, you can probably see where it may be going from the start. And also, I understand that sometimes relationships like those can occur legally between say a 45-year-old, and a 35-year-old, or sometime like that. But when there’s a relationship involving someone over the age of 18, and someone even a few years under that legal age, that could present some potential danger, wouldn’t you say? Also, for those people who are in there teen years, or even early to mid-20s, this movie could give people around that age range some wrong, and/or convoluted ideas about love, and dating, and maybe even marriage. I know that might sound crazy to people around that young of an age. Still, for those of you who are older, you hopefully know what I mean. Finally, I’m not sure that any of the characters seem to grow, and learn all that much in this film.
Well, it goes without saying that Licorice Pizza is not one of the best films out there. It does have a relationship that is fairly cute, and strange at the same time. Also, the characters are just okay, and the movie overall could set a bad example for people especially in their teens, and early to mid-20s. I would say that if you really want to see this film, maybe rent it when it comes to Red Box, or something like that. In the meantime, there’s still some other good films playing in theaters that are likely worth seeing much more than a film like this one.
Final Grade: D
Matthew’s Animated & Live-Action Movie Reviews 