Licorice Pizza tells the story of the friendship between 15-year-old Gary Valentine, (Cooper Hoffman, son of Philip Seymour Hoffman) and 25-year-old Alana Kane (Alana Haim).
The film is a blast from the past that reminds people of the good old days in the 70s. But suppose you weren’t alive during this period? In that case, Licorice Pizza does a great job of placing the viewer right in the middle of it, providing them with a sense of nostalgia for something they’ve never experienced.
This movie raises some eyebrows because of the age difference between the main characters. It’s understandable why a 15-year-old boy would have a crush on an older woman, but why would a grown woman play into this?
Okay, so maybe you can look past the strange relationship between the main characters for a moment. The relationship is sweet and heartwarming. Still, once the viewer remembers the age difference, it’s just weird again.
Besides the main protagonists’ age gaps, the movie is quite humorous as the audience’s abrupt laughter throughout the film’s duration shows. But. There’s the matter of the racist jokes mocking a Japanese accent. It’s 2022, and films with racist jokes should be a thing of the past. Yes, the film is set in the 70s, and that’s “just how things were back then,” but racism is not acceptable, especially when it tries to pass itself off as a joke. Especially after the rise of Asian hate crimes following the Coronavirus outbreak.
Overall, the acting and the 70s nostalgic mood are well done, the plot is straightforward and the characters are loveable. But it’s still just weird.
