A loose, sunlit coming-of-age hangout movie with real charm, memorable performances, and a strong sense of place. It’s less about plot than about mood, chemistry, and the messy drift of first love, which will delight some viewers and frustrate others.
Licorice Pizza
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Drama · Comedy
Fri · 2h 13m
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn
Overview
The story of Gary Valentine and Alana Kane growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.
Director
Paul Thomas Anderson
Cast
Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn
Curator Review
Verdict
A loose, sunlit coming-of-age hangout movie with real charm, memorable performances, and a strong sense of place. It’s less about plot than about mood, chemistry, and the messy drift of first love, which will delight some viewers and frustrate others.
Best for
fans of character-driven coming-of-age stories
viewers who like shaggy, episodic storytelling
people drawn to 1970s period detail and California atmosphere
audiences who enjoy offbeat romantic tension and age-gap dynamics handled ambiguously
fans of director-driven, scene-by-scene filmmaking
Skip if
you need a tight, goal-oriented plot
you dislike meandering or digressive narratives
you’re sensitive to uncomfortable power dynamics in romances
you want clear emotional resolution
you’re not in the mood for a nostalgic, talky period piece
Overview
Licorice Pizza is a breezy but slippery coming-of-age story that feels less like a conventional romance than a series of vivid encounters. It captures the awkward, impulsive energy of youth with a confidence that makes even its detours feel intentional, and the San Fernando Valley setting is rendered with affectionate precision.
Worth noting
The film’s greatest strength is its lived-in rhythm: scenes unfold like memories, not plot points. Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman have a natural, unpredictable chemistry that keeps the movie buoyant even when it wanders, and the supporting turns add texture without overpowering the central dynamic.
Bottom line
At the same time, the movie’s tonal looseness and uncomfortable gender/power dynamics will not work for everyone. It’s a film that invites debate as much as admiration, but for viewers open to its off-kilter charm, it’s one of the more distinctive American hangout films of recent years.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Jay (4★) · 16475 likes
“i can fix him” says girl who is worse
Lauren Wilford · 13447 likes
A warm tribute to a kind of relationship I feel like lots of us have stuffed way in the back of a mental drawer: the ill-advised crush turned briefly, oddly, achingly mutual, transmuted not into a romantic relationship but into an ambiguous, charged entanglement. Alana's reluctant seduction by Gary in the first few scenes strikes me as incredibly psychologically realistic. She outlines a boundary upfront and continues verbally repeating it, but by her actions edges toward it out of curiosity.… more
Patrick Willems (4.5★) · 10945 likes
After this and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, every director I like is now required to make a fun hangout movie set in a lovingly recreated version of the time and place they grew up
Karsten (4★) · 9561 likes
alana haim was interested in politics from a very young age
Framesofnick (3.5★) · 7012 likes
Why would you put licorice on a pizza Edit: it is lame this is one of the most popular reviews for this. I apologize
Themes
coming of age, first love, youthful drift, ambiguous romance, 1970s nostalgia, San Fernando Valley, showbiz and hustle, memory and atmosphere