Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim are a delight in this meandering rites-of-passage story that conjures up perfectly the sights and sounds of early-70s LA.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 16, 2025

Like taking a time machine back to the 1970s, Licorice Pizza is a delightful piece of cinema, one rich with detail, character and an undeniably charming playfulness.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jul 18, 2024

Licorice Pizza proves an aptly named film. It’s a title that captures both the hallucinogenic nostalgia of the film’s visual and musical prowess, and the bizarre nature of its story and setting.

| Jul 15, 2024

It is a grand, fun, romantic ride, that I guess will provide even more greatness on rewatch.

| Feb 24, 2024

Nothing really happens, but the leads are really likable.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 27, 2023

Licorice Pizza is nostalgic and heartfelt, funny, and wise. A change of pace from Anderson’s impressive filmography, yet it is still recognizably his. It may be a minor key compared to some of his other works, but it’s a song that you’ll enjoy playing.

| Sep 17, 2023

Licorice Pizza offers a collage of many quirky subcultures and larger-than-life characters, some more effective than others.

| Original Score: 70/100 | Aug 10, 2023

It should be obvious from the name of the film that Anderson is more interested in things in life that clash more than those that connect.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Aug 10, 2023

Their friendship courses through a warm-hearted array of offbeat anecdotes that ultimately strengthen their takes-one-to-know-one bond.

| Jul 28, 2023

A quintessential movie to see this year & beyond. Light, joyful, sweet, & HILARIOUS. The passion & love that PTA infused into this movie is some of his strongest he has ever done. You aren’t ready for Hoffman & Haim’s performances. Truly PERFECT

| Jul 26, 2023

Even though Paul Thomas Anderson keeps things real by avoiding glamour shots and reveling in close-ups of imperfect teeth and skin blemishes, he gives us Gary & Alana moments that border on the magical.

| Jul 25, 2023

It’s impossible not to feel the warmth of how much this movie, and the time, place, and people it represents, means to Anderson. That love, though, does not excuse some of the choices he made.

| Jul 25, 2023

Paul Thomas Anderson shits the bed of his own movie with a couple of truly horrendous scenes of anti-Asian caricature. Not funny. Deal-breaker. What a waste.

| Original Score: ZERO STARS | Feb 5, 2023

[Licorice Pizza] has that PTA's prodigious way of filming life and bittersweet comedy in 35mm. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Dec 20, 2022

The plot is spontaneous and sparse. It isn't important. The heart of the film is the tender and bizarre relationship between Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) and Alana Kane (Alana Haim). [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 10/10 | Dec 7, 2022

The entire experience is an energetic and gleefully enjoyable ride that captures time and place beautifully. Yet, themes under the surface arise organically and unexpectedly that give Mr. Anderson’s film depth.

| Original Score: 4.5/5 | Oct 21, 2022

A madcap, meandering trip to 1970s California, this comedy is full of unexpected action and unforgettable characters, including brief, insane cameos from well-known stars and magnetic, natural performances.

| Oct 4, 2022

Even though the title conjures a sharp, sour taste, I think people can stare at Licorice Pizza and miss that it says the opposite of what most American films sell. Yet it's all right there, like the "magic eye" hidden image in an autostereogram.

| Aug 30, 2022

If you don’t agree early on that these two are worth following wherever they wander, maybe the movie isn’t your thing. I was happy to be in their company.

| Original Score: A | Aug 24, 2022

An easygoing trip down memory lane, full of nostalgic callbacks and needle drops. But for some, their enjoyment may ultimately come down to their ability to overlook the ickiness that simmers underneath the central relationship.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 16, 2022