Not once does anyone on screen mention licorice or pizza. The title comes from a real-life record store chain that existed in the story's setting of 1973 SoCal. That's the kind of unappealing randomness I sooner expect from the Coen Brothers or Quentin Tarantino than from Paul Thomas Anderson. But Anderson was trying something a little more comedic than he ever directed before, so I'll give him that. And once I read a description, it seemed as good a place as any to start catching up on Best Picture nominees.
The Netflix jacket turns out to be misleading again. Yes, Gary (Cooper Hoffman) is a high-earning Hollywood actor in high school, but the focus is not on his acting career, his schoolwork, or even his classmate interactions. Rather, he aggressively courts Alana (Alana Haim), in her late 20s, as soon as he lays eyes on her, and then he recruits her assistance in business ventures unrelated to his acting, like waterbed sales. Basically, he wants to grow up even faster.
Does that remind you of Max from Rushmore? I think Gary is marginally more likable, if only because he's less exaggerated and doesn't express any bigotry. I find it easier to relate to Alana, who vacillates between fondness toward and annoyance at Gary. She might never give him everything he wants from her, if only because he's way too young, but I more or less understand why she obliges as much as she does. Her tendency to jump on everyone else when provoked is another story.
The era is pretty important to the plot, not least when real famous figures or parodies thereof turn up. Oddly enough, some '70s moments feel timely today: There's a gas shortage, and a politician is worried that voters will discover how absent-minded he is.
This is a rare film in that I find it realistic and strange at the same time. That's hardly a contradiction. The characters display awkward behaviors that happen far more often in reality than on screen. Some moments appear to be red herrings, signaling a denouement that never comes. The story moves in enough directions that it's barely unified. Sounds like life to me.
Alas, one bit of realism has led to viewer complaints: characters behaving a little inappropriately toward Japanese immigrants, with no obvious retort from them. I give it a pass; we're not supposed to find it worthy of imitation. Just count yourself warned. As a rule, the comedy portion is very tentative, leaving me to wonder whether the makers intended amusement or just discomfort.
The whole of LP is not a particularly comfortable viewing. Anderson has always rubbed me the wrong way. Still, I've now gained some respect for him. He might just rightly earn an Oscar someday.
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