A good movie, said legendary Howard Hawks, is one that has “three great scenes and no bad ones.” Hollywood Elsewhere’s Jeffrey Wells has been consistently using this protocol to identify legitimate Oscar contenders.
I’ve decided to use Hawks’ measuring stick for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza.” Why specifically PTA’s film? Because my review for it has probably been the most polarozing one I had published last year. You should check out the emails I got for this one. I get it, the film is very unconventional and could isolate even the most diehard of PTA fans.
On 12.15.21 I wrote:
“Licorice Pizza” is messy, passionate, episodic, flawed, brilliant, and, really, just all over the place. It’s going to polarize many. This isn’t going for Oscars, and all the better for it.”
And yet, due to, or despite, its episodic nature, can the film’s detractors deny the following 13 scenes are undeniably brilliant? Howard Hawks would be proud.
1) Gary and Ilana’s first meeting during his high school’s photo day. There’s also a great long-take of their first conversation.
2) Ilana driving the truck backwards and down the San Fernando Valley hills.
3) Gary getting arrested, brought to the police station and subsequently released. A great shot is where Ilana hugs Gary after he's released from the police station - and the camera hangs on them embracing each other through the reflection of the glass door.
4) Ilana purposely flirting with Sean Penn’s Jack Huston to make Gary jealous.
5) The Travis Bickle-esque mystery man who keeps stalking the Joel Wachs political headquarters. Masterful, tension-filled scenes.
6) Ilana using a sexy voice as a telemarketer
7) Ilana meeting the casting agent, played by Harriet Sansom Harris — she shows up in just a single scene, but it’s an unforgettable one. “you’re a goddam fighter”
8) Shabbat dinner scene with Ilana’s atheist boyfriend, Lance — sweet and accurate depiction of a Jewish family’s Friday night dinner.
9) Motorcycle jump scene and Ilana/Gary running towards each other. That moment she asks if he even knows her name before falling off and Gary running to her side
10) The Joel Wachs dinner breakup scene.
11) Gary smoking the cigarette while Alana insists that she’s cooler than him.
12) A scene I loved is when Gary runs along a line of cars as Life on Mars blasts in the soundtrack. A pure moment of thrilling cinema!
13) The final sequence.