‘Licorice Pizza’ First Reactions Praise Paul Thomas Anderson’s Latest Film as ‘God Tier’ and ‘Impossibly Sweet’ – Variety

The first reactions to Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza” promise a film that is a “warm, funny memory-driven coming of age fever dream” and “definitely a vibe.”

Starring Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman, the film follows the adventures of high schooler Gary Valentine (Hoffman) and Alana Kane (Haim), an enthralling woman in her 20s. Set in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley in 1973, “Licorice Pizza” also stars Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper and Benny Safdie.

When the social media embargo lifted on the movie on Thursday night, film journalists and critics took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the prolific director’s latest outing, with Yahoo Entertainment correspondent Kevin Polowy writing that he’d “put it near ‘Inherent Vice’ on the scale of PTA.”

Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes writer Erik Davis wrote that he “fell hard” for the film. “Like ‘Punch-Drunk Love,’ it’s funny & eccentric, but the guy who sells mattresses in this one is a 15-year-old entrepreneur who’s fallen hopelessly in love & doesn’t know what to do about it,” Davis said. “Will be one you watch lots of times.”

David Ehrlich, IndieWire chief film critic, wrote that “Licorice Pizza” is “god-tier PTA even *before* the 20-minute sequence where Bradley Cooper absolutely terrorizes the San Fernando Valley like a horny cocaine godzilla in a pantsuit. Maybe the best movie I’ve ever seen about a teen selling waterbeds to impress his older Jewish crush.”

Collider writer Perri Nemiroff called the movie “a dream” and “an opportunity to become completely enveloped by 1970s L.A. and the comfort and charm of an impossibly sweet story about growing up and finding love.” Nemiroff further praised the performances of both Haim and Hoffman, writing that it was “an utter joy watching them dazzle in this.”

Film critic Courtney Howard called “Licorice Pizza “superb” and said it “feels like a warm, funny memory-driven coming of age fever dream, capturing a time when youthful possibilities crash into reality.” Howard also lauded the film’s soundtrack as “killer,” Haim as “absolutely terrific” and Hoffman as “a revelation.”

See more reactions below.