On-Air Film Review: Spin on the ‘70s! Review of ‘Licorice Pizza’

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CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Ben Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on December 2nd, 2021, reviewing the latest film by director Paul Thomas Anderson (“Boogie Nights”), the back to the 1970s relationship epic “Licorice Pizza,” currently in select theaters.


Rating: 4.5/5.0

“Licorice Pizza” deals with an unusual relationship in the early 1970s Los Angeles between a comely 25 year-old named Alana (Alana Hiam) and a hot-for-her 15 year old actor/entrepreneur named Gary (portrayed by Cooper Hoffman, son of Phillip Seymour Hoffman). This relationship is the centerpiece of their adventures, including ones with an old timey actor named Jack Holden (Sean Penn), a waterbed store, the real-life hairdresser Jon Peters (a manic Bradley Cooper), the gas crisis of the era, a mayoral candidate and a pinball arcade.

“Licorice Pizza” is currently in select theaters, see local listings for details. Featuring Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper and Tom Waits. Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Rated “R”

Click here for Patrick McDonald’s full on-air review of “Licorice Pizza”

Licorice Pizza
Photo credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Click here for Patrick McDonald’s full on-air review of “Licorice Pizza”