After physical prints of the film were sent to select cinemas earlier this month, the first trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Licorice Pizza’ has finally found its way online. The teaser represents a return to the 1970s San Fernando Valley, which was first featured in Boogie Nights.
- Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie, Alana Haim, and Cooper Hoffman, son of Philip Seymour Hoffman, appear in the film. Cooper appears to be portraying Jon Peters, the real-life producer behind such achievements as A Star Is Born by Barbra Streisand and Wild Wild West by Clint Eastwood.
- The film was formerly known as Soggy Bottom, which is probably a worse title than Licorice Pizza. which is a reference to a Southern California chain of record stores that provided free licorice.
- The tale of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, roaming around, and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley in 1973 is told in ‘Licorice Pizza.’
- The teaser teases a coming-of-age story set in 1970s Hollywood, with Hoffman portraying a young actor who meets Cooper’s producer, who insists on teaching him how to pronounce Barbra Streisand’s name correctly.
- As David Bowie’s “Life on Mars” introduces us to a bunch of adolescents negotiating life, dreams, and the sorrows of youth, the trailer provides significant Boogie Nights vibes, with a little of Inherent Vice sprinkled on top. With so many coming-of-age films concentrating on the 1980s these days, it’s nice to see one that focuses on a different decade. The stimulating can practically be tasted coming from the trailer.
Licorice Pizza was written and directed by Anderson, and while no official release date has been set, it is likely to hit theaters this Christmas season. The teaser indicates that this will be a theatrical release only, so don’t anticipate a streaming release anytime soon.
Probably, Licorice Pizza coming to theaters on November 26. If you’re lucky enough to live near a theater showing it, and you’ve already watched House of Gucci with the family, it’ll make for some fantastic Thanksgiving watching.
