Set in 1970s California, it tells the story of 15-year-old Gary, who falls for a 25-year-old woman named Alana. As they work together on Gary's crackpot business ventures, the pair grow closer, and the film ends with a kiss between the two.

Is Alana really 25 in Licorice Pizza?

Licorice Pizza opens with the ambiguously aged Alana (somewhere between 25 and 28) working at a school during picture day. The 15-year-old Gary is infatuated with her, and immediately starts flirting with her.

What's up with the age gap in Licorice Pizza?

“Licorice Pizza” is being lauded among critics though very few are mentioning the glaring problem wherein a 25-year-old woman doesn't shut down the advances of a 15-year-old man. The relationship is described as chaste by most critics.

Is Alana 25 or 28?

Gary says he doesn't know, but after a pause, Alana says “I'm 28,” only to rapidly change her age to “25.” It's a funny, strange moment, partly because the film coyly dances around the age difference between Gary and Alana, which it couldn't do if their sexes were reversed.

How old is Lance supposed to be in Licorice Pizza?

In 1973 San Fernando Valley, 15-year-old actor Gary Valentine meets Alana Kane, a 25-year-old photographer's assistant, at his school picture day. She is put off by his invitation to dinner that evening, but shows up anyway.

Addressing the Age-Gap in LICORICE PIZZA

What is the age gap between Gary and Alana?

Set in 1970s California, it tells the story of 15-year-old Gary, who falls for a 25-year-old woman named Alana.

What age is Gary at the end of Licorice Pizza?

Gary Valentine is 15 and Alana Kane is 25 or something – this movie is careful to maintain some sort of plausible deniability – Alana is reluctant to go on a date with Gary, and puts up a performance of annoyance as long as she can.

What is the deeper meaning of Licorice Pizza?

Licorice Pizza is constructed as a series of anecdotes to demonstrate a message virtually never seen in US films: that rich white privilege is poisonous and inherent in the film's social landscape.

What is the moral of Licorice Pizza?

Look closer and Licorice Pizza is not a salacious story about a power-imbalanced relationship, or even romantic love, at all. It's about the exhilaration of losing and then finding yourself, the story of a girl-woman reclaiming herself during a period that did not allow women to put themselves first.

Who is Gary Valentine based on?

Gary Valentine is Based on Gary Goetzman

Cooper Hoffman's character is modeled on Gary Goetzman, a friend of Paul Thomas Anderson and the co-founder of Tom Hanks' production company, Playtone.

Is Licorice Pizza based on a true story?

Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza may be a fictional coming-of-age story, but the nostalgic Hollywood film features many characters either portraying or based on real-life people.

Why is Licorice Pizza rated so highly?

Like I said, "Licorice Pizza" is truly remarkable at setting a scene. I felt like I was back in time and nothing ever broke that illusion. I was also extremely impressed by the acting performances from newcomers (at least to the big screen) Hoffman & Haim.

What the heck is Licorice Pizza about?

Parents need to know that Licorice Pizza is writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson's dramedy set in the San Fernando Valley in 1973. It centers on the relationship between 15-year-old Gary (Cooper Hoffman) and 25-year-old Alana Kane (Alana Haim) and is a sunny, drifting, relaxed, funny movie, based more on mood…

Who was the creepy guy in 12 shirt in Licorice Pizza?

Jon Beavers: Number 12 Creep

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Did Alana Haim drive the truck in Licorice Pizza?

Alana Haim attended truck driving school.

There are a few scenes in Licorice Pizza that show Haim driving a stick-shift moving van from the 1970s, but with a lack of van-driving experience prior to filming, she had to go to truck school to learn. "I'm a terrible driver, I'm terrible," Haim admitted on The Tonight Show.

Is the relationship in Licorice Pizza legal?

Alana is said to be 25 in Licorice Pizza (though an off-hand comment suggests she's actually 28), while Gary is only 15 years old, making the relationship quite illegal if it moves any further than their kiss.

What is the controversial scene in Licorice Pizza?

A year ago today, I had an article post on /Film entitled, "Licorice Pizza Director Paul Thomas Anderson Responds to Criticism of Fake Asian Accent." The backlash Anderson was addressing stemmed from two scenes in his film, where a character based on real-life restaurateur Jerry Frick employs an offensive, outmoded, ...

Why didn't people like Licorice Pizza?

Licorice Pizza, for all of its disjointed structure and unfocused narrative, concentrates chiefly on how cruel the 1970s were. Cruel for girls who didn't know what they want to be when they grow up.

What is Licorice Pizza slang for?

The term is a colloquial expression for vinyl records, comparing them to the color of licorice and the shape of a pizza. James Greenwood opened the first Licorice Pizza record store in July 1969 in downtown Long Beach. In the next fifteen years, multiple locations spread throughout Southern California.

What is the age gap in Licorice Pizza?

Much ado has been made of the supposedly shocking age gap between Cooper Hoffman's 15-year-old Gary and Alana Haim's 25-year-old Alana, the erstwhile couple in "Licorice Pizza," Paul Thomas Anderson's new coming-of-age comedy.

What is the criticism of Licorice Pizza?

Prime targets of criticism are the depictions of racism, sexism, homophobia, and social consciousness that were rampant during Licorice Pizza's idyllic '70s San Fernando Valley.

What year is Licorice Pizza set in?

The story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.

Is Licorice Pizza a true story?

Licorice Pizza is a mix of reality and fiction, though some of the fiction is more thinly veiled than others. The character of actor Jack Holden, played by Sean Penn, is at least partially inspired by William Holden. More clear is that Lucy Doolittle is a stand-in for Lucille Ball.

Who is Sean Penn supposed to be in Licorice Pizza?

Sean Penn: Jack Holden

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Do Alana and Gary get together?

Alana and Gary then passionately kiss, and Alana whispers, "I love you, Gary." Nothing in the way the end scene is written, filmed or scored even remotely implies that the sight of a grown woman professing romantic love toward an underage boy is supposed to be anything other than a happy ending.