A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
-
Positive Messages
a little
No clear message, but at movie's center is theme about making connections with others, how that requires a certain amount of trust. Sometimes characters betray one another's trust, but they work hard to get it back.
-
Positive Role Models
a little
Gary and Alana are ambitious. They seem to be trying hard to make their way in the world, perhaps even do some good, but they make poor choices; they're comic failures more often than they're successes. Still, they're lovably flawed.
-
Diverse Representations
a little
Majority of cast is White. Lead woman character, Alana, is three-dimensional and on equal footing with male co-star. In some sequences, a White man speaks in an exaggerated Japanese accent to a Japanese woman (who speaks Japanese back to him); the spirit of these scenes is ironic and meant to make the White man seem foolish and clueless. A Jewish family is depicted as both loving and argumentative; a character makes a reference to a character having a "Jewish nose."
Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.
-
Violence & Scariness
a little
Character flies into fits of rage, breaking windows, threatening others with harm. Suspenseful sequence with characters guiding a gasless truck down city streets.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Get started
-
Sex, Romance & Nudity
some
A woman bares her breasts; her back is to the camera. Sexual dialogue and gestures. A kiss. Woman in short shorts objectified by the camera.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Get started
-
Language
a lot
Several uses of "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," "ass," "hell," "prick," "dick-head," etc. "G-damn" and "oh my God" used as exclamations.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.
Get started
-
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
Adult characters are comically drunk in one scene. Teens try to order co*cktails. Cigarette smoking. Pot smoking. Mention of LSD.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
Get started
-
Parents Need to Know
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 and character than on plot. Language is strong, with several uses of "f--k," "s--t," "ass," "bitch," and more. Characters drink (sometimes to excess) and smoke cigarettes, as well as smoke pot and use LSD. Teens try to order co*cktails. There's some sex-related dialogue, as well as sexual gestures, kissing, some objectification of women, and a scene in which Alana shows Gary her breasts with her back to the camera. A character flies into fits of rage, breaks windows, and threatens others with harm, and in one suspenseful sequence, characters coast a gasless truck downhill through city streets. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
In LICORICE PIZZA, it's 1973 in the San Fernando Valley. Fifteen-year-old Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) is a high school student/actor. On school picture day, he becomes enchanted by 25-year-old photographer's assistant Alana Kane (Alana Haim) and invites her to dinner. Much to her own surprise, she agrees. They become instant friends, though Alana insists that they remain platonic. Together they embark upon several of Gary's ambitious business ventures, including a waterbed delivery service and a pinball arcade, as well as Alana's stint volunteering for a local politician (Benny Safdie). Through their many arguments and misadventures, can Gary and Alana remain friends?
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Licorice Pizza's depiction of sex and sexuality. What values are imparted? Is there concern over the age difference between Gary and Alana? How do you feel about it?
How are alcohol, smoking, and drugs depicted? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why does that matter?
How is violence depicted in the scenes with Jon Peters? Is it scary? Comical? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Why is nostalgia often so appealing? What can we learn, or what do we experience, from telling stories about the past?
Why do you think the movie is called Licorice Pizza?
Movie Details
- In theaters: November 26, 2021
- On DVD or streaming: May 17, 2022
- Cast: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Bradley Cooper
- Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: MGM/UA
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 133 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: language, sexual material and some drug use
- Last updated: September 27, 2023
Inclusion information powered by 
