Licorice Pizza/Lolita Essays
The Problematic Masterfulness of Licorice Pizza By Logan Tyler Smith It’s honestly rare to see a movie that gets both all of the attention and none of the right attention. Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2021 film ‘Licorice Pizza’ has been getting a lot of critical acclaim, but ultimately has not been without its more negative critics. The crazy thing appears to be that both sides of the critical aisle have valid reasons to like or not like this film. Even if you like other Paul Thomas Anderson films (like I do) you have valid reasons to not/not like it, even if I personally like it despite its flaws. Either way, the film’s superior storytelling and craft does not change its more problematic elements. Licorice Pizza appears to be a love letter to San Fernando Valley, California. The film travels lightly from one short narrative to the other, and the characters are always at the center of it in one form or another. The many business ventures the characters get in as well as the family