Paul Thomas Anderson’s new drama movie Licorice Pizza has its first trailer. Taking us back to the San Fernando Valley, the romance movie follows a young actor trying to break into filmmaking through an established producer.
Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman play the leads, Alana Kane and Gary Valentine, two teenagers who start falling in love during the summer of 1973. Gary has aspirations of breaking into Hollywood, and he eventually makes the acquaintance of Jon Peters, portrayed by Bradley Cooper, who wants to help him to do it. Mixing fact with fiction, Peters is based on a filmmaker of the same name who had a hand in 1976’s A Star Is Born, 1989’s Batman, and more.
The trailer is scored by David Bowie’s ‘Life on Mars’, which sets the perfect scene of young love in the warm Los Angeles air. Tom Waits’ movie director makes an appearance during in the footage, as does Sean Penn, who’s playing an as yet unnamed character. The brief synopsis calls it: “the story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and falling in love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.”
Paul Thomas Anderson writes and directs the adventure movie, in his first film since 2017’s Phantom Thread. This is something of a homecoming for him, since the last time he set something in San Fernando was 1997’s Boogie Nights, and he shot all of Licorice Pizza in Los Angeles.
According to the synopsis, “the film tracks the treacherous navigation of first love”. Licorice Pizza is due for limited release November 26, before going wider sometime in December. We’ll keep you posted on more details when we have them.