Sam Kimani

I'll take the plunge here and slap an "uninspiring" label on Licorice Pizza. What feels like a long boring reel of emptiness is worsened by a seemingly deliberate move to clutter the plotline with famous actors just to save face. Much happens in this film which, unfortunately, takes you out of the story and loses you a lot more than would be justifiable.

This artless cliché of people tainting a film as "trashy" or "pointless" just because the ending does not deliver as hoped/expected is exasperating, to say the least. If the film was that bad, how is it that you made it to the very end? That aside, I think this film is an absolute statement of visual artistry and dramatic acuity. It accurately delivers what it intends without the directing falling in conflict with McAvoy's performance despite his heavy improvisation in most of the scenes.

I regard this review a product of a happy accident that occurred when I stumbled upon this film at a diner. I happened to walk in on Free and Cass just as they were about to share their first fiddly kiss in the early stages of the film. This surely signaled me to pay closer attention to this seemingly endearing moment. It wasn't so long after committing to this film that I noticed the beauty of its cinematography. The fact of this film being presented as a oner, coupled with the emotional intensity built into the character's shared moments, convinced me to search for it as soon as I left that diner. I applaud the level of excellence achieved considering the film was shot on one night only, and had no rehearsals or resting between takes. A standing ovation for the DP, Steven Holleran, the director, and the two protagonists for making this project a true visual statement.