Written, produced and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson – and shot by cinematographer and AFI Alum Michael Bauman (AFI Class of 1992) – LICORICE PIZZA (2021) was honored with AFI AWARD, recognizing it as one of the year’s most outstanding achievements in the art of the moving image. Accoridng to the official rationale, “LICORICE PIZZA offers a slice of life from the past that serves as a soaring reminder for the present – that joy lives each day in the eternal quest to ‘come of age.’ Paul Thomas Anderson invites us back to his ’70s San Fernando Valley with the assurance of America’s greatest auteurs. His commitment to image, music and story creates a masterwork of nostalgic humanity – one embodied by two relative newcomers in Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman, whose chemistry is undimmed by the brilliant talent that surrounds them amidst the vast sparkling lights of the valley.”
March 7, 2026
Protected:
LICORICE PIZZA (2021) – AFI Movie Club
Comments (2)
Donate today and join the nation’s strongest community of film lovers.
AFI is a 501c3 non-profit advancing the art of the moving image by empowering storytellers and inspiring audiences
Will Hume
This is one of those movies you don’t really like but you’re glad exists because it stirs movie discussion. I wish the film has Bradley Cooper smashing those windows with weegies like in the actual film.
Pauline
Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson must have a sixth sense, i.e., recognizing and nurturing the humanity in his characters. I am a total fan and absolutely adored this film. Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman have created feeling, thinking, passionate human beings who I was rooting for throughout the film. The desire to see the film overcame my fear of covid and I saw it in a movie house on the big screen! Thank you Paul Thomas Anderson for all you have created for us over the years! I loved this film!