Licorice Pizza (4 Stars)

This is a film that's difficult to pin down to one genre. The advertising for the film call it a coming-of-age drama, but that's obviously not the case. It has more in common with romantic comedies, although there's a lot more stuffed into it.

The film takes place in Los Angeles in 1973. Gary Valentine is a 15-year-old child actor who's appeared in several prime time television programmes. He falls in love with Alana, a 25-year-old photographer's assistant who visits his school to take photos. She thinks he's too young, but he doesn't give up, and he has enough money to invite her to fine restaurants.

Gary is very precocious, not just in romance but also in business. He forms a company, Fat Bernie's, to sell water beds, a new invention at the time. He goes on to open a pinball arcade, also wildly successful, because it's the first pinball arcade to open after pinball machines are legalised in California.

Gary romps through a string of comical situations as the film progresses. Alana is put off by Gary because she wants to do good in the world, while Gary's only interest is in making money.

What's the director's intention? That's difficult to say. Maybe he's already given an interview somewhere. It seems like a nostalgia trip to the 1970's, but why has he made such an unpleasant young boy the lead character? If I were his father I'd want to slap him.

Strangely, the film doesn't treat the age difference in the relationship as a scandal. Nobody wags a finger at Alana and accuses her of cradle snatching. That surprises me, because Americans are usually very critical of adults dating someone who's underage. It isn't actually dating, because Alana is resisting his advances, but they still go everywhere together, which certainly looks like datingto everyone around them.

This is one of the favourites to win the Best Film Oscar at this year's Academy Awards. It's certainly a very good film, but I've already made my own top 10 list for 2021, and my vote for best film would be "The Suicide Squad".