Two years after Quentin Tarantino spared Sharon Tate a gruesome Manson family murder, fellow SoCal auteur Paul Thomas Anderson re-creates the Encino of his childhood with every bit as much affectio…
re-creates the Encino of his childhood with every bit as much affection and attention to detail. Named for the regional record chain where Valley kids got their vinyl — but ostensibly Anderson’s own “Once Upon a Time in North Hollywood ” — “” delivers a piping-hot, jumbo slice-of-life look at how it felt to grow up on the fringes of the film industry circa 1973, as seen through the eyes of an ambitious former child actor plotting how to follow up his early screen career.
“I met the girl I’m going to marry one day,” he declares, and heck if we aren’t rooting for that to happen, absurd as it seems. At 15, boys tend to fall in love every five minutes, but Gary is more than just smitten when he meets 20-something Alana in the opening scene. With flushed cheeks and real pimples undisguised by makeup, Gary is a raging ball of teenage hormones, but he’s trapped somewhere between playing the gentleman and not having any game. Every time another guy hits on Alana, Gary seems to turn even redder, and because he’s too immature to know better, he often finds himself retaliating in hilariously counterproductive ways.
Like Los Angeles to the south, Encino’s a place where it’s hard to get much of anywhere on foot, and just as important to the dynamic as Gary’s complicated emotions is that Alana has wheels. She still lives at home and nurses ambitions of her own, directing her romantic attention at whomever seems most likely to pluck her from the tedium of her middle-class Jewish existence, be it one of Gary’s underage fellow actors , bona fide movie star Jack Holden or mayoral candidate Joel Wachs .
But Anderson’s instincts were dead-on in choosing Hoffman and Haim. With their imperfect teeth and relatably real features, these two have a natural unselfconsciousness about them — not Instagram gorgeous, but far more expressive faces to gaze upon in unfiltered 70mm. And the hair! For years, Anderson has been directing music videos and more with Alana and her sisters’ band, Haim, and seems to have intuited what she’s capable of.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Paul Bettany Used to Hide from Bullies During Recess: 'I Was Shy' and 'Incredibly Skinny'WandaVision's Paul Bettany has found success as a Marvel star, but years before he stepped into the role of Vision, the actor says he was once 'the shyest boy on earth.' paul_bettany
Read more »
Jane Campion And Benedict Cumberbatch Channeled Paul Newman For ‘The Power Of The Dog’ – Contenders L.A.Writer-director Jane Campion and star Benedict Cumberbatch said Paul Newman was one of the previous stars who tried to adapt Power of the Dog before them, relating the history of their new film bas…
Read more »
Adele Told Oprah That Her Relationship With Rich Paul Is The First Time She's 'Loved Herself''It's just been very smooth.'
Read more »
Paul Gosar doubles down on cartoon showing AOC being killed: 'Nothing hateful'Rep. Paul Gosar called outrage over the controversial video 'infantile' and said any accusations it was dangerous were 'laughable.'
Read more »
Who Is Adele's Boyfriend, Rich Paul?The superstar and the mega sports agent started dating earlier this year.
Read more »