Licorice Pizza: what does this title mean?

Literally translated, the title Licorice Pizza, which is therefore the name of Paul Thomas Anderson’s new film currently in theaters, means liquorice pizza. Licorice being the English term for licorice.

However, there is no mention of liquorice, pizza, or both, in the film. Where does this expression come from? What is its origin ? Its meaning?

The first explanation is that Licorice Pizza is the name of a record store located in the San Fernando Valley, in Los Angeles, which existed in the years 70-80. Geographic area where the action of the film takes place.

But, to go further, there is another meaning to the title, since it is the name that we also give to vinyl records.

In an interview with Variety, Paul Thomas Anderson explains that it took him a long time to choose this title. Initially, and when the movie was announced, it was still named Soggy Bottom, which is the name of the waterbed business that Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) owns. But the filmmaker indicates that he did not see himself keeping this title in the long term.

“Where I grew up there was a chain of disc stores in Southern California called Licorice Pizza. It seemed like a nice catch all to the overall feel of the movie. you don’t know the store, those two words that go well together capture a certain state of mind. ” And to add: “these two words together immediately send me back to my youth”, confirming the very intimate and personal scope of this new film.

Legend has it that these stores chose this name after a song by Abbott and Costello. He thought the tandem was telling the following joke: the sale of one of their record was so bad that it said the item was presented as a liquorice pizza in stores!

Note that this is not the first time that Paul Thomas Anderson has chosen a title that is difficult to connect directly to his film, like Magnolia for example.

Licorice PIzza is currently in theaters in France.

The making-of of the film: