Paul Thomas Anderson captures the feral exuberance of the early seventies, as the precocious 15-year-old child actor, and natural hustler, Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) pursues the 25-year-old Alana Kane (Alana Haim), “the woman he’s going to marry”.
Inspired by the life of Anderson’s friend Gary Goetzman, the story bubbles up rather than unfolding. It’s joyous in many ways, full with the kind of optimism none of us can feel anymore.
