“Licorice Pizza” and the Gay Stereotype.
We are about sixty minutes into “Licorice Pizza“, Paul Thomas Anderson’s ode to the Valley circa 1973. Our hero (Cooper Hoffman), aided by his older girlfriend (Alana Haim) and a bunch of hangers-on, has now turned their attention to selling water beds. LA being LA, he runs into erstwhile hair stylist, Barbra Streisand‘s boyfriend, and soon-to-be big-time movie producer Jon Peters, played by Bradley Cooper.
Gay Stereotype.
Peters has a gay assistant who is a cringe-worthy, over-the-top gay stereotype. Here is a mincing queen with movements so exaggerated he could have Tourette’s syndrome and a sibilant S that could be heard from Encino to Toluca Lake. On the phone, with Barbra, he is bringing her up to speed on Jon’s doings. He is also a gossipy little snitch. It is his only scene. His raison d’etre is to give the audience a cheap laugh. He is the pathetic fag with no backstory and no character arc. He is “played” by Sia’s choreographer Ryan Heffington – shame on you Ryan.
“Vanishing Point” and “The Eiger Sanction”
Growing up gay in the seventies and eighties, I had to steel myself for moments like this in every movie I saw. And from “Vanishing Point” (1971) to “A Touch of Class” (1973) to “Mandingo” (1975) to “The Eiger Sanction” (1975) to “Teen Wolf” (1985) to “Once Bitten” (1985) with its haunting refrain “Fag Alert – fags in the shower, fags in the shower”, the degradation just kept coming. It had been a while, but Mr. Anderson brought it all back.
“Punch Drunk Love”
And this is not the first time. For some reason, Anderson has a bit of a fixation with same-sex attraction. In his 2002 movie “Punch Drunk Love”, Adam Sandler’s character must endure the slings and arrows of his family calling him a fag at every opportunity.
Other Gay Characters
To be fair, there are other gay characters, real and imagined, in this movie. It being 1973, they are all in the closet, but they are treated with sympathy and respect. However, this disparity only makes the earlier display appear even more egregious.
Maya Rudolph
It is also interesting to compare Anderson’s careless take on the vicissitudes of queer life and the carefully calibrated career of his partner Maya Rudolph who is half-Black (her mother was the great Minnie Riperton). Would Anderson dream of insulting Black people like he insults gays in this carefree, shaggy dog look at seventies California? I don’t think so.
I could have stayed for the Q&A
After the screening, there was a Q&A with Anderson and his cast. I could have stayed and asked him what in God’s name was he thinking and what was he trying to achieve in those 2 minutes. But I was just too disgusted and upset. I could not even look him in the eye.
you had a chance to address your questions and concerns directly, a rare opportunity for most…instead, you chose to complain on the internet, a not-uncommon occurrence. you are part of the problem.
Thank you for your very astute comment. I agree 100%. I was in the right place at the right time and I did nothing about it. I could have gotten some insight into why I had to suffer through so many “Vanishing Points” through my years of movie watching. A wasted opportunity and one that may not come again.