So, What Kind of Movie Stars Will Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman Turn Out to Be?

When Licorice Pizza opened at the end of 2021, Alana Haim (especially) and Cooper Hoffman sure got gushed over by the critics.

Alana got reviews like "a star is born" and "you can't keep your eyes off her when she is on the screen" and "the knock down, drag out debut of a born star."

I saw one review that said that Hoffman's work was even better than Alana's, but for the most part, he had to take "second seat" and be praised on his charisma and natural abilities.

BOTH of them were praised for being so good in "their very first roles." (A rather backhanded compliment to screen acting, I'd say -- if you're halfway decent you can be "Oscar good" the first time out. Neither was nominated for Oscars, but both COULD have been.)

Each of them came "saddled with another connection," however. Alana Haim was part of the fairly-well known "sister act" Haim -- and both of her sisters, and her heavily accented father, and her silent mother, were given roles in Licorice Pizza, too.

Cooper Hoffman was announced -- in every single review -- as the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, often the collaborator of "Licorice Pizza" writer-director PTA. And some reviewers(and internet fans) remarked that Cooper had some of his father's looks, expressions and physical movements.

I noticed that Alana Haim and PTA took on the brunt of promotion. Cooper Hoffman did far less press and I did watch an interview on video where the interviewer asked him directly about his father's death(from heroin) and he clammed up. PTA jumped in to answer the question.

All these months later, Licorice Pizza has faded out to a DVD release. Alana Haim is in the middle of a tour of Haim(after two years of COVID lockdown) that is covering the United States and Britain. I read one article where an interviewer of Haim on the tour was told that he could NOT ask questions about Licorice Pizza. Why? Too much spotlight on Alana? (Middle sister Danielle is really the leader of the group.) The controversies over the age difference and the Japanese restaurant scenes?

So I wonder: once Alana gets off tour, will she be offered some really good next role? Will Cooper Hoffman be allowed to emerge from his late father's shadow(and powerful roles on stage and screen) and become his own star?

I don't know.

My initial answer is: No. Licorice Pizza had a great script with detailed characters and was directed by its talented writer, who crafted "Alana Kane" FROM Alana Haim (though he made Alana Kane a much more angry and bi-polar woman and recreated the Haim family as a tyrant's fiefdom of stunted women.)

I wonder if the "Haim band" will eventually be Alana Haim's "out" from a movie career. If they become very successful and tour for months on end, Alana won't have TIME to consider movie scripts. And maybe Danielle (she of the very sweet voice and very nice manner in "Licorice Pizza" as Alana's older sister) will have the star shot. The key will be to find a script as good as "Licorize Pizza."

And this: is Alana Haim attractive? Depends on the camera angle. Profile views with the nose aren't very flattering but "face on" with that smile, she can be quite pretty. And as her bikini scene showed, she has a very fit body (indeed, the Haim sisters are touring this year in bikini tops to show off their fitness before age takes it away.)

I don't even know if Cooper Hoffman wants a movie career. I will assume that he is indepently wealthy from his father's inheritance.

Bottom line: both Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman were great -- on their own, away from her band and his family name -- in Licorice Pizza and showed that they could carry a movie.

But once may be enough.

Perhaps a streaming series can take them....a separate series for each of them.