Licorice Pizza Is Blatantly Racist, Says Anonymous Oscar Voter
An anonymous Oscar voter calls Licorice Pizza "blatantly racist." Released late last year, the coming-of-age film is the latest work from Paul Thomas Anderson, the incomparable auteur behind modern classics like Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and There Will Be Blood. Licorice Pizza has been met with similar acclaim, garnering three nominations at this weekend's Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Directing, and Best Picture. PTA has been nominated for a total of 11 Oscars over his career, though he has never won.
Though Licorice Pizza has been met with glowing reception from critics and audiences alike, it has been criticized for two scenes which include anti-Asian sentiments. The scenes in question involve a character named Jerry Frick, a white businessman played by John Michael Higgins, who speaks to two different Japanese wives (played by Yumi Mizui and Megumi Anjo) with a stereotypically fake Asian accent. There is an additional joke where Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) mistakes Jerry's second wife for his first, not realizing he has remarried. These elements have sparked controversy, including an Asian activist group which called for a boycott of the film.
Related: Licorice Pizza Cast & Character Guide
Now, an unnamed member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the latest to speak out against Licorice Pizza's questionable elements. The anonymous Oscar voter shared their thoughts on this year's nominations via THR,andthey didn't mince words when it came to PTA's latest film, saying "I hated Licorice Pizza" and later went on to call it a "blatant, unnecessarily racist" movie. Read the voter's full comments below:
I hated Licorice Pizza. It was probably the best directed interpretation
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