Manny’s: Chronicle Live: Celebrate film critic Mick LaSalle’s (not quite) retirement

The year Mick LaSalle joined the San Francisco Chronicle as a film critic, Marty McFly was careening through time in a silver DeLorean and five archetypal high schoolers were enduring detention together.

For nearly four decades, LaSalle’s writing has been a constant in the Chronicle, extolling ambitious and entertaining films, eviscerating those that fall short, and answering reader questions about everything from the length of reviews to “aging out” of certain genres.

Now, he has decided he’s aging out of a full-time gig. This month, LaSalle is retiring from his role as the Chronicle film critic, and we’re sending him off with a public conversation and celebration!

Join Datebook live at Manny’s from 6-8 p.m. on Dec. 19 for a sendoff party and trivia night in honor of Mick LaSalle. Senior Arts & Entertainment Editor Mariecar Mendoza will sit down with LaSalle to talk about his career, philosophies, and why loyal readers shouldn’t despair too much about his departure. Then, we’ll subject LaSalle — and everyone else — to some light trivia to test his knowledge of movies and his own polished prose. We’ll also take your questions on all things film, Hollywood, and Mick LaSalle.

You’ll hear from:

Mick LaSalle is the film critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, where he has worked since 1985. He is the author of two books on pre-censorship Hollywood, “Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood” and “Dangerous Men: Pre-Code Hollywood and the Birth of the Modern Man.” Both were books of the month on Turner Classic Movies and “Complicated Women” formed the basis of a TCM documentary in 2003, narrated by Jane Fonda. He has written introductions for a number of books, including Peter Cowie’s “Joan Crawford: The Enduring Star” (2009). He has been a panelist at the Berlin and Venice film festivals. His book, “The Beauty of the Real: What Hollywood Can Learn from Contemporary French Actresses,” came out in 2012. His latest book, “Dream State: California in the Movies,” was released in 2021.

Mariecar Mendoza is the senior arts and entertainment editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, where she manages daily coverage of the Bay Area’s vibrant arts scene for Datebook and datebook.sfchronicle.com. Prior to the Chronicle, Mariecar was a features digital editor for the Los Angeles News Group, helping cover major pop culture moments in the region like Coachella and Comic-Con to the Emmys and Oscars. She also worked as a multimedia news reporter for several publications throughout the state.