Five Easy Pieces (1970)

Five Easy Pieces
Directed by Bob Rafelson
Written by Carole Eastman (as Adrien Joyce); story by Eastman and Rafelson
1970/US
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

Palm Apodaca: Fantastic that you could figure that all out and lie that down on her so you could come up with a way to get your toast. Fantastic!
Bobby: Yeah, well, I didn’t get it, did I?

Bobby (Jack Nicholson) comes from an upper-class family, all of whose members seem to be classical concert musicians.  Bobby was raised to become a concert pianist.  He has now dropped-out and is traveling around picking up the odd oil rig job, drinking and hanging out with friends from the trailer park.  He barely tolerates his needy, waitress girlfriend Rayette (very touchingly played by Karen Black) but cannot seem to break up with her.  He is angry at his life and at the entire world.  He has an explosive temper but seems to be imploding at the same time.

Bobby’s father, the unquestioned patriarch of his family, has become paralyzed and speechless from a stroke.  He gives in to his sister’s pleas and pays a visit to the old man.He arrives with Rayette in tow and then ditches her in a motel.  He proceeds to fall in love with his brother’s girlfriend Catherine (Susan Anspach) and begins a slightly crazed pursuit.  Catherine isn’t having any.  Bobby is as angry and out of control with his family as previously.  What is wrong with Bobby?  With Sally Struthers as a good-time girl.

Jack Nicholson is the quentissential American angry young man in a break-out performance.  He is really in his prime as an actor.   Karen Black is equally fabulous and I had forgot all about Susan Ansbach. She is excellent here. It’s a well-made film with a sharp script and well worth seeing. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what exactly was making Nicholson’s character so angry, unhappy and explosive and never really did. A mental illness? Modern life? Feeling of inadequacy as a pianist? Dysfunctional family?  Any way, the movie works well as a character study.

Five Easy Pieces was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Picture; Best Actor; Best Supporting Actress (Black) and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced.

Re-release trailer