Five Easy Pieces

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Five Easy Pieces

R

1970

1h 36m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

55 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Rejecting his cultured upper-class background as a classical pianist, Robert Dupea (Jack Nicholson) opts for a blue-collar existence, working in a California oil field and spending time with his waitress girlfriend, Rayette (Karen Black). But when Robert discovers that his father is gravely ill, he wants to reunite with his estranged family in the state of Washington. He and Rayette take a road trip that brings the two paths of his life to an uncomfortable intersection.

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Critics Consensus

An important touchstone of the New Hollywood era, Five Easy Pieces is a haunting portrait of alienation that features one of Jack Nicholson's greatest performances.

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Edward Guthmann

San Francisco Chronicle

03/04/2019

4/4

If the function of art is to help an audience feel less alone, then Five Easy Pieces succeeds beautifully.

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Andrew Sarris

Village Voice

11/18/2017

A very modern film. Elliptical, absurdist, harshly humorous, convulsively lyrical.

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Noel Murray

The Dissolve

07/01/2015

5/5

Director Bob Rafelson attempts something unusual here, making a film that's subtle about its meaning without ever ranging into the pretentiously oblique or merely ambiguous.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Dec 8

3.5/4

A new kind of picture even for its era. Jack Nicholson's performance still stands as one of his greatest.

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Jul 11

3/4

... wants us to feel complicated about Bobby, but only to a certain degree.

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Fico Cangiano

CineXpress Podcast

08/31/2023

4/5

Jack Nicholson delivers one of this best performances in James Foley's simplistic, yet powerful and effective character study. A key example of the American New wave. [Full review in Spanish]

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Luca D

@JoeCamel7 3d

Not a ton of plot or backstory. But otherwise has great acting and characters. Mostly just a loose character study and some decent music and scriptwriting. Jack Nicholson stole the show. Would probably watch again but nothing groundbreaking. Can get kind of monotonous and boring at some points. Ahead of it's time for 1970 though.

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Nano N

@Nanonevol Jan 12

Jack has paid a dear price for low living and the emptiness catvhes up with him in the end. His girlfriend fails to reach him and its so sad for both of them. Aint that America?

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Pam K

Nov 24

We wasted a few hours watching a movie about someone living their life badly. There were no redeeming features. Watch only if you like stories about losers that are going to keep losing.

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Jim W

@TVViews Aug 18

Checked that one off of my Jack Nicholson Film Fest.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 May 27

1 hour and 36 minutes of drama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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David Lee K

02/02/2025

Five Easy Pieces is a cinematic poem that reverberates with the quiet, inescapable ache of modern loneliness. This 1970 classic transcends the boundaries of narrative cinema to deliver an unflinching portrait of disconnection, alienation, and the elusive search for meaning in a world indifferent to the human soul. It is, without exaggeration, one of the most beautiful, searing explorations of utter existential despair ever captured on film. Jack Nicholson plays Robert Dupea with raw authenticity. Every gesture, every glance, every line of dialogue feels like a window into the hollowed chambers of a fractured spirit. His performance is a tour de force of controlled chaos and suppressed rage, and at the same time it shows in his character a heartbreaking vulnerability. This film deserves nothing less than a perfect 100% rating from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it seems that true artistry often goes unrecognized in our time.

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Bob Rafelson

Director

Jack Nicholson

Robert Eroica Dupea

Karen Black

Rayette Dipesto

Susan Anspach

Catherine Van Oost

Billy Green Bush

Elton

Fannie Flagg

Stoney

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - Hold the Chicken

1:39

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - No Inner Feeling

1:55

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - You Pompous Celibate!

2:01

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - Betty & Twinky

1:26

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - I'm Fine

2:12

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - Half a Conversation

2:11

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - The Easiest Piece

2:11

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Synopsis

Rejecting his cultured upper-class background as a classical pianist, Robert Dupea (Jack Nicholson) opts for a blue-collar existence, working in a California oil field and spending time with his waitress girlfriend, Rayette (Karen Black). But when Robert discovers that his father is gravely ill, he wants to reunite with his estranged family in the state of Washington. He and Rayette take a road trip that brings the two paths of his life to an uncomfortable intersection.

Director: Bob Rafelson
Producer: Richard Wechsler, Bob Rafelson
Screenwriter: Carole Eastman, Bob Rafelson
Distributor: Columbia Pictures, Criterion Collection
Production Co: BBS Productions, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 12, 1970, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Runtime: 1h 36m

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