In 1969, Jack Nicholson was already starting out in the movie industry. He had just done several motion pictures, starring in supporting roles. Some of them were the original Little Shop of Horrors and Easy Rider. Audiences by 1969 already knew who he was and what he stands for. In Easy Rider, he played a drunken Southern lawyer with a good heart, who hitched a ride with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda on their motorcycle trip. But in 1970, Nicholson took on a role that would propel him not only toward the Academy Awards, but to movie audiences again with his leading role in Five Easy Pieces.
In Five Easy Pieces, Nicholson plays Robert "Bobby" Dupea, a man who's a oil rigger at day and a free-wheeler at night. He spends much of his time in the oil fields and goes in and out of motels and bowling alleys with friends at night. Earler in his life, he was a piano prodigy and was raised by his parents who admired piano-playing. But, times have change. Nowadays, Dupea works constantly, trying to make his life better by sticking to his job. His friends encourages him to live the good life. But, to Bobby's point of view, his words isn't getting him nowhere. His girlfriend, (Karen Black), does her best to keep him out of trouble, but her relationship with Bobby soon start to crumble as his lifestyle of free-wheeling grows too much for her to handle. One day, Dupea receives word from his mother that his father had suffered two strokes and as a result, can't talk nor walk anymore. Devastated, Bobby decides to take his girlfriend to Puget Sound, which is in British Columbia. Along the way, they pick up two lebsian hitchhikers, who joined them on their ride to Washington. Little while on, Bobby drops them off and continue on with his trip. Once Dupea gets to Puget Sound, he tries to make amends to his deserted family, but realizes that it might be too late.
Nicholson gives, what I think, a stand-out performance. Here's a character who is very different from the other characters that he would portrayed in his later films. Dupea is a angry, young man who doesn't know what he wants out of life. Another thing to point about Nicholoson's character is the dedication of the blue-collar worker. The movie illustrates a certain time frame in America, where anguish and rebellion were common. Nicholson was the right actor to play this person. The director or even the screenwriters would've thought that by casting an younger actor into this picture might make the audience identify with this person.
There's one classic scene that explains entirely the attitude of Nicholson's character. At a diner that is located on a interstate highway, Nicholoson tries to order a breakfast with a substitution. When he can't get what he wanted, he goes out of his way to get exactly what he wants. That scene, while it's classic in every way, tells us that this character is a man who will not obey the rules to society and will do whatever he wants to do. Even with Nicholoson playing out that scene with Karen Black and the two hitchhikers. I think it is clear that no other actor would've play out that scene if it wasn't for Nicholoson's anger. that's why I think he was one of the biggest emerging stars in Hollywood at that time. He is a actor that will do things differently and opposite and as soon as he changes the game, he can be satisfied with what he wants.
Besides Nicholson, Karen Black does a terrific job, playing Nicholoson's dim-witted waitress girlfriend. For her character to work, she acts like an attachment to Dupea. She is sort of the glue that sticks and keeps together the relationship. But as the film progresses on, we sense early on that their relationship might not last for long. Even after watching this movie for the first time, I got a sense that the running theme of loneliness that applies directly toward the Karen Black's character. In the beginning of the movie, she is alone in her house while Bobby is working on the oil fields. In the end, she finds herself alone again, except that it would probably means that this will be the last time.
For me, examining cinema has been a favorite of mine. Movies from the 70's were really about the 70's themselves. After seeing Five Easy Pieces, I knew that this movie would open up the gates of New Hollywood. because of that, new directors especially Bob Rafelson, who directed directed this movie, had the ability to direct what he wanted to see. I feel as if with the upcoming movies that came later in the 1970's, movie audiences were seeing flesh and blood characters being portrayed on the big screen. I might sound like the kind of guy that said that they make don't movies like this anymore, but in the case of Five Easy Pieces, that's an exception. ★★★★ 4 stars.
In Five Easy Pieces, Nicholson plays Robert "Bobby" Dupea, a man who's a oil rigger at day and a free-wheeler at night. He spends much of his time in the oil fields and goes in and out of motels and bowling alleys with friends at night. Earler in his life, he was a piano prodigy and was raised by his parents who admired piano-playing. But, times have change. Nowadays, Dupea works constantly, trying to make his life better by sticking to his job. His friends encourages him to live the good life. But, to Bobby's point of view, his words isn't getting him nowhere. His girlfriend, (Karen Black), does her best to keep him out of trouble, but her relationship with Bobby soon start to crumble as his lifestyle of free-wheeling grows too much for her to handle. One day, Dupea receives word from his mother that his father had suffered two strokes and as a result, can't talk nor walk anymore. Devastated, Bobby decides to take his girlfriend to Puget Sound, which is in British Columbia. Along the way, they pick up two lebsian hitchhikers, who joined them on their ride to Washington. Little while on, Bobby drops them off and continue on with his trip. Once Dupea gets to Puget Sound, he tries to make amends to his deserted family, but realizes that it might be too late.
Nicholson gives, what I think, a stand-out performance. Here's a character who is very different from the other characters that he would portrayed in his later films. Dupea is a angry, young man who doesn't know what he wants out of life. Another thing to point about Nicholoson's character is the dedication of the blue-collar worker. The movie illustrates a certain time frame in America, where anguish and rebellion were common. Nicholson was the right actor to play this person. The director or even the screenwriters would've thought that by casting an younger actor into this picture might make the audience identify with this person.
There's one classic scene that explains entirely the attitude of Nicholson's character. At a diner that is located on a interstate highway, Nicholoson tries to order a breakfast with a substitution. When he can't get what he wanted, he goes out of his way to get exactly what he wants. That scene, while it's classic in every way, tells us that this character is a man who will not obey the rules to society and will do whatever he wants to do. Even with Nicholoson playing out that scene with Karen Black and the two hitchhikers. I think it is clear that no other actor would've play out that scene if it wasn't for Nicholoson's anger. that's why I think he was one of the biggest emerging stars in Hollywood at that time. He is a actor that will do things differently and opposite and as soon as he changes the game, he can be satisfied with what he wants.
Besides Nicholson, Karen Black does a terrific job, playing Nicholoson's dim-witted waitress girlfriend. For her character to work, she acts like an attachment to Dupea. She is sort of the glue that sticks and keeps together the relationship. But as the film progresses on, we sense early on that their relationship might not last for long. Even after watching this movie for the first time, I got a sense that the running theme of loneliness that applies directly toward the Karen Black's character. In the beginning of the movie, she is alone in her house while Bobby is working on the oil fields. In the end, she finds herself alone again, except that it would probably means that this will be the last time.
For me, examining cinema has been a favorite of mine. Movies from the 70's were really about the 70's themselves. After seeing Five Easy Pieces, I knew that this movie would open up the gates of New Hollywood. because of that, new directors especially Bob Rafelson, who directed directed this movie, had the ability to direct what he wanted to see. I feel as if with the upcoming movies that came later in the 1970's, movie audiences were seeing flesh and blood characters being portrayed on the big screen. I might sound like the kind of guy that said that they make don't movies like this anymore, but in the case of Five Easy Pieces, that's an exception. ★★★★ 4 stars.