A dropout from upper-class America picks up work along the way on oil rigs when his life isn't spent in a squalid succession of bars, motels, and other points of interest.A dropout from upper-class America picks up work along the way on oil rigs when his life isn't spent in a squalid succession of bars, motels, and other points of interest.A dropout from upper-class America picks up work along the way on oil rigs when his life isn't spent in a squalid succession of bars, motels, and other points of interest.
- Nominated for 4 Oscars
- 11 wins & 23 nominations total
- Elton
- (as Billy 'Green' Bush)
- Betty
- (as Sally Ann Struthers)
- Twinky
- (as Marlena Macguire)
- Spicer
- (as John Ryan)
- Junkie
- (uncredited)
- Baby
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- Trivia"Five Easy Pieces" refers to a book of piano lessons for beginners.
- GoofsWhen Bobby plays the piano for Catherine about three quarters through the movie, the music in front of him is clearly not what he is playing (Chopin's "Prelude in E Minor"). On one hand, this emphasizes his improvisational nature and rejection of the life prescribed to him by his class, but it also shows his musical prowess and memory. He reveals that the song was memorized when he later says "I picked the easiest piece I could think of".
- Quotes
Bobby: I'd like a plain omelette, no potatoes, tomatoes instead, a cup of coffee and wheat toast.
Waitress: [points at his menu] No substitutions.
Bobby: What do you mean? You don't have any tomatoes?
Waitress: Only what's on the menu. You can have a number two, a plain omelette, it comes with cottage fries and rolls.
Bobby: Yeah, I know what it comes with, but it's not what I want.
Waitress: Well, I'll come back when you make up your mind
Bobby: Wait a minute, I have made up my mind. I'd like a plain omelette, no potatoes on the plate, a cup of coffee and a side order of wheat toast.
Waitress: I'm sorry, we don't have any side orders of toast. I'll give you an English muffin or a coffee roll.
Bobby: What do you mean you don't make side orders of toast? You make sandwiches, don't you?
Waitress: Would you like to talk to the manager?
Palm Apodaca: Hey, mac...
Bobby: Shut up.
[to the waitress]
Bobby: You've got bread and a toaster of some kind?
Waitress: I don't make the rules.
Bobby: OK, I'll make it as easy for you as I can. I'd like an omelette, plain, and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast, no mayonnaise, no butter, no lettuce, and a cup of coffee.
Waitress: A number two, a chicken salad sand. Hold the butter, the lettuce, and the mayonnaise, and a cup of coffee. Anything else?
Bobby: Yeah, now all you have to do is hold the chicken, bring me the toast, give me a cheque for the chicken salad sandwich, and you haven't broken any rules.
Waitress: You want me to hold the chicken, huh?
Bobby: I want you to hold it between your knees.
[Palm Apodaca sniggers]
Waitress: [points at a sign behind her] You see that sign, sir? Yes, you'll all have to leave! I'm not taking any more of your smartness and sarcasm!
Bobby: You see this sign?
[he sweeps all the glasses off the table onto the floor]
- ConnectionsFeatured in America at the Movies (1976)
- SoundtracksStand by Your Man
Written by Billy Sherrill (as B. Sherril) & Tammy Wynette (as T. Wynette)
Performed by Tammy Wynette
[Played over the opening titles]
If you are looking for plot, this is not the picture for you. The only remnants of a plot concern Nicholson's father, a distant memory of his previous prestigious lifestyle as a classical pianist, who has fallen sick. Jack decides to visit his family's estate to pay his last respects. This sets the forum of emotional indifference and misery. He hates his old life, which he left to become a construction worker and has taken up with a flighty waitress played brilliantly by Karen Black. He pretends to enjoy this simple way of living, but he treats Black like the trash he considers her to be and could care less about anyone.
Why should anyone see this film? Because Jack Nicholson is one of our greatest actors and he is able to transcend what was put on paper regarding the main character and project raw power and feelings in his own, unique way. The movie is littered with classic scenes, in particular, the chicken salad sandwich scene, one of the funniest I've ever seen. The one I feel that stands out and symbolizes the essence of the film is where Jack plays Chopin in the piano room while Rafelson's camera does a slow 360 around the room, glancing at pictures of his life before he fled from it. It is a perfect mixture of intensity, music, and sadness.
The last scene, which ends so abruptly, makes perfect sense within this context. It leaves us feeling empty and unfulfilled, exactly how Nicholson's character feels. This is what makes this character piece all the more powerful.
- Don-102
- Jan 8, 1999
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Пет лаких комада
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,600,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 38 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1