Back home

Five Easy Pieces

567 votes

Producing House

Robert Dupea spends his days doing various odd jobs, drinking and womanizing until an encounter with his sister makes him revisit his past.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 1970-09-12

Runtime: 98 mins

Director: Bob Rafelson

Spoken language: English

Genres: Drama

Original title: Five Easy Pieces

Production Companies: BBS Productions, Columbia Pictures

Production Countries: United States of America

Reviews

G

Geronimo1967
“Bobby” (Jack Nicholson) is a talented pianist from a successful family of musicians who has spurned the easy life and adopted a grifting existence working construction where he can and when he needs to. That itinerant life suits him. He is a man who seeks casual fun and who shuns any sort of commitment to his gal, to other people, or even to himself. Gradually he begins to become a little disaffected with his choices in life and with the emptiness it has left him with, and so returns to the family home where he discovers his dad has suffered from a few seizures. This new state of affairs compels “Bobby” to finally start to put a few things into perspective. It’s been three years since his last visit home and so, naturally, he is not the only one with reconciling to do - and there are a few at home who don’t quite have forgiveness first upon their lips. The question for everyone here is whether or not there can be any catharsis or is it all just too dyed in the wool. This is, for my money, the best effort Nicholson ever presented on screen. Coupled with some really quite poignant writing and paced at times as if it were a fly-on-the-wall documentary, we see a man about whom we probably couldn’t have cared less at the start expose his flaws, demons and humanity - and even then, there’s still a distinct possibility we won’t care. It’s good to see Ralph Waite - forever “John Walton” - take on a much more substantial and nuanced role as “Carl” and on that front, plaudits also have to go for an emotionally charged effort from Karen Black’s “Rayette” - the long-suffering girlfriend whom you frequently wonder shouldn’t just drop him like an hot brick. The soundtrack also plays quite a powerful role in this film with a sensitive mix of predominately country music ballads paired with some of the finest pieces of classical piano works - supposedly emanating from “Bobby” and from his sister “Partita” (Lois Smith). Essentially, it is a coming of age story only this one isn’t so much about in the traditional vein of loved-up hormones, more about adulthood and growing up by a man who lives in an uncomfortably claustrophobic world largely of his own choosing.
2025-07-16

Recommendations

Daisy Miller
3.1

Daisy Miller

1974-05-22

Despite mixed emotions, Frederick Winterbourne tries to figure out the bright and bubbly Daisy Mille

The Two of Us
0

The Two of Us

2010-09-24

Jana and Andreas' romantic getaway leads them directly to a marriage crisis

Childish Things
5

Childish Things

2025-07-13

A 30-year-old musician questions his resolve to marry his longtime girlfriend when he meets a free-s

Road to Perdition
3.7

Road to Perdition

2002-07-12

Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figur

Djeli, a Modern Tale
2.8

Djeli, a Modern Tale

1981-01-02

Kramoko Kouyate, son of a griot, cannot marry Fanta who is of noble blood. In flashback, the film ex

Frankie and Johnny
3.4

Frankie and Johnny

1991-10-11

When Johnny is released from prison following a forgery charge, he quickly lands a job as a short-or

Sacramento
3

Sacramento

2025-04-11

When free-spirited Rickey suddenly reappears in father-to-be Glenn’s life, the two former best frien

Kikujiro
3.8

Kikujiro

1999-06-05

Brash, loudmouthed and opportunistic, Kikujiro is the unlikely companion for Masao who is determined

The Way of the Gun
3.2

The Way of the Gun

2000-09-08

Two criminal drifters without sympathy get more than they bargained for after kidnapping and holding

Jules and Jim
3.8

Jules and Jim

1962-01-23

In the carefree days before World War I, introverted Austrian author Jules strikes up a friendship w

Last Days
2.8

Last Days

2005-06-12

The life and struggles of a notorious rock musician seeping into a pit of loneliness whose everyday

Night Swimming
2.1

Night Swimming

2005-07-03

A night in the woods, and its aftermath, helps Otter with a major life decision. He's a high school

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
3.6

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

1998-05-22

Raoul Duke and his attorney Dr. Gonzo drive a red convertible across the Mojave desert to Las Vegas

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
3.7

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

1992-06-03

In the questionable town of Deer Meadow, Washington, FBI Agent Desmond inexplicably disappears while

James Dean
3.4

James Dean

2001-08-04

The man behind the legend and a knowing look at 1950s Hollywood are revealed in this dynamic biopic

Breakdown
3.5

Breakdown

1997-05-02

On their cross-country drive, a married couple, Jeff and Amy Taylor, experience car trouble after th

They Shot the Piano Player
3.2

They Shot the Piano Player

2023-10-06

New York, 2010. Jeff Harris, a music journalist, sets out to uncover the truth about Francisco Tenór

Ana
3.2

Ana

2020-01-03

Ana meets Rafa in a chance encounter and they embark on a road trip to try and save him from bankrup

The Trip
0

The Trip

2024-02-28

At the pointy end of a situationship and a sexuality crisis, Georgia and Jake are stuck on the side

Gordon Family Tree
2.5

Gordon Family Tree

2013-01-01

Freemont Gordon isn't passionate about his successful job as an architect in Los Angeles. After turn