Five Easy Pieces is a hugely influential and acclaimed film that can sometimes get lost in the discussion of great American films. The 1970 drama introduced Jack Nicholson as a leading man, playing a former concert pianist now living a blue-collar life. When he gets word his father is ill, he heads back to his upper-middle-class home along with his waitress girlfriend.
Though a simple story, the film has become a touchstone in American filmmaking and a prime example of some of the greatest work being produced at this time. If you haven’t seen it or haven’t seen it in a while, it’s well worth seeking out. Here are some of the reasons Five Easy Pieces is an American classic.
Alienation
One of the main themes of the film is alienation and it captures that idea in such a unique and powerful way. Bob Dupea (Jack Nicholson) is not alone. He has a long-term girlfriend, he hangs out with his best friend at work all day, and he picks up random women when he’s bored.
However, he feels alienated from the world around him. He doesn’t feel like he fits in with any of it and thus lives a generally unhappy existence. Alienation being presented in this way was new in Hollywood but represented a feeling many people at this time were feeling.
Jack Nicholson’s Performance
Jack Nicholson is without a doubt one of the greatest actors to have ever lived. From The Shining to Chinatown to Batman to As Good as it Gets, his great performances are too many to name. Five Easy Pieces was his first shot at a leading role in a big movie and he certainly showed his talents.
Nicholson shows off a lot of the things that would make him such a fascinating actor in the future. He is funny and charming while also displaying a bad boy edge and a sense of danger. However, he also shows more vulnerability than he has in most of his more famous roles.
Class Division
The film really shares the voice of a generation, echoing many of the issues and complaints people in the early 70s had. As the hippie culture was beginning to fade away, there was still a divide between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’.
The movie deals with this class division in an interesting way with Bob being a part of both worlds. He walked away from that privileged life years earlier, but he returns to it quite easily and even feels embarrassed by his less-cultured girlfriend. But when he sees that pomposity in others, it angers him to the point of lashing out.
Karen Black
In terms of the performances in the film, Nicholson gets most of the attention, but it’s hard to ignore Karen Black as his girlfriend Rayette. At first glance, Rayette could be seen as comic relief or a simple ditsy girlfriend role. However, Black brings a lot to the role and makes her more complex.
She is in love with Bob, and although she can be oblivious at times, she’s not blind to the kind of guy he really is. She is a funny, frustrating and memorable character that adds a little more richness to the film.
Rebellion
Another big topic of the time this movie was made was the idea of fighting against the establishment. Again, despite Bob’s privileged past, he seems eager to stand up for the little guy and push back against those in power.
This can also be seen of the hitchhikers they pick on their road trip up who are obsessed with ‘filth’. That notion of being so unhappy with the state of society around you was not something you saw in movies up until that point. Voicing such displeasure and the desire to escape it was a refreshingly honest idea.
The Diner Scene
Certainly, the most iconic moment in this movie is the infamous diner scene. When Bob and his road trip companions stop at a diner to eat, Bob has a hard time with the stubborn waitress. After being told he can’t order a side of toast, Bob orders a toasted chicken sandwich, hold the chicken.
It is another brilliant example of the rebellious nature of Bob. He likely doesn’t care that much about the toast but is going through the motions simply because he is being told he can’t do something. Even those who have never seen the movie likely have heard reference to this amazing scene.
The Homecoming
We are introduced to Bob in his blue-collar life. He is unhappy in his job, his relationship and seems completely directionless. Then comes word of his sick father and he decides to return home. As an audience, we assume that he will find answers and solace in this journey.
What is brilliant about the movie is how this section of the story subverts your expectations. We slowly realize this is just another place Bob has runaway from in his life. Even his final talk with his father isn’t forgiving his father for mistreating him, but rather Bob apologizing.
New Hollywood
The era of New Hollywood was a massive movement that changed American filmmaking forever. Many point to Easy Rider as the beginning of this period when Hollywood began moving away from the old studio system and began taking more risks.
Younger filmmakers began to emerge as unique voices who got the opportunity to tell complex stories that Hollywood would never have made a decade earlier. Five Easy Pieces came in the early days of the movement and perfectly encapsulates it. It focuses on character over plot and isn’t afraid to show us a lead character who is not easy to like.
The Piano Scene
Another very powerful scene comes late in the film as Bob is home at his family’s estate. As he is getting to know his brother’s fiancé, Catherine, she asks him to play a piece on the piano. He does and it moves Catherine very much only for him to dismiss it as the easiest piece he could think of.
This is a very interesting moment for the character of Bob. Did he really thoughtlessly pick an easy piece out of laziness and indifference, or did he pick a piece that meant something to him as a child but refuses to acknowledge its importance?
The Ending
The movie doesn’t find the easy answers for Bob that the audience was hoping for. He leaves his family’s estate feeling no better about his life then he did before. As he and Rayette stop for gas, Bob meets a log truck driver and decides to join him as Rayette is in the washroom.
Once again, Bob leaves everything behind, seeking out something else but not knowing what it is. Without a jacket to handle the cold northern weather, Bob refuses the trucker’s offer to use his spare coat. Bob is willing to leave, he feels he doesn’t deserve to be happy.
