Five Easy Pieces

This article is about the 1970 film. For other uses, seeFive Easy Pieces (disambiguation).

Five Easy Pieces
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Bob Rafelson
Screenplay by	Adrien Joyce
Story by	Bob Rafelson Adrien Joyce
Produced by	Bob Rafelson Richard Wechsler
Starring	Jack Nicholson Karen Black Susan Anspach
Cinematography	László Kovács
Edited by	Christopher Holmes Gerald Shepard
Production company	BBS Productions
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release dates	September 11, 1970(1970-09-11)(New York Film Festival) September 12, 1970(1970-09-12)(New York)
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.6 million
Box office	$18.1 million

Karen Black as Rayette

Five Easy Piecesis a 1970 Americanroaddramafilmdirected byBob Rafelson,written by Rafelson andCarole Eastman(as Adrien Joyce), and starringJack Nicholson,Karen Black,Susan Anspach,Lois Smith,andRalph Waite.The film tells the story of surlyoil rigworker Bobby Dupea (Nicholson), whose rootlessblue-collarexistence belies his privileged youth as a pianoprodigy.When Bobby learns that his father is dying, he travels to his family home inWashingtonto visit him, taking along his uncouth girlfriend (Black).

The film was nominated for fourAcademy Awardsand fiveGolden Globe Awards,and was inducted into theNational Film Registryof theLibrary of Congressin 2000, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot

Bobby Dupea works in an oil field inKern County, California.He spends most of his time with his girlfriend Rayette, a waitress who has dreams of singing country music, or with fellow oil worker Elton, with whom he bowls, gets drunk, and philanders.

When Bobby gets Rayette pregnant and Elton is arrested, Bobby quits his job and goes to Los Angeles, where his sister Partita is making a classical piano recording. She tells Bobby, who was once also a pianist, that their father has suffered twostrokes,and urges him to reconcile with the family at their home inWashington.

Rayette threatens to kill herself if Bobby leaves her, so he reluctantly asks her along. Driving north, they pick up Terry and Palm, two stranded women headed for Alaska. The latter launches into a monologue about the evils ofconsumerism.The four are thrown out of a diner after Bobby argues with an obstinate waitress over his order. Bobby drops off Terry and Palm when they get to Washington.

Ashamed to introduce Rayette to his upper-class family, Bobby registers her in a motel before driving alone to the family home on an island inPuget Sound.He finds Partita giving their father a haircut; the old man seems completely oblivious to him. At dinner, Bobby meets Catherine Van Oost, a young pianist studying under and engaged to his amiable brother Carl, a violinist. Despite personality differences, Catherine and Bobby are immediately attracted to each other. Learning that Bobby was once a pianist, she asks him to play for her. She is moved by his rendition ofFrédéric Chopin'sPrelude, Op. 28, No. 4,but Bobby dismisses her, insisting that he played with "no inner feeling". Angered by Bobby's rejection, she leaves, but he follows after her and they have sex in her room.

Rayette runs out of money at the motel and comes to the Dupea estate unannounced. Her presence creates an awkward situation, but when intellectual family friend Samia Glavia ridicules her, Bobby comes to her defense. Storming out of the room in search of Catherine, he discovers his father's male nurse giving Partita a sensual massage. He picks a fight with the nurse, who easily subdues him.

Bobby tries to persuade Catherine to go away with him, but she declines, telling him he cannot ask for love when he does not love himself, or anything at all. After tearfully confessing his regrets to his unresponsive father, Bobby leaves for California with Rayette. Shortly into the trip, they stop for gas and coffee; while Rayette's view is obstructed, Bobby hitches a ride on a truck headed north.

Cast

• Jack Nicholsonas Robert "Bobby" Eroica Dupea
• Karen Blackas Rayette Dipesto
• Susan Anspachas Catherine Van Oost
• Lois Smithas Partita Dupea
• Ralph Waiteas Carl Fidelio Dupea
• Billy "Green" Bushas Elton
• Irene Daileyas Samia Glavia
• Toni Basilas Terry Grouse
• Helena Kallianiotesas Palm Apodaca
• William Challeeas Nicholas Dupea
• John Ryanas Spicer
• Fannie Flaggas Stoney
• Marlena MacGuire as Twinky
• Sally Ann Struthersas Shirley "Betty"
• Lorna Thayeras Waitress
• Richard Stahlas Recording Engineer

Production

While the film's earlier scenes were shot inCalifornia,the majority was filmed in thePacific Northwest.Filming primarily occurred onVancouver IslandinBritish Columbia,with additional photography occurring inFlorenceandPortland, Oregon.The diner sequence, in which Robert pesters an obstinate waitress, was filmed at aDenny'salongInterstate 5nearEugene, Oregon.ScreenwriterCarole Eastmanbased the scene on a real incident she witnessed at Pupi's Bakery and Sidewalk Café in Los Angeles,where an aggrieved Jack Nicholson pushed all the plates and cups off of a table, and on Rafelson frequently asking for substitutions at restaurants.

To prepare for his role, Jack Nicholson undertook piano lessons from Polish concert pianist Josef Pacholczyk.

In 2022,Sally Struthersrevealed that directorBob Rafelsoncoerced her into appearing nude on set against her stated wishes, and made a false promise that she would not appear nude in the final cut.

Music

The opening credits list the five classical piano pieces played in the film and referenced in the title. Pearl Kaufman is credited as the pianist.

• Frédéric Chopin,Fantaisie in F minor,Op. 49, played by Bobby on the back of a moving truck
• Johann Sebastian Bach,Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue,BWV 903, played by Partita in a recording studio
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat major,K. 271, played by Carl and Catherine upon Bobby's arrival at the house
• Chopin,Prelude in E minor, Op. 28, No. 4,played by Bobby for Catherine
• Mozart,Fantasy in D minor,K. 397

Also included are four songs sung byTammy Wynette:"Stand by Your Man","D-I-V-O-R-C-E","Don't Touch Me",and" When There's a Fire in Your Heart ".

Release

The film was shown at theNew York Film Festivalon September 11, 1970. It opened commercially on September 12 at the Coronet Theatre in New York.

Box office

"The last sequence is of the finest quality. Bobby decides to leave both girlfriend and family and abandon life entirely...a truck driver gives him a ride to a place where 'it is very cold': the country of death. Rafelson and his cameramanLászló Kovácsfix the scene in our minds forever: the filling station and its discreet restroom; the grey surrounding buildings; the dripping autumnal vegetation of the Pacific Northwest; the parked truck waiting to go to Alaska; the face of Nicholson, already aging and filled with premonitory shadows, fixed behind the windshield. Religion, love and family have all failed to work, leaving absolutely nothing at the end but a journey to nowhere. "—BiographerCharles HighaminThe Art of the American Cinema: 1900-1971.

In the film's opening weekend at the Coronet, it grossed $10,476.It grossed $36,710 in its first week.After ten weeks of release, it reachednumber one at the US box office.

The film earned $1.2 million in the United States in 1970.By 1976, it had earned $8.9 million in the United States and Canada.

Critical response

Five Easy Piecesopened to positive reviews. It currently holds an 89% positive rating on online review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes,based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 8.60/10. The site's consensus states: "An important touchstone of theNew Hollywoodera,Five Easy Piecesis a haunting portrait of alienation that features one of Jack Nicholson's greatest performances. "

Roger Ebertgave the film four out of four stars, describing it as "one of the best American films" and "a masterpiece of heartbreaking intensity" and deeming Bobby Dupea "one of the most unforgettable characters in American movies."Ebert named it the best film of 1970, and later added it to his "Great Movies"list.

In a mixed review, criticJohn SimoncriticizedFive Easy Piecesfor its "pretentiousness" but praised the performances of Karen Black, Lois Smith, and Billy Green Bush.

In 2022 retrospective review, Polish writer Jacek Szafranowicz called the film "flawless" and "one of the masterpieces of the New Hollywood era".

Accolades

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	Best Picture	Bob Rafelsonand Richard Wechsler	Nominated
	Best Actor	Jack Nicholson	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress	Karen Black	Nominated
	Best Original Screenplay	Adrien Joyceand Bob Rafelson	Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures	Bob Rafelson	Nominated
Fotogramas de Plata	Best Foreign Movie Performer	Jack Nicholson(also forChinatown)	Won
Golden Globe Awards	Best Motion Picture – Drama		Nominated
	Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama	Jack Nicholson	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture	Karen Black	Won
	Best Director – Motion Picture	Bob Rafelson	Nominated
	Best Screenplay – Motion Picture	Adrien Joyce and Bob Rafelson	Nominated
Kansas City Film Circle Critics Awards	Best Film		Won
Laurel Awards	Best Picture		Nominated
	Top Male Dramatic Performance	Jack Nicholson	Nominated
	Top Female Supporting Performance	Karen Black	Nominated
		Lois Smith	Nominated
	Top Cinematographer	László Kovács	Nominated
	Star of Tomorrow – Female	Susan Anspach	Nominated
		Karen Black	Nominated
Nastro d'Argento	Best Foreign Director	Bob Rafelson	Nominated
National Board of Review Awards	Top Ten Films		4th Place
	Best Supporting Actress	Karen Black	Won
National Film Preservation Board	National Film Registry		Inducted
New York Film Critics Circle Awards	Best Film		Won
	Best Director	Bob Rafelson	Won
	Best Actor	Jack Nicholson	Runner-up
	Best Actress	Karen Black	Runner-up
	Best Supporting Actress		Won
		Lois Smith	Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards	Best Drama – Written Directly for the Screen	Adrien Joyce and Bob Rafelson	Nominated

Home media

On November 16, 1999,Columbia TriStar Home Videoreleased the film on two-sidedDVD-Video,featuring both fullscreen (4:3) andwidescreenformats.

Grover Crisp ofSony Picturesconducted a4Krestoration of the film, which was screened inDCPin 2012.

The film was released on DVD andBlu-raybyThe Criterion Collectionin November 2010 as part of the box setAmerica Lost and Found: The BBS Story.This release includes audio commentary by Rafelson and interior designer Toby Rafelson;Soul Searching in "Five Easy Pieces",a 2009 video piece with Rafelson;BBStory,a 2009 documentary aboutRaybert/BBS Productions,with Rafelson, Nicholson, Black, Burstyn, Peter Bogdanovich, and Henry Jaglom, among others; and audio excerpts from a 1976 AFI interview with Rafelson.On June 30, 2015, the film was released as a stand-alone DVD and Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection.

External links

• Five Easy PiecesatIMDb
• Five Easy Piecesat theTCM Movie Database
• Five Easy PiecesatAllMovie
• Five Easy Piecesat theAFI Catalog of Feature Films
• Five Easy PiecesatRotten Tomatoes
• Culbertson, Andrew (August 1, 2007)."Auspicious Beginnings: Nicholson's Leitmotif in Five Easy Pieces".Bright Lights Film Journal.
• Kenny, Glenn (April 21, 2010)."Five Easy Piecesturns 40 ".Los Angeles Times.
• Jones, Kent (November 25, 2010)."Five Easy Pieces: The Solitude".Essay.Criterion Collection.
• Eagan, Daniel (2010). "Five Easy Pieces".America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry.A&C Black. pp. 667–668.ISBN978-0826429773.