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Five Easy Pieces

Play trailer Poster for Five Easy Pieces R,  1970,  1h 36m,  Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Stream Now Watchlist 89% 56 Reviews Tomatometer 84% 10,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
89% Tomatometer 56 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Rejecting his cultured upper-class background as a classical pianist, Robert Dupea (Jack Nicholson) opts for a blue-collar existence, working in a California oil field and spending time with his waitress girlfriend, Rayette (Karen Black). But when Robert discovers that his father is gravely ill, he wants to reunite with his estranged family in the state of Washington. He and Rayette take a road trip that brings the two paths of his life to an uncomfortable intersection.
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Five Easy Pieces

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Critics Consensus

An important touchstone of the New Hollywood era, Five Easy Pieces is a haunting portrait of alienation that features one of Jack Nicholson's greatest performances.

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Critics Reviews

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Edward Guthmann San Francisco Chronicle Mar 4, 2019
4/4
If the function of art is to help an audience feel less alone, then Five Easy Pieces succeeds beautifully. Go to Full Review
Andrew Sarris Village Voice Nov 18, 2017
A very modern film. Elliptical, absurdist, harshly humorous, convulsively lyrical. Go to Full Review
Noel Murray The Dissolve Jul 1, 2015
5/5
Director Bob Rafelson attempts something unusual here, making a film that's subtle about its meaning without ever ranging into the pretentiously oblique or merely ambiguous. Go to Full Review
Michael Calleri Niagara Gazette May 16, 2026
The exceptional film is not merely about the family you discover after you leave home. It is also about the family you left behind. Life has a way of connecting them to each other. The extraordinary "Five Easy Pieces" shows us why this is important. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Dec 8, 2025
3.5/4
A new kind of picture even for its era. Jack Nicholson's performance still stands as one of his greatest. Go to Full Review
Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm Jul 11, 2025
3/4
... wants us to feel complicated about Bobby, but only to a certain degree. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Abraham S Mar 17, 2019 bored to tears watching this thing, whats so special about it?
Han R Feb 22, 2019 Five easy Pieces, displays a intriguing drama that is greatly supported by Jack Nicholson.
Theodore G Aug 18, 2018 Easy Rider's little brother.
Han M May 20, 2018 **** "You have no love for yourself, no love for family, for friends--how can you ask for love?" 'Five Easy Pieces' is really quite a special kind of movie. It's dated - but not in the sense such a phrase is usually associated with. It's not that it doesn't hold up, or that its quality suffers, it's that it represents and defines a period of history that, to a certain extent, no longer exists. Much like Tennessee William's classic play 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (of which this movie reminded me of a lot), 'Five Easy Pieces' is a fascinating study of two opposing America's - two opposing ideologies, fighting each other to try and survive. Bobby Dupea, played in typically excellent fashion by Jack Nicholson, is representative of these two ways of life - he fits neither of them. Born from an upper-middle class family, he rejected his roots and his planned future and became an Oil Well Rigger in the oil fields of California, married to a waitress who he not much cares for. He cheats on her with other women, some of a similar background, another of a very different background far closer to his original upbringing. In this fight between the old America and the new, Bobby can't find a place in either. This, in turn, is what feeds his characterisation - aggressive and downbeat one moment, energetic and emotional the next. He doesn't like his partner, but can't bring himself to get rid of her either. He doesn't like his family, yet breaks down at his perceived feeling of disappointment and failure in their eyes. He can't seem to love anyone. It's a fascinating character study that, despite not having any form of focused narrative, acts as an onlookers perception of his sprawling, chaotic life. The beautiful direction and cinematography, the iconic Tammy Wynette music and excellent performances from the entire cast all elevate the material even further, allowing the film to capture an unpredictable, transformative period in history with pure grace and elegance. See more
Draco P Feb 8, 2018 A classic with one of Nicholson's best performances.
Albus S Nov 25, 2017 Hailed as the quintessential film of the American New Wave, Bob Rafelson's portraiture of self-loathing and estrangement epitomized by a transient drifter is supposedly motivated by a Nixon-era counterculturalism. See more
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Five Easy Pieces

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Five Easy Pieces

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - Hold the Chicken Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - Hold the Chicken 1:39 Now Playing Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - No Inner Feeling Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - No Inner Feeling 1:55 Now Playing Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - You Pompous Celibate! Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - You Pompous Celibate! 2:01 Now Playing Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - Betty & Twinky Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - Betty & Twinky 1:26 Now Playing Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - I'm Fine Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - I'm Fine 2:12 Now Playing Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - Half a Conversation Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - Half a Conversation 2:11 Now Playing Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - The Easiest Piece Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - The Easiest Piece 2:11 Now Playing View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Rejecting his cultured upper-class background as a classical pianist, Robert Dupea (Jack Nicholson) opts for a blue-collar existence, working in a California oil field and spending time with his waitress girlfriend, Rayette (Karen Black). But when Robert discovers that his father is gravely ill, he wants to reunite with his estranged family in the state of Washington. He and Rayette take a road trip that brings the two paths of his life to an uncomfortable intersection.
Director
Bob Rafelson
Producer
Richard Wechsler, Bob Rafelson
Screenwriter
Carole Eastman, Bob Rafelson
Distributor
Columbia Pictures, Criterion Collection
Production Co
BBS Productions, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 12, 1970, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Runtime
1h 36m
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