Five Easy Pieces

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Five Easy Pieces

R

Released Sep 12, 1970

1h 36m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

89%

Tomatometer

55 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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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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Edward Guthmann

San Francisco Chronicle

If the function of art is to help an audience feel less alone, then Five Easy Pieces succeeds beautifully.

Rated: 4/4

Mar 4, 2019

Full Review

Andrew Sarris

Village Voice

A very modern film. Elliptical, absurdist, harshly humorous, convulsively lyrical.

Nov 18, 2017

Full Review

Noel Murray

The Dissolve

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.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 1, 2015

Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

... wants us to feel complicated about Bobby, but only to a certain degree.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 11, 2025

Full Review

Fico Cangiano

CineXpress Podcast

Jack Nicholson delivers one of this best performances in James Foley's simplistic, yet powerful and effective character study. A key example of the American New wave. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 4/5

Aug 31, 2023

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

If 'Easy Rider' is the epitaph for the sixties, 'Five Easy Pieces' ushers in the silver age of personal filmmaking in the seventies. It’s a silent scream of alienation and narcissism with a revelatory performance by Nicholson...

Aug 19, 2023

Full Review

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Stephen C

1 hour and 36 minutes of drama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/27/25

Full Review

David Lee K

Five Easy Pieces is a cinematic poem that reverberates with the quiet, inescapable ache of modern loneliness. This 1970 classic transcends the boundaries of narrative cinema to deliver an unflinching portrait of disconnection, alienation, and the elusive search for meaning in a world indifferent to the human soul. It is, without exaggeration, one of the most beautiful, searing explorations of utter existential despair ever captured on film. Jack Nicholson plays Robert Dupea with raw authenticity. Every gesture, every glance, every line of dialogue feels like a window into the hollowed chambers of a fractured spirit. His performance is a tour de force of controlled chaos and suppressed rage, and at the same time it shows in his character a heartbreaking vulnerability. This film deserves nothing less than a perfect 100% rating from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it seems that true artistry often goes unrecognized in our time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/02/25

Full Review

jimmy b

This is one film that should have received a 100% fresh critics' rating.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/03/24

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sf w

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Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/30/24

Full Review

Leaburn O

I just can't stand Jack Nicholson. He's my bete noir of actors. Just his face, his smirk, his voice, I can;t look or listen. I hate him. On top of that this is a meandering piece that I couldn't remotely engage with or care about. It sits on many best films lists but I have no idea why. I was counting down the minutes until it ended. Painful. Watched it on DVD.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/07/24

Full Review

Georgan G

This classic antihero drama is amazing for the acting alone. Leaves me sad & desolate as it ends. I was around in 1970 but had forgotten the impact of this film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/25/24

Full Review

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Bob Rafelson

Director

Jack Nicholson

Robert Eroica Dupea

Karen Black

Rayette Dipesto

Susan Anspach

Catherine Van Oost

Billy Green Bush

Elton

Fannie Flagg

Stoney

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - Hold the Chicken

1:39

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - No Inner Feeling

1:55

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - You Pompous Celibate!

2:01

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - Betty & Twinky

1:26

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - I'm Fine

2:12

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - Half a Conversation

2:11

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - The Easiest Piece

2:11

Five Easy Pieces: Official Clip - Freeway Performance

2:10

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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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