Review of Five Easy Pieces (1970) by Daryl R — 22 Mar 2010

"Five Easy Pieces" is really a well made movie. It seems like it's in it's one little genre. For me, it was one of the first films that dealt with the low self-estime, and trying to live with yourself. It's an innovative movie to say the least.

Jack Nicholson plays a man who seems to not be satisfied with anything. He leaves a world of musical integrity, and runs away to an oil rig. He doesn't seem to know how to find himself. When he learns that his father has had a stroke, he takes his girlfriend (if that's what you want to call her) up to Washington. There he learns what he has been missing for the past few years, and relearns what he already knew. As I said before this movie is extremely important for cinema.

But why was this movie so important for cinema? Here's why. Before this movie was released, films around this type were completely different. Maybe people would like to see someone that they could relate to. Maybe they would like to see someone who has problems dealing with himself. Maybe they would like to see someone who isn't satisfied. This movie is just that. It brings in the fact that maybe someone can be like that in a Hollywood film.

Basically rewording it, "Five Easy Pieces" has a great sense of realism. Sometimes stories like this don't always have a happy ending. In this particular movie it's hard for Nicholson to find himself, and you don't really see it happen. You just see the struggle that is occurring inside of him. This isn't a feel-good movie, and it's not overly dramatic, rather, it's a simple story that a lot of people can relate to mainly because it has such raw human emotion.

The witty jokes, comments, and remarks that all of the characters make are all a result of amazing writing. It's purely original and it's always great to see that.

In today's world, this movie would be considered predictable. But in 1970, this movie was anything but that. Like I said before, this movie is one of the most important films of our time. Jack Nicholson does a fantastic job, and the performance that he gives will be remembered for a long time. It was wonderfully executed, and watching the growing conflict in Nicholson is a truly an amazing achievement in it's own. "Five Easy Pieces" is great.