Five Easy Pieces
1970 · Movie · R · 98 min · ★ 7.1 · 87% critics
An oil-rig worker drifts through odd jobs and casual relationships until a visit from his past forces him to reexamine who he is and where he came from. As family tensions surface, his worldview is challenged and his future choices start to feel less certain.
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Details
- Years
- 1970
- Release date
- 1970-09-12
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Critic score
- 87/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.1/10 (595 votes)
- Box office
- $18,099,091
- Budget
- $1,600,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy Five Easy Pieces if you like unsettling, funny character-driven stories with an anti-hero feel; Not for you if you want a clear, modern-friendly message or a more straightforward feel like Easy Rider.
Pros: sharp character study; memorable performances; witty confrontations | Cons: divisive tone; uneven pacing; unclear message
Themes
- musician
- diner
- road trip
- hitchhiker
- drifter
- class differences
- washington state
- oil field
- rebelliousness
Awards & recognition
- Golden Globe Award — Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture · 1970
- National Society of Film Critics Award — Best Supporting Actress · 1970
- New York Film Critics Circle Award — Best Film · 1970
- New York Film Critics Circle Award — Best Director · 1970
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Show all 20 awards →
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 1971 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Actor · 1971 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 1971 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Original Screenplay · 1971 · nominated
- Directors Guild of America Award — Outstanding Directing – Feature Film · 1970 · nominated
- Golden Globe Award — Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama · 1970 · nominated
- Golden Globe Award — Best Screenplay · 1970 · nominated
- Golden Globe Award — Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture · 1970 · nominated
- Golden Globe Award — Best Director · 1970 · nominated
- Golden Globe Award — Best Motion Picture – Drama · 1970 · nominated
- National Society of Film Critics Award — Best Screenplay · 1970 · nominated
- National Society of Film Critics Award — Best Film · 1970 · nominated
- National Society of Film Critics Award — Best Director · 1970 · nominated
- National Society of Film Critics Award — Best Actor · 1970 · nominated
- National Society of Film Critics Award — Best Supporting Actress · 1970 · nominated
Cast & crew
Jack Nicholson
as Robert Eroica Dupea
Karen Black
as Rayette Dipesto
Susan Anspach
as Catherine Van Oost
Lois Smith
as Partita Dupea
Ralph Waite
as Carl Fidelio Dupea
Billy Green Bush
as Elton
Irene Dailey
as Samia Glavia
Toni Basil
as Terry Grouse
Lorna Thayer
as Waitress
Richard Stahl
as Recording Engineer
Directed by Bob Rafelson