Watch Five Easy Pieces For Free

Good concept, poorly executed.

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Absolutely Fantastic

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Robert Eroica Dupea (Jack Nicholson) is an oil rig worker who has a carefree attitude to life, his friends, his job and perhaps more importantly his girlfriend Rayette Dipesto (Karen Black). When Robert learns that his father is ill, he decides to head over and see him and at the same time he takes the opportunity to re-evaluate his life and the meaning of it...I watched this film last year, but was half asleep when I watched it and didn't really pay full attention to it. I gave it a shot again tonight in the hope that fatigue the first time around may have caused me to miss something, but nope I was right the first time. Five Easy Pieces sucks big time!!!!I'm at a loss as to where to begin with the many failings of this film; is it the giant tonal clashes from the first half of the film to the second half of the film??? The first half of the film was... well god knows what?? It was filled with some of the wackiest and most randomly nonsensical acts one could imagine - wackiness and nonsense I can handle if they serve any purpose which they don't really in this film. Then in the second half when Robert visits his dad it becomes more of a sombre mood piece and admittedly this is where the film improves marginally.When watching this film I couldn't help but be reminded slightly of the Michael Caine film called Alfie. In both films, we have a carefree and selfish bed-hopping individual whom only cares for number one. The major difference between the two films is that 'Alfie' was well-written, and the character of Alfie was fleshed out and well-developed and despite his wrongdoing it was possible to gain an understanding of his mind-set which was what really won me over with that film. In Five Easy Pieces you get none of that; Robert is an arrogant and selfish prick who despises his family and friends and goes off on psychotic rampages, but why? What causes him to behave like this? Nothing is ever explained. As a result of this, you get an unhinged crazy-assed Jack Nicholson (he puts on a good show I'll give him that), but to me it was a lot of wasted effort as I was never able to make any kind of connection with his character. The only other part of the film that resonated slightly with me lay with Robert's unrequited love with Cathy; this again mirrors what happened in Alfie and in Five Easy Pieces it's the only time that I felt that I was actually seeing the real Robert.I also felt some sympathy for Rayette - the poor girl seemed to have an IQ that was in single figures and was besotted with Robert and was completely blind to the fact that he didn't reciprocate this feeling. Alright she annoyed the hell out of me at times, but I did feel sorry for that girl.I like a good character study when it's done right, but for me this was nothing more than a boring uninvolving mess. If you want to see this sort of thing done right then watch the original Alfie with Michael Caine (for the record I haven't seen the remake with Jude Law, but I'd wager money on it being worse).

Honestly I did not enjoy this film very much. Its plot is boring to a fault and the acting is just boring and doesn't display much effort. The film itself is directed well enough with only a few weak shots but its just killed by the poor acting. I would not suggest watching this film and I don't enjoy it at all.

Jack Nicholson is one of the world's finest actors who has enjoyed a long and successful career. To 21st century audiences who may not know him from movies other than The Departed, The Bucket List and frequent appearances at Knicks games he was probably one of the most in-demand actors of the 70's and 80's who starred in memorable movie after memorable movie, turning in fantastic performances gaining two academy awards along the way (another in '97). Five Easy Pieces was released one year after his breakthrough performance in 1969's Easy Rider and includes Karen Black and Toni Basil from that film as well and not including Basil earn much meatier roles in FEP. Jack plays Bobby Dupea in this movie, a seemingly tough but sentimental character. His wide acting range is in full display here showcasing lots of emotion and the typical Jack Nicholson fire he is known for. Some key examples to look out for are his interactions with Black who plays his girlfriend, the famous chicken salad sandwich restaurant scene, the bedroom with Susan Anspach and the scene with his father close to the end. The end of that restaurant scene is actually pretty funny .."See this sign ????.." You can see Helena Kallianiotes before it cuts to the next scene try not to break out laughing.While the ending left me in confusion, it didn't ruin the story as a whole. Its always refreshing to check out the early movies that famous movie stars we know today built their careers on and led them on the path to stardom. At one point they were once struggling actors as well. It might just be me but it feels like Leonardo DiCaprio honed a lot of his craft on early Nicholson. Check out this movie and maybe Easy Rider then watch a 2005-present Leo movie. Anyway Five Easy Pieces = Great Movie, Great Story, Jack Nicholson. CHECK IT OUT

One of the towering achievements in art house cinema, Five Easy Pieces is a wonderfully underrated drama that features one of Jack Nicholson's best performances with magnificent direction from Bob Rafelson.Forget the self-parodic performances that has dominated Jack Nicholson's career from the late eighties onwards, here Jack is a vulnerable, complex and somewhat unlikable Bobby Dupea. Abandoning the privileged and affluent lifestyle of his youth he is introduced at the start of the film as a blue-collar drifter wandering aimlessly around California, earning his living on oil rigs. Nicholson gives a measured and emotional performance as a man who gives off an aura of 'existence precedes essence', rootless and raw.There is a powerful moment in the film where Bobby and his simple and naive girlfriend Rayette pick up two women, one of them (a mesmerising performance by Helena Kallianiotes) completely disillusioned with Western society. For the next ten minutes she describes the filth of man, Western society's obsession with mass consumerism and materialism. Her shaky and sombre tone adds such realism to the scene. She isn't passionate about her words; she says what is true, and wants away from it all.A brilliant film of the counterculture era, Five Easy Pieces handles disillusion, existential despair, alienation and love in a visually and intellectually stimulating film experience for those looking for something different in life.