Five Easy Pieces
original movie poster
Directed by	Bob Rafelson
Produced by	Robert Daley
Written by	Carole Eastman Bob Rafelson
Starring	Jack Nicholson Karen Black
Cinematography	László Kovács
Distributed by	Columbia Pictures
Release date(s)	September 11, 1970 (USA)
Running time	96 min.
Language	English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Five Easy Pieces is a 1970 film written by Carole Eastman (as Adrien Joyce) and Bob Rafelson, and directed by Rafelson. It tells the story of Bobby Dupea (played by Jack Nicholson), a former piano prodigy who is estranged from his artistic upper class family. In the opening of the film, the character is working as an oil rigger. When his father becomes ill, he goes home to visit his family, reluctantly taking his diner waitress girlfriend with him. It stars Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Susan Anspach, Billy Green Bush, Fannie Flagg, Lois Smith, and Sally Struthers. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (482x755, 83 KB)original movie poster source:www. ... Robert (Bob) Rafelson (born February 21, 1933 in New York City) is an American film director, writer and producer. ... Robert Daley American Novelist Born:1930 Author of 1. ... Carole Eastman (February 19, 1934 - February 13, 2004), was an American screenwriter. ... Robert (Bob) Rafelson (born February 21, 1933 in New York City) is an American film director, writer and producer. ... John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937), known as Jack Nicholson, is a three time Academy Award-winning American actor internationally renowned for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters. ... Karen Black (born July 1, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress, screenwriter, singer and songwriter. ... This article is about the cinematographer. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ... is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... // Events February 11 - The film The Magic Christian, starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr premieres in New York City. ... Carole Eastman (February 19, 1934 - February 13, 2004), was an American screenwriter. ... Robert (Bob) Rafelson (born February 21, 1933 in New York City) is an American film director, writer and producer. ... John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937), known as Jack Nicholson, is a three time Academy Award-winning American actor internationally renowned for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters. ... ... John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937), known as Jack Nicholson, is a three time Academy Award-winning American actor internationally renowned for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters. ... Karen Black (born July 1, 1939) is an Academy Award-nominated American actress, screenwriter, singer and songwriter. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Billy Green Bush (born 1935) is an actor. ... Fannie Flagg (born September 21, 1944 in Birmingham, Alabama) is an American author and actress. ... Lois Smith (born November 3, 1930) is an American actress whose career in theatre, film, and television has spanned five decades. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

A title sequence as written in the screenplay showed earlier scenes in the Dupea family's life, including 10-year-old Bobby's recital program music: (the apparently fictitious) Grebner's "Five Easy Pieces". However, the sequence was not used, and the film titles open instead with the adult Bobby at the oil rigs.

The soundtrack employed five songs by Tammy Wynette, including "Stand By Your Man." In film formats, the soundtrack is the physical area of the film which records the synchronized sound. ... Tammy Wynette (May 5, 1942 – April 6, 1998) was an American country singer and songwriter. ... For the song Stand by Your Man by LL Cool J, see 14 Shots to the Dome. ...

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Jack Nicholson), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Karen Black), Best Picture and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced. Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. ... ©A.M.P.A.S.® The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to artists working in the motion picture industry. ... // The Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. ...

In 2000, Five Easy Pieces was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ... Construction of the Thomas Jefferson Building, from July 8, 1888 to May 15, 1894. ...

Also the notable filmmakers Lars Von Trier, Joel and Ethan Coen, Ingmar Bergman, and the award-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy have expressed deep admiration for the picture's honest depiction of ordinary people. Lars von Trier (born Lars Trier, April 30, 1956) is a Danish film director. ... Joel and Ethan Coen at Cannes 2001 Joel and Ethan Coen, commonly known as The Coen Brothers have written and directed numerous successful films, such as comedies O Brother Where Art Thou, Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski, as well as darker film noir dramas such as Fargo, Millers...   (IPA: in Swedish; usually IPA: in English) (July 14, 1918 – July 30, 2007) was a Swedish film, stage, and opera director. ... For the musician, see Cormac McCarthy (musician). ...

Famous scene

The waitress, Bobby, Rayette, and two hitchhikers.

The movie's most famous scene takes place in a roadside restaurant (the Red Rooster Cafe, Duncan, British Columbia), (actually, the scene was filmed in Eugene, Oregon at a Denny's at the Glenwood Exit on Interstate 5) where Bobby tries to get a waitress (Lorna Thayer) to bring him toast with his breakfast, which is not on the menu. Despite appeals to logic and common sense, the waitress adamantly sticks to the rules of the restaurant, so Bobby comes up with a plan of his own as Rayette and their two hitchhikers (played by Toni Basil and Helena Kallianiotes) look on: Image File history File links Download high resolution version (844x464, 439 KB)A screenshot of the famous Chicken salad sandwich scene in Five Easy Pieces, at 46:43. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (844x464, 439 KB)A screenshot of the famous Chicken salad sandwich scene in Five Easy Pieces, at 46:43. ... Duncan, The City of Totems (pop. ... Born: ? Died June 4, 2005 (age 85) at the Motion Picture and Television Fund Retirement Home in Woodland Hills, California after battling Alzheimers disease for five years. ... Toni Basil (born Antonia Christina Basilotta on September 22, 1943 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a musician, video artist, actress, and choreographer. ...

Bobby: I'd like a plain omelet. No potatoes, tomatoes instead. A cup of coffee and wheat toast.

Waitress: No substitutions.

Bobby: What do you mean? You don't have any tomatoes?

Waitress: Only what's on the menu. You can have a number two — a plain omelet. It comes with cottage fries, and rolls.

Bobby: Yea, I know what it comes with, but it's not what I want.

Waitress: Well I'll come back when you make up your mind.

Bobby: Wait a minute, I have made up my mind. I'd like a plain omelet, no potatoes on the plate. A cup of coffee and a side order of wheat toast.

Waitress: I'm sorry, we don't have any side orders of toast. I'll give you an English muffin or a coffee roll.

Bobby: What do you mean "you don't make side orders of toast"? You make sandwiches, don't you?

Waitress: Would you like to talk to the manager?

Bobby: You've got bread. And a toaster of some kind?

Waitress: I don't make the rules.

Bobby: OK, I'll make it as easy for you as I can. I'd like an omelet, plain, and a chicken salad sandwich on wheat toast, no mayonnaise, no butter, no lettuce. And a cup of coffee.

Waitress: A number two, chicken sal san. Hold the butter, the lettuce, the mayonnaise, and a cup of coffee. Anything else?

Bobby: Yeah, now all you have to do is hold the chicken, bring me the toast, give me a check for the chicken salad sandwich, and you haven't broken any rules.

Waitress(sarcastically): You want me to hold the chicken, huh?

Bobby: I want you to hold it between your knees.

The waitress then indignantly orders them to leave, to which Nicholson knocks the drinks off the table with a sweep of his arm.

Back in the car:

Palm Apodaca: Fantastic that you could figure that all out and lie that down on her so you could come up with a way to get your toast. Fantastic.

Bobby: Yea, well I didn't get it, did I?

Palm Apodaca: No, but it was very clever. I would've just punched her out.

The scene is iconic as a metaphor for the rebellious, free spirit of the youth of the late 1960s and early 1970s, a strong theme in the film as a whole. Thirty years later Nicholson would perform a scene in the movie About Schmidt which directly drew from this scene (available as a "Deleted Scene" extra on the DVD release). Nicholson's character in About Schmidt, an emotionally downtrodden retiree, in contrast, humbly accepts the waitress' "no substitutions" rule. About Schmidt is a 2002 American film directed by Alexander Payne and starring Jack Nicholson as Warren Schmidt and Hope Davis as his daughter Jeannie. ...

Trivia

The five classical piano pieces--not necessarily "easy"--played in the movie are:

• Chopin - Fantasy in F Minor Op.49, played by Dupea on the back of a moving truck.
• Bach - Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, played by Dupea's sister, Partita, in a recording studio.
• Mozart - E-flat Maj. Concerto K.271, played by Dupea's brother, Carl, and Catherine upon Bobby's arrival to the island.
• Chopin - Prelude Opus 28 in E Minor no. 4, played by Dupea for Catherine.
• Mozart - Fantasy in D Minor K.397

Chopin redirects here. ... “Bach” redirects here. ... History A chromatic fantasia is a specific form of fantasia (or fantasy or fancy) originating in sixteenth century Europe. ... “Mozart” redirects here. ... The Piano Concerto No. ... The Preludes Op. ... Fantasia No. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Five Easy Pieces

• Five Easy Pieces at the Internet Movie Database
• Roger Ebert on Five Easy Pieces
• Bright Lights Film Journal essay
• Time magazine interview with screenwriter Carol Eastman