(1970)
5
Michael Betzold
The role that propelled Jack Nicholson to stardom was his turn as frustrated, disaffected musician-turned-oil-rig-worker Bobby Dupea in Bob Rafelson's moody character study Five Easy Pieces. Many viewers remember it for the classic scene at a diner in which Nicholson orders a chicken salad sandwich without the chicken salad, and it established Nicholson as an icon of angst. The supporting cast, especially Karen Black as Bobby's pregnant girlfriend, and Susan Anspach as his brother's high-class fiancée, is strong. Written by Rafelson and Adrien Joyce, Five Easy Pieces was shot like an arthouse movie, on a low budget, but marketed to a mass audience. It was a key breakthrough in tearing down those divisions between commerce and art in American movies, and in highlighting the class and cultural divisions of the time that were eating away at America's cultural cohesion. Nicholson's classic alienated character was long defined by this film and his Oscar nomination for his role in it. Rafelson, however, did not translate his success with Five Easy Pieces to a memorable career.
awards for Five Easy Pieces on AllMovie
Five Easy Pieces (1970)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
|
Nominated |
Best Actor
|
1970 |
|
Nominated |
Best Original Screenplay
|
1970 |
|
Nominated |
Best Picture
|
1970 |
|
Nominated |
Best Supporting Actress
|
1970 |
Directors Guild of America
|
Nominated |
Best Director
|
1970 |
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
|
Nominated |
Best Director
|
1970 |
|
Nominated |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
|
1970 |
|
Won |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
|
1970 |
|
Nominated |
Best Picture - Drama
|
1970 |
|
Nominated |
Best Screenplay
|
1970 |
National Board of Review
|
Nominated |
Best Picture
|
1970 |
|
Won |
Best Supporting Actress
|
1970 |
New York Film Critics Circle
|
Won |
Best Director
|
1970 |
|
Won |
Best Picture
|
1970 |
|
Won |
Best Supporting Actress
|
1970 |
Telluride Film Festival
|
Presented |
Film Presented
|
1975 |
