Five Anything But Easy Pieces

Recently, my Netflix queue spit up "Five Easy Pieces" into my mailbox.  I saw that movie when it came out, and it has always stuck in my mind as a landmark of sorts.

Early Jack Nicholson.  I saw the movie with a friend who said "what an asshole" about five or six times in the course of the movie.  Speaking of Bobby Dupea, Nicholson's character, not the actor himself, though he was so good as a cad you had to wonder if he was playing himself.

Bobby is the disenchanted scion of a rich musical family who left it all behind to become an oil wildcatter with a country waitress girlfriend with whom, it is obvious, he is not in love.

When he finds his father had a stroke and is not long for the world, he allows himself to be persuaded by his sister to return home for a week or so.  This leads to a bit of a road trip, followed by some family drama.

There are a couple of famous scenes, including one in a truck stop (a couple at truck stops, actually) in which Bobby orders toast and is told by the waitress that his meal comes with a biscuit, and there are no substitutions.  And the last scene of the movie, which I won't share with you.  You'll have to rent the movie to see it.

It was well worth it.

BTW, the "Five Easy Pieces"  refers to simple musical compositions.  Though in this movie it could have had other connotations.

Okay, I tried to embed the YouTube clip.  If it doesn't show up, here's the link for the diner scene.

Comments

[Houston Bridges]

That movie caused me to fall in love with northwest Washington. It's a great movie. Nicholson always plays the same character, and at this point in time, I believe it to be himself.

Hey hey.