Five Easy Pieces
A gifted pianist abandons privilege for an itinerant oil-field life, only to find his old family world waiting when illness calls him home.
Overview
A poignant exploration of identity and family, set against the backdrop of a road trip.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- intimate
- witty
- serious movie night
- classic cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a haunting, emotionally intense New Hollywood portrait of alienation elevated by Jack Nicholson's defining performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Robert abandons his elite musical family and chooses itinerant oil-field work despite his considerable talent and education.
The oil fields, diner, roadside stops, and family home ground Robert's alienation in detailed everyday environments.
Robert shifts between working-class labor and the cultured wealth of his Washington family, exposing the strain between those identities.
The film is identified as a key New Hollywood touchstone and centers on a restless, emotionally evasive antihero.
Films like Five Easy Pieces, and why
Midnight Cowboy
shared new hollywood alienation, road movie structure, class tension, and emotionally abrasive male protagonist
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
shared drifting outsider protagonists, working-class settings, melancholic realism, and intimate american drama
The Last Detail
shared new hollywood naturalism, anti-establishment themes, restless masculinity, and road-bound introspection
Wanda
shared alienated drifters, class conflict, observational realism, and bleakly intimate character drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Bob Rafelson
- Release Date
- 1970-09-12
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (621)
Cast
- Jack Nicholson
- Karen Black
- Susan Anspach
- Lois Smith
- Ralph Waite
- Billy Green Bush
- Irene Dailey
- Toni Basil
- Lorna Thayer
- Richard Stahl
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Five Easy Pieces about?
- A gifted pianist abandons privilege for an itinerant oil-field life, only to find his old family world waiting when illness calls him home.
- What is Five Easy Pieces like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Five Easy Pieces as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Five Easy Pieces violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Five Easy Pieces.
- What did critics think of Five Easy Pieces?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a haunting, emotionally intense New Hollywood portrait of alienation elevated by Jack Nicholson's defining performance.
- Which films are like Five Easy Pieces?
- Films with a similar feel include Midnight Cowboy, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, The Last Detail, and Wanda.
- How long is Five Easy Pieces?
- Five Easy Pieces runs 98 minutes.
- Where can I watch Five Easy Pieces?
- In United States, Five Easy Pieces streams on Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel.
