Why was this movie called this? Great movie, can’t figure out the title. Maybe there is a book and the movie cut so much out that the title no longer makes sense. Any ideas?
If memory serves me right, they represent 5 easy pieces he could play on the piano that would dazzle the uninitiated without heavy practicing.
I’m gonna have to see this flick someday. I always assumed that it was about a series of women that the protagonist slept with; hence, “Five Easy Pieces [of Ass].”
Wikipedia has this one
At one point, when he’s at home, there is a montage showing (among other things) a recital announcement for the Jack Nicholson character, as a kid, playing “Five Easy Pieces” from a piano primer–as someone else said.
I think.
It’s been a real long time since I saw this.
I have the movie, and I don’t recall any montage. But anyway, I just assumed it had to do with musical pieces.
Well, I have the movie too, only it’s VCR and people are watching football at my house at the moment.
Maybe what I’m remembering is at the beginning of the movie? Before the credits?
IIRC, there’s a scene where he climbs up on a moving truck that has an exposed piano, and impresses his friends by busting out with some classical music. I assumed those were the classical pieces the title referenced. I don’t specifically remember a montage when he’s back home, but that doesn’t mean anything.
Even knowing that it refers to piano pieces, I’m still not clear why they would choose that as the title of the movie. What’s the “meaning” of it?
Great movie, though, great movie.
A reviewer at the time asked Bob Rafelson, the director, whether it referred to the musical pieces (Nicholson’s character at one point held a bound folio of these explicitly titled “Five Easy Pieces”) or the women the character nailed. Rafelson claimed it was the former.
I always thought the movie was a little overrated. Cussing out a waitress who makes less than $3/hr (1970 money) is hardly “Stickin’ it to da man.”
I have to partially disagree with Wikipedia that “the five (classical) piano pieces referred to in the film are anything but.” The Chopin prelude that Nicholson plays for Susan Anspach (Op. 28: No. 4) is nice, but it’s fairly easy to play.
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I don’t get this movie. Except for the famous diner scene, it’s probably the most boring movie I’ve ever watched. It’s like two hours of watching grass grow.
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That’s funny, because the one scene I didn’t really get (and was a bit annoyed with) was the diner scene – didn’t get why it was so famous. The rest of it I loved.
You must have missed the scene with Sally Struthers. 
Been awhile since I’ve seen it, and I can’t say I especially liked it. But I recall that he was a gifted pianist, but saw himself as mediocre, the pieces might be easy (for him), but they weren’t meaningful, hence the ennui.
I guess you could say that the protagonist lived his life the same way – making a superficial show of being clever and special, but without any real depth and knowledge. Not a great movie, and not a very likeable character.
I agree with your assessment. His life was empty. He wanted more, but continually got himself into empty relationships. His family relationships were empty as well. The raw angst thing in film was relatively new at that time, which I think is the reason it’s considered a great movie. In my opinion, it didn’t hold up well. But it has nostalgic value to me.
I’ve had lunch in the diner that was used for shooting the “chicken sandwich” scene; the “Red Rooster” on Highway 1 (Trans-Canada), just between Duncan and Ladysmith here on Vancouver Island; it closed for good a couple of years ago, however.
I was a little surprised that there was no reference at all inside about the movie, and the staff didn’t know anything about it.
(Didn’t hassle the waitress, though).
It’s been a while since I’ve seen the movie, so I don’t remember the exact tally. Roger Ebert claims that there were only three women in the movie that Nicholson’s character got involved with.
Robert Dupea can act as if he is a deep, sensitive human being. He can put on a show of having feelings, but there’s really nothing there. I think he says as much to Susan Anspach near the end – the “Five Easy Pieces” are things a child can play even before being mature enough to understand the emotion implied by their beauty. When it comes right down to it, it’s easy for Dupea to put on the face of a mature, caring human being, but there’s nothing there.
I don’t think the point is that he’s speaking truth to power. He’s railing against what he sees as the conspiracy of the whole world – including a lowly waitress – to adhere to mindless, meaningless rules. The banality of banality, perhaps.
Count me among the underwhelmed. This film always manages to find its way on critic’s lists of must-see classics, so I finally got around to renting it about a year ago, but I could barely sit through the whole thing.
Granted, it’s a very accurate study of a very depressing loser, but it’s hard for me to like the film when I can’t sympathize with the main character. I’ve met people like Jack Nicholson’s character, and I just don’t relate to that kind of person – in fact I try to stay as far away from them as possible.
You must’ve hated nearly every Nicholson movie ever made!