12/3/2022 0 Comments Five easy piecesThe film perks up whenever there's a scene with Karen Black as Rayette. Bobby gets irate about a highway traffic jam (one of Ebert's favorite scenes). A hitchhiker prattles endlessly about how the world is filled with filth. There are lingering shots of Bobby working in the oil fields. However, director Bob Rafelson allows his film to lose focus by indulging in extraneous scenes. As Bobby pursues the reluctant Catherine, Rayette waits for him at a motel a few miles from the Dupea house.Īs a character study, one can forgive the wandering plot of Five Easy Pieces. Bobby's reunion with his family bores him until he meets Catherine (Susan Anspach), who is studying music with his brother Carl. Partita (Lois Smith) encourages Bobby to resolve his differences with his estranged father before it's too late. When visiting his sister Partita, Bobby learns that his father has suffered two strokes. He cheats on Rayette, berates her in front of friends, and is too embarrassed to introduce her to his family. Bobby lives with Rayette (Karen Black), a pretty but none-too-bright diner waitress who aspires to sing country music. Jack Nicholson plays Bobby Dupea, a disgruntled young man from an affluent family of classical musicians, who works in the California oil fields. That's not enough, though, to justify the bloated running time and the "so what" of it all. The years have not been kind to Five Easy Pieces (1970), which earned four major Oscar nominations and was hailed by Roger Ebert as a "masterpiece of heartbreaking intensity." In retrospect, it's a meandering film that boasts two stellar performances and an iconic scene.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |