Jack Nicholson: Five Easy Pieces ("Life You Don't Approve") Monologue

[baz5158]

great

[aSnakeWithGunz]

Is it just me or is anyone else noticing some flaws in his acting? I mean it kind of looks like he is exaggerating some facial expressions a little too much.

[yh3e]

@aSnakeWithGunz Nope. thats just jack for ya, he's got really sharp features. he looks like a caricature with those eyebrows though haha

[EdwardCullenBabe95]

Why does Jack Nicholson have to be so fucking sexy

[UNDERGROUND2000]

An un forgettable scene in an awesome movie..jack rules..and this was b4 his personna was so molded

[Casarzino]

Jack Nicholson's only crying scene?

[InWhichEricDoesStuff]

Without a doubt the saddest movie I've ever seen, and one of the most incredible and moving. Perhaps Jack's best performance.

[DesertAnnie]

I have read that Nicholson did this scene in one take (& most of it was 'ad-lib' on his part). "Five Easy Pieces" is in the 'Top 5' of my all-time favorite movies; & Jack is my all-time favorite actor! He delivers lines better than anyone - puts his 'stamp' on them every time -- & that voice of his is so distinct! I could never forget the line from this scene: "I'm getting away from things that get bad if I stay -- auspicious beginnings, ya know what I mean?" << Oh, you are the "Master" Jack!

[cosmicdingo]

You don't have to be Method to give a great perf,but Nicholson almost certainly got biographical for this scene.

[cbus03]

Perfect scene.  A masterpiece.

[Earthbase7]

Tremendous performance, Huge.

[larma7]

The stunning horizon shot of the overcast sunset helps create an incredible cold, bleak mood. Then Nicholson goes on to deliver one of the greatest monologues in all of film. Perfect cinema.

[gman100]

Nicholson actually wrote that monologue.....

[organboi]

weird. not sure what that speech was about. not the greatest writing.

[ChrisMagoo99]

@organboi you're watching a scene that is the culmination of a film's worth of character development. Of course it doesn't make sense to you on its own.

[mamakunem]

@organboi kind of doesn't matter what that speech was about, it wasn't specific because it's more relatable to the audience, its the emotional connection that is absorbed, not so much the exact words of the monologue... and it was delivered with near emotional believability and conviction.... so you see, you don't know what you're talking about because you're a condescending prick with no knowledge of real cinema.

[JRTET21]

beautiful movie.

[cosmicdingo]

Good luck getting this sort of movie made today.It's bleak and uncompromising viewpoint would make execs reject it as anything other than an "art" film.

[skytrooper1980]

This is really really good acting

[prismgap]

This movie touched me and this is one of the great Nicholson performances.

[zzablack]

That is as good of clip of acting you will ever see.

[TheDayfornight]

Nicholson is such a great actor he makes you forget that he is having a conversation with himself using emotion.

[ANONONTHEJEWTUBE]

There are some good movies coming. Filming equipment is more readily available for talentless people to get their hands on. There are still acting greats like Edward Norton, DiCaprio, Depp, Pitt, Natalie Portman, Kate Winslet, and so many others I can't name off the top of my head. Film isn't dead yet.

[buzzclick500]

Film will come back, better than any of us can imagine. We haven't seen anything yet. We've seen the birth, and we've sat patiently through the coma; the resurrection is on the way.

[sam0xin]

He's never been an actor...I never felt I'm watching a movie ....NEVER ! HE IS A FREE MAN ! GENIUS !

[Robby7315]

im using this for my audition 2 moro :D

[BELDJ]

Wow. i so relate (which i know is a grinding comment i basically hate seeing) its just astounding the slights of this film the little things which are so vivid and REAL. The writer must have a lot of Bobby in him

[ootslaton]

When asked in interviews which one of the characters that he's played most resembles himself, Jack always replies.. "Bobby"..

[Heresjonni]

Jack, I love you in this scene - my mum had a stroke and she always communicated with her eyes. You are also excellent in this role of a son who wants to connect to his Dad, but its so hard to if you just don't have that bond. My Dad passed away in May 2010 and luckily we spent lots of time together at the end, but we never were really close. I think he passed away understanding I wanted to appologise for the fact we hadn't bonded - as Jask said - "the best I can do is apologise......."

[Pleaver]

Genius. Thats it. This is why he's one of the big dogs.

[cosmichotspur]

Brilliant acting Jack.

[Heresjonni]

The character he plays is probably bipolar (alternating highs and lows). He is very calm in this scene apart from the brief cry, which I think only emphasizes his internal conflicts. He knows he should have been a better son, but he can't change. Added to this is his fathers only means of communication, through his eyes. It ironic that Jack wants to talk, but his Dad can't the Cats in the Cradle scenario reversed.

[fuciaesper]

Jack wrote some of the lines in this scene.

[jayscott49]

Don't think Nicholson ever met his father, wonder if he brought that to this scene.

[Heresjonni]

@jayscott49 Yes a very touching scene - I am sure there was a lot of heart in it and Jack is strong on method, so I feel sure that was part of his research. The whole flick is great - real Jack! My own Dad just passed on and our relationship was similar i.e. we didn't communicate much. My Mum had a stroke too, and she could only communicate with her eyes. Yu can see the father looking intensely at Jack throughout. Very moving and one of my favs.

[juliabohemian]

This is such a great scene. This moment of self awareness is really important to the story, even if it didn't lead to any significant change.

[applicator3000]

yet another scene sliced into a Stunt Rock Song glad to know what movie it came from!

[CARDMAN365]

he is a great actor.

[TheGatorfan93]

Shows you how much depth nicholson has.Too bad as the 80's rolled around,directors just wanted him to reprise his mcmurphy character.But the 70's showed jack's true greatness.

[purepleasureseekeeer]

Jack didnt wanna cry in this scene but Bob Rafelson forced him... and the whole crew was 200 yards away when making the scene... i believe it would be better without crying... peace.

[2three7films]

that fair to say but it was ultimately i feel it was played well; nicholson was in a tango of errupting emotions and memories, fighting hard to suppress his need to find reason. that's a choice that adds dimension to his character, don't you think? a man who had a hard time apologizing his whole life, now recognizes his faults. he's "thinking out loud" .. if you know what i mean.

[purepleasureseekeeer]

yeah but he does it again :) the last scene says it all, hes running again...

[MuizeekPhanahtic]

How special it is that such a impactful scene from a long-past classic of Jack Nicholson's is available in the YT world. Thx a great deal 4 making this available, so maybe some new fans can find it. I felt it was 1 of Jack's best roles; a role many people of different times can pay attention to. The cinematography was excellent; very pictureesque. Speaks of a rough time in which 1 is searching for themselves; we need more of that today, reflection. Powerful U can only see dad's face, no voice.

[022171]

so beautiful. thanks for posting.

[ehunter2]

Any films from Hollywood in oh..the past 3

decades that have these degree of character development, adult emotion and unsentimental honesty?..

[fntime]

You somewhat right. Have seen the Libertine with Johnny Depp.

Not a usual film, thoughtful and filled with

character development.

[zthetha]

Very powerful scene in a great movie which I remember primarily for the 'hold the mayo' scene as do - judging by the posts - a few others.Watched a Picasso documentary last night about another creative genius who burned brightly for the first half of his life but resorted to self pastische for the rest of it... it's just the way of things I guess.

[SRCOS45]

Jack...A true master of the craft!

[jiveturkey25]

I really loved that scene! Jack Nicholson really showed real feeling in it when he was talking to his father.

[septip123]

you notice how the best scenes in movies NEVER have sappy music in the background!

[portugal81]

wrong best scene of lost in africa were the flight and you see love in the form of two hands together has music

[goback3spaces]

Excellent observation. I think you're right on the money.

[lsdsexmetal6]

Thank you for noticing that

[meleethe13]

This scene is supremely realistic in the sense of displaying the dread of one's self escape.

[jiveturkey25]

I agree & that this scene also captures Nicholson's unresolved feelings for his father. He really shows great emotion towards him.

[vieryuiop]

What do you mean by "the dread of one's self escape"?

[CaptainBluebear08]

Finally it's here ! Thanks for uploading, MM. One of the best.

[Balmucho]

Brilliant actor!

[CARDMAN365]

WHAT A GREAT ACTOR

[ParkerAllen2]

Love this scene. Everyone remembers the cafe scene but I think this one is really the heart of the movie. Nicholson's one of the few great actors who hasn't (at least in my opinion) gotten better with age. It seems he can't give a performance anymore without giving in to the Jack-is-the-coolest-guy-in-the­-room persona. As an artist, worst thing that ever happened to him was the discovery of how much people loved that devilish smile. But in the 1970s... man, what great, subtle performances.

[217potato]

I could not agree with you more.

Easy Rider,Five Easy Pieces,The Last Detail,Chinatown,and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest contain five of the great screen performances by any lead actor.

You are 100 percent right. He is still a very fine actor, but has become much more commercial and has that I- am- hip attitude.

[YoknapatawphaKid]

I agree to an extent. While it is true Nicholson began relying on that "ol' Jack" type of role, he still gave us great, nuanced performances in films such as "The Pledge" and especially "About Schmidt." Al Pacino, I would suggest, never overcame his legendary roles in the 70s.

[meleethe13]

I totally agree!

[goback3spaces]

Haven't seen enough of his latter-day performances to agree, but I know what you mean. I might add that his performance in Antonioni's THE PASSENGER was appealingly self-effacing.

[stonewolf1886]

hardly any of the actors that were great back in the day are anything now. de niro, redford, pacino, oldman, hoffman, hackman, duval--- none of them has really blown the doors down for years. at least jack is still in movies that people see and are good. a lot of the rest of them are just in crap. righteous kill, mr. mgoriums, the replacements, etc.

[2three7films]

remember- they are actors. in order for these talented actors to really display the depth of their capabilities, they need: a damn good screenplay, and/or a damn good director. without any of these elements, what do you have? you have deniro doing a movie like righteous kill.. a film with no depth and the lack of a visionary directors presence.

[2three7films]

since you mentioned primarily American actors who thrived in a different era of film making, what kinds of films defined them and their careers? films that were great screenplays and had great visionary directors. Those elements really provide the environment for a talented actor such as you mentioned to use his talents to the fullest extent.

[2three7films]

deniro is just flocking around like the rest of them now. they're all dying for the new vision to come through that will bring justice to the american cinema. otherwise, hope is just about dead. contemporary american cinema has become basically shit.. look at how something as godawful as "Twilight" has been socially deemed a good movie by the new generation of kids. fucking hollywood has whored itself to nth degree. "how can we make more money?" *Michael bay enters, grinning from ear to ear..*

[stonewolf1886]

crappy movies happen in every decade. even in the 70's when these guys are in top form. its easy to blame it on the movies out there. the fact of the matter is that if they really wanted to put in that work effort in that great movie they would. they just dont want too. coppola said roughly the same thing a couple years ago

[008fox]

@2three7films The good movies are there, I think they just have to be ferreted out. The only good stuff lies in independent cinema, it just has to be sought after

[zaorulesmetal]

@2three7films Wait wait wait, what the hell are you talking about? Scorsese is still active, Coppola is still active, Spielberg is a staple, Tarantino still kicks ass, the Coen Bros probably make the best American movies today... Just because Twilight has taken its rightful place as a popular fad that will die out quickly doesn't mean good American cinema is dead. Scorsese was obviously working with a large budget on his last picture. You sound like an elitist pessimist prick.

[Steven197450]

@zaorulesmetal I agree with 2three7films and you kind of made his point with your comment, except for Tarantino and Coen Bros you listed 3 directors who got their start in the 70s when exceptional films like this one were the norm. I agree with you that the American cinema is not completely dead but it is on life support, many if not most of the movies today likeTwilight are so superficial and lame but they are the new norm and today really great movies are far and few between.

[zaorulesmetal]

@Steven197450 Yeah I know but the seventies are generally considered the new American artistic Renaissance. Everyone knows that filmmaking hit its peak in that era. But that doesn't mean film is dead as a medium. Smart, talented writers and directors emerge all the time and not just through indie markets. Example: Scott Pilgrim vs the World. Yes it is silly and relentless but it is not witless. The director has made great films before. And no it is American not Canadian lol.

[noname6317]

@zaorulesmetal Exactly late 60s and 70s were my favorite era of filmaking but, that doesn't mean they aren't very good movies around. Like recently a movie like Social Network debuted at #1 a smart movie that doesn't dumb anything down.

[MondoBeno]

@noname6317 There's a book about that era. It's called "Easy Riders and Raging Bulls."

The "New Hollywood" of the 1970's eventually imploded and collapsed, because the actors/directors had huge egos.

[zaorulesmetal]

@noname6317 Thank you! It took a lot of guts for a film buff like me to use Scott Pilgrim as a reference! lol But I'm totally serious.

[mogbasterd]

@2three7films nth degree....i like that

[bilbomarks]

@2three7films Hollywood has always been about money. Cinema has always been a business. The only thing that changed is that they learned there's a very small market for artfully crafted cinema. That is all.

[monsta64]

@2three7films Totally agree with you! This era of film making and actors is long since gone. Very sad indeed.

[witchman1]

@2three7films Yes, the old days have been gone a good long while.

[tedwilli9]

@2three7films yeah, you're right, because hollywood was all about making good movies in the golden era...the studio system was incorruptible and it was all sunshine and rainbows. buh. just accept that 1 out of 100 movies will be good and studios want MONEY. Twilight is a turd of a series, but i'm sure there are people who thought the same when star wars came out. the point is: they made stinkers back then and they'll make stinkers long from now. commercial success is a part of movie making

[hobogasm]

@tedwilli9 star wars is still a turd, i'm not talking about it, i just said it. commercial success doesn't have to swamp quality movie making and its that attitude that is the curse of this generation, we look at things and just say "thats the way it has to be or it wouldn't work" and go away happy we have an answer. commercial success is only a part of movie making because we judge everything in commercial terms, our money has become our approval. the qustion is: how do we change that?

[tedwilli9]

@hobogasm we don't. we make indies and they get little recognition and a COMMERCIALLY successful movie sweeps the award's season. unfortunately, you need MONEY to distribute. unless you can find a better way to spread the news about some little known movie out of cannes, I'd love to hear it. Unfortunately, the people in power also control the backing, funding, etc. without commercially successful films (good or bad), you can't have all the little diamonds in the rough.

[hobogasm]

@tedwilli9 film student? i assume this because you instantly jump to your insightful formula of how the industry works as if reading it out of a text book. My point is movie making isn't/shouldn't be exclusive to industry ponces and Spielberg fanboys. It’s a form of communication which should be judged on a personal level. screw Cannes, it's just a place to flag potential, untapped, markets by those who know more about what interests us than ourselves. It is a marketing scheme like any award.

[tedwilli9]

@hobogasm also, you're talking about something quite subjective. i don't grade movies on how much money by the way, but it is a tool to measure, and until you can convince 10 million teenage girls to NOT see Twilight, I suggest you either start your own studio or try to make lars von trier appealing to the 9-18 demo.

[JakeandElwoodBlues]

@2three7films Gran Torino was great.

[Andy1Emcee]

@2three7films

Totally accurate. 90 percent of today's movies suck. I mean some might be okay to see once, or for just a little short term entertainment, but most are just worthless. When someone asks me to name ten *good* movies of the last ten years I have to realy think to come up with ten. Michael Bay possesses little to no talent. The 1970's gave us some of the greatest films ever, veritable over half of the greatest films ever came from that decade.

[Jonesyjr85]

@Andy1Emcee You don't think that popular shitty movies existed in the 70's, just like today, or any decade, for that matter? There's always been plenty of great films, as well as plenty of absolutely horrible films, no matter the time period.

If you don't think there's many great films released in the past 10 years, I have to assume you're either stubborn and close-minded, or you're simply not looking hard enough.

[Andy1Emcee]

@Jonesyjr85 Careful when you assume. Not stubborn or close-minded, just very aware of cinema's past. The 1970's undoubtedly gave us a substantial portion of the greatest films of all time. Today, there's so many repeats, so many recycled storylines, so many bullshit movies. I'm not condemning the past few years, it's obivously a different time, but it can't compare to the 70's. Oh, and my primary goal of that post was to stress the fact that Michael Bay "possesses little to no talent."

[andrewtheman19]

@2three7films

There's still good stuff here and there. Check out A Serious Man, Old Boy, Inland Empire, etc.

[lovley7000]

@2three7films COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER!

[tremontirocks]

@2three7films Hollywood is no better or worse now than it was 50 years ago. The '70s, yes, was the best decade in American movies, but there was an equal amount of fluff in theaters then too – it just didn't make as much money. Americans are still making great movies every year, both in the studios and outside of them. We're still the best at filmmaking. That's the truth.

[sockembopers12]

@tremontirocks: You got it. The unfortunate fact is, people like to reminisce about the past, making a point about how much better movies were, how much better music was, how much better TV was, etc. Of course, people who grew up in the 20s said the same thing about the 50s; people who grew up in the 50s said the same thing about the 80s; and so on. In my honest opinion, people need to stop living in the past and start living right the fuck now.

[lebarosky]

@2three7films Emblematic of this is the recycling of comic book plots from the 40s and 50s, and the brutal idiocy of James Cameron's latest thing that passed for a plot.

[tokiswartooths]

@2three7films Hollywood is getting back to its roots to the way it was in the 30s and 40s. Where it wasn't about characters it was about personalities. Clark Gable always played himself etc. Luckily their are still some guys out there who are still pushing like Penn, Lewis, Dicaprio, scorsese, Depp, Pacino, Hoffman, and of course Nicholson and some others. Hollywood really just needs a new Brando to shatter the system and thats me! haha jk but I would like to contribute to getting movies back to

[tokiswartooths]

@2three7films a form of expression instead of impression.

[bboots100]

@2three7films You are so right. This film would not have made it to the mainstream cinema, had it been written today. It would be an independent film production and would have limited distribution as a result.  Film companies have always been interested in the big blockbusters, but it was never more evident than today, with producers, who have no business interfering with the creative machinery of film, calling the shots on what is made and what is not.

[SnarfBanks]

@2three7films Twilight is not considered good cinema in modern times. Its a blockbuster, kids like it, that's about it. This "oh what has become of cinema" panic is complete horseshit. Good movies stand out. They last forever. That's why old movies seem so great. They're the ones that stood out in the other MOUNTAINS OF SHIT that have always occupied American cinema. Do you know how many shitty movies came out in the 80s, the 70s, how about the 20s and the 30s? Shut the fuck up.

[SnarfBanks]

@SnarfBanks Hey man the shut the fuck up was totally uncalled for.  Let it be an intelligent discussion.

[nelsano3]

@2three7films I agree to a point, what of films like Social Network,There will be blood,A serious Man, Zodiac, No country for old men etc? They are all films produced in America and all challenge the veiwer to pay attention to a meaningful story. I agree whole heartedly that the 70's were a special time for American cinema, but we can't overlook the fact that there are some very talented people working in hollywood right now. Without doubt this is a classic though, It gets better every veiwing!