Actor Jack Nicholson and director Bob Rafelson talk about the inspiration for the famous diner scene in FIVE EASY PIECES, which is available in Blu-ray and DVD special editions from the Criterion Collection.
That scene was filmed at the Denny's, outside of Eugene, Oregon, just of of I-5. It's still there and pretty much unchanged. I eat there all the time and always order the chicken sandwich. They hate me.
Dave Morgan... I loved this movie and especially that scene so much I knocked up a very naive yet sweet cross eyed chick and dumped her at a truck stop. But I let her keep my coat.
Groucho needed Margret Dumont to best showcase his ability and likewise Jack would shine like a 1000 suns with the backdrop of this Karen ( superbly acted ) ,Louise Fletcher in Cuckooz Nest and Shirley Maclaine in Terms of Endearment.
This and "The Last Detail' were his best roles. And the characters were TOTAL opposites! What range this actor had. Make that has! He's still got a couple in him.
@John Techwriter..........Nicholson made such great films early in his career - '5 Easy Pieces', 'The Last Detail', 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest', 'The Last Tycoon'......mind you, the 70's was such an incredible period for film. But for me, 'Chinatown' [1974] will always be my number 1. Voted 'Film of the Decade' - Nicholson himself has always said this was his favourite film.
The additional line--"I didn't get it, did I?"--that Nicholson's character says in the car afterward is almost as great. He makes a good point; the grand gesture did not actually score any toast.
The film was Rated R and my friends and I were under 17, so I had cajole my dad into taking us to the theatre to see Five Easy Pieces. My friend dragged his mom so we could watch it again. Both parents were sad after watching Five Easy Pieces, and really, it is a sad movie. Bottom line is that I'm proud that I recognized Jack Nicholson would become a first stringer.
This is the film that not only introduced me to Jack Nicholson, but also began for me a love for his many roles (prior to Five Easy Pieces and obviously after). Thank you so much for sharing this video and it was fantastic to listen to Bob Rafelson who I know Jack would have loved working with and still does. Jack's career was made on his choices of wanting to work with specific director's throughout his entire career and I'm sure he will continue to do so. I'm 51 years old today and I've been following Jack since I saw this movie when I was 16.
I've eaten at more diners & restaurants than I can count over the last 40+ years, and I can't recall a single one refusing me a substitution. I guess I have Five Easy Pieces to thank for that! 😆
If you've ever eaten at "diner' type places overseas like Scotland, Turkey, Lebanon, Italy, and France- outside the tourist spots in the work-a-day factory regions where locals eat- its not uncommon to find this "paternal" behavior where the place dictates to the customer what and how to eat. The concept of "customer service" is a post-1950s thing. Studying for a year in Dundee, Scotland I and my friends have walked into some run-down local pub where the staff rolls thier eyes' "Ugh, what do they want'? In Istanbul, I've had waiters toss crushed peanuts onto my dessert when I specifically said; "No nuts, I have allergies!" But it tastes good with it, and its good for you!!" was the response. This was in the early 2000s.
You have to remember that Bob and Jack, though geniuses, are also assholes, and not likely to get the benefit of the doubt from any customer service people.
Bob Rafelson directed the greatest scene in any film of all time. It's in The King of Marvin Gardens, and it's when the four main characters are on the electric cart driving through Atlantic City boardwalk Hall with Miss America playing in the background on the boardwalk Hall organ.
This is his best role. Everyone in it was great. So refreshing to see actors actually acting back then and not just making background noise that won't be remembered like today
@@arquitectostar5714 When you eventually get there you'll notice me!!!I am the indigent derelict holding up the "will work for food " sign outside on the side walk.I used to be it's owner; until JACK sued me for the hassle he endured by that waitress. I LOST It all to Jack, instead.Don't mess with Jack! 'cause payback's a bitch!!!
It doesn't surprise me that Nicolson would do something like the dinner scene. I've had one or two diner scenes myself when I was in my late teens and early 20s. Mostly involving other patrons not wait staff. The diner scene is incredibly explosive, with Jack a wonder.
Read an interesting critique of this scene recently. Jack’s character was an elitist posing as a working man, while the waitress was the genuine article. The makers of the movie thought they were being clever, but showed their disdain for people who do the difficult work that makes their lives so very easy. I’ve always heard of how kind Jack was to everyone, but maybe that’s something he grew into with a little more seasoning.
@@donaldobrien9171 : I don't justify Bobby's (the character) actions. It was the waitress's imperious manner that gets under one's skin. I will stand up to someone with no authority who tries to act like "they're the boss of me" or even a boss with that attitude. One time being polite but firm insisting on mutual respect is usually all it takes. This being a film, it made for a memorable scene. I agree with Bobby's reflection, when, after they get kicked out, "Palm Apodaca's" character lauds Bobby for his bravery. Bobby says something like "Yeah, but I didn't get my toast."
Oedipus's tragic flaw was his rash temper. He was a highly intelligent and noble man who was raised in exile estranged from his royal family, and, who's temper was ultimately his undoing. It is different here Bobby Dupea though estranged, and alienated manages to somehow cope. He has some talent, manifests dynamism, individuality, and drive, but is extremely conflicted. Possibly he will someday find some peace, but the road ahead will be hard, hard.
Well you would have to leave a large tip👊 Did this in a bar/restaurant one time, backhanded the glass off the bar, it flew across the room, broke against the wall, and I knew they would have called the cops , maybe, I gave the girl a $20 bill and she never said anything, it’s not like she was screaming at me to get out or anything, she just stood there staring at me. I gave her the money and quickly walked out , the glass didn’t hit anyone fortunately, and I haven’t drank since. But in real life, in a small town diner like that, you’d probably have a confrontation with the owner or someone in the kitchen for sure👊
Jack. Jack. Jack… Jack looked like he was acting. He did well but you can still tell he’s acting. The waitress on the other hand, looked 100% authentic.
Nothing is more telling than the scene where he just steps out of his car and into a semi heading 'someplace else.' Just picks that moment to leave his live and move on.
..and he needed neither job really. He was already producing films when he was given the part in Easy Rider, but other film makers saw the personality and charisma in him.
First time I've seen this scene (Yep I am going to get the movie!) but it sure struck a chord with me! I guess al of us at one time or another have come up against the same situation.What gets me is how these places make up these rules..."No substitutions" Christ all bloody mighty! If I am paying for something I want it the way I want it, not how some snotty Waitress wants it! Jack really knows how to make a scene like this come alive...super talent!
I agree, that's what I'm paying for (except maybe at a fast-food joint). Funny thing is, I've found fast-food places accommodating to requests, even if they charge a bit more for, say, extra sauce on the side. That's fine. Mom & Pops are usually not so rule-bound as repeat biz means a lot to them. It's the big chains that tend to act all "corporatey" with rules and stuff. My theory is, that's because the lawyers and accountants run the company, and to them, customers are just an annoyance. More than one huge company has been sold into oblivion that way.
@@KutWrite Funnily enough mate, I found that when I visited USA (In 2006) nearly all the food places were happy to try and accommodate any changes to their standard orders. But I still like the slow burn Jack develops as he tries to get his order! Man this is one mean mother who should never be crossed! lol
The Waiter reminds me of many people I've met and who just refuse to make it easy on anyone, just because they have that power. They are legally misanthropists - they actually hate people and try to make everyone as miserable as they feel - but they are always careful to be legally covered. Despite that I do retaliate and in the same manner (being an a-hall, but legally covered), the best thing we can do is actually ignore them. The life they hold is a good enough punishment for them.
If you’ve never worked in the industry, you don’t really understand the character. You’re exactly the kind of insufferable person she would have to deal with on a daily basis. My favorite are the people who come in and makeup their own menu.
Interesting that so many of the commentaries below state that the dinner scene does not fit with the overall plot. Then how does it fit when Jack abandons his girlfriend at the end of the movie? Both scenes match perfectly well with the overall film: Jack Nicholson's character always preserves his individuality, not matter what, and that is what the movie is about. The dinner scene is the anticipation of the closing one in many senses: in the dinner the waitress tells him what he cannot do: eat what he wants. In the closing one the G-F tells him what to do next: marry her. He is not ready to follow anyone's instructions, and he just doesn't. Period.
I think it also denounces the conformism of society, which is something Nicholson's character is trying to escape. No matter if it's the pompous intellectual circle or the standard whitetrash. He wants to life his life without any model imposed over him. Sadly, he forgets to do it with love, and that costs him everything.
Interesting perspective. This is one of my favorite films, have seen it a hundred or more times over the years. The character of Bobby Dupea is a selfish, rather unkind man. He is also a brilliant artist/musician. He might suffer from a mental illness, bipolar perhaps, all that is implied throughout the film. He is on the surface kind to Rayette, yet he uses her for sex and cheats on her. He ends up just abandoning her at a truck stop, with his wallet, wanting no part of her anymore or the child of his that she is carrying. He is frustrated and angry and unfulfilled, but even if Catherine had accepted his advances and entered into a romantic (?)/sexual relationship with him, there is no doubt he would have screwed that up as well, because he can't love anyone, because he can't love himself. So one is left with the impression that he will "drift" endlessly in his life, and wind up alone or dead somewhere, maybe in a motel room or in the woods, just disappearing. A ruined life, from a life of great privilege, and born with a great musical gift, but the mental illness and/or the emotional trauma he suffered as a child perhaps, has made it impossible for him to even want to attempt to make any changes or to reach for a happier life. It is really a tragic story, but the ironic humor throughout the telling of Bobby Depea's story made it a more enjoyable and "lighter" film.
Nicholson is one of the only actors who can get away w/ absolutely no TV interviews, appearances, etc. Contract stipulations. He'll do the occasional written interview, but if you want to see him on TV the best bet is a Lakers home game. Besides the myriad benefits of such an arrangement (not spending weeks or months on end tirelessly answering the same mind-numbing questions) he states that it helps maintain his privacy & mystique, which in turn helps his public perception & him personally as an actor (paraphrasing from a biography I read years ago).
Hashim Aziz i heard he retired. but then i heard he'll only make a movie if it moves someone and he feels like younger people don't like to be moved. so he doesn't see a point
He did an interview for The Fight Game with Jim Lampley in tribute to his friend Muhammad Ali in June 2016... A few days ago it was reported he is coming out of retirement for one final role!
