That's the point. Cause where Jack's going, it's gonna get colder'n hell. He's now going to have to suffer the consequences of pushing everybody away. It's not a happy ending.
Trivia fact: The original script had Bobby and Rayette getting in a car wreck while arguing. They end up driving off a cliff. As they were filming the movie, and got around to this scene, they realized that would have been a crap ending. They came up with this MUCH IMPROVED ending. But notice that Bobby still references a "car wreck" when he gets in the truck.
I feel sad for the sister. She seemed to love him unconditionally. Given how she talks, the girlfriend is emotionally manipulative in her own way. But the sister loves him without question. But it’s never enough to keep him around The mothers death truly broke him long, long ago
At the time of this film's release in September 1970, it represented the surreal transition between the end of the 60s & the beginning of the 70s, from love and peace to gritty and dark nihilism concerning the world. The ending is unique in itself: no music, no long list of credits; only the names of the cast members and the sound of the truck driving away. No happy ending in this movie.
This is one of my most favorite Jack Nicholson movies of all time. I think the characterization he displayed is very potent and timeless. He can be looked at on a multitude of levels. I also felt the overall script allowed for much growth in the storyline; it took on a world of its own by the time the end came. And this particular end is jarring. It stays with you, makes you feel like you are right out there in the cold temperatures as well.
Definitely a good ending and very appropriate for the movie. It's stark, harsh, and bold. The sounds are brilliant and much more chilling than any dialogue. This ending bothers me in that I want to yell "Go back and get your freaking coat, you moron! If you're going to leave then leave but at least get your damn coat!" Anyway, this was 1970 and Jack Nicholson's first starring role, and it was a great one at that.
Every era has a certain feel but the 70s were really the beginnings of modern times. I love going back watching movies from this era cuz they seem so real on all fronts. + takes me back when film reflected society without the bizarre trappings of today ie cell phones / internet. People lived life openly.
Man what a great movie this is. I sure do wish they made movies like this nowadaze. Karen and Jack are sooo young here its crazy. But yeah what an ending to a great movie. One of my favorites.
He gives her the wallet, leaves the jacket in the bathroom and then abandons the car... He expects nothing more, doesn't care... But the truck he hitchhikes goes back to where he drove from... You figure it out.
Yeah, "selfish" would be a colossal understatement! Toxic narcissist bordering on sociopath is more like it! What a despicable heartless prick! He makes Jake Lamotta look like a human being!
Him leaving his jacket and wallet behind was a way of showing how little he cares about himself and lacks self love and preservation it is in a sense him trying to run away from himself leaving his identity and belongings and woman behind he abandoned everything because he’s worried he will mess it up cause of his nihilistic views on life…auspicious beginnings
This is my favorite of all Jack's films. The ending is depressing but I'd like to think that on some level it represents a new beginning ...maybe a better life...he's hitching a ride to the cold, pristine North where maybe he can get rid of all the "crap" holding him down in the lower 48.
@@charlessanders7972 He left his wallet behind for Rayette, remember? He left his jacket behind too because he’s sick of his old life and wants to begin anew and that includes shedding his old identity symbolized by his clothes.
It's my favorite of his too. And really one of my favorites ever by anyone. Regarding a comment in reply to this, imo I don't think he left her the wallet with the intent of leaving originally at that exact moment; though I think it made it easier when he did leave in that he left her with at least some money, credit, something to get back with etc.......The jacket leaving is questionable; I would place my bet that he was so out of his head that he left it on the stall without thinking. And then when the trucker reminded him it was too late to go back, as he had already made his decision and jumped in the truck. Who knows, but fun to speculate, and one of the great things about this film and many films of that era in particular is they're so open to audience speculation and reflection.
@@simonpiacente3989 Yeah, his thinking was _"I'm already in the cab of this truck heading into the great unknown..."_ which is exactly where he wanted to be. If he got out of that cab even to take 10 steps to get his jacket then she might see him. He had no intention of seeing her again. Movie ends with the diesel sound fading.. just perfect.
Thanks for uploading this scene, the most memorable part of this great movie, if anyone else wants to see Jack Nicholson at his best I recommend Chinatown.
@u23421 Glad you enjoyed the trivia. Also, Carole Eastman's original script had the opening titles over a young Bobby (age 10) playing "Five Easy Pieces" on piano at a funeral, apparently to establish some of his family tension (and Bobby's talent). This could've been interesting, but I really like the cold open on the oil well with "Stand By Your Man" playing. You get a real working class feel, and it's a shock to find out later that Bobby was raised upper-class. My favorite movie!
She'll realise he has gone, remember the red logging truck heading north and follow or take the hint and then barely survive on waitressing wages and tips until she meets another man who may or may not treat her kindly. All the while, the child grows up without a father and the subconscious that he walked out on them and the mother.
You know it brother! I love looking at this just for the nostalgia factor of seeing Chemainus' suburb rofl . . . first time I ever ran out of gas (in the 80s) I coasted downhill on the highway before rolling into this gas station . . . which was closed for the night . . Luckyly (since you're clearly a local, you will get the joke), someone pulled in with a jerry can of marked gas to keep me going. And, FWIW, Wikipedia says that Jack's character drank Lucky Lager, so he's coming home . . .
Not unusual for people's behaviour to change when home for a visit. I used not to smoke, because I knew my father didn't like my smoking, and I loved him so much, I respected it.
First anti-hero protagonist in US cinema history. Character absolutely no development from beginning to end of film: He was the same Ahole at end as he was at the beginning. Very brutal film.
I saw the ending of this movie on tv. They played it on a channel that airs old movies. And it sent me on a rabbit hole to find it. And finally did. From a podcast with eli roth on it.
I learned all the rules of the modern day drifter / don't hang on the nothing too long / just take what you need from the ladies and leave them / with the words of a sad silent song - (covered by Willie Nelson) And, by the way, don't you hate it when chicks do that while you're driving? You have to watch the road. You know?
as Archie Bunker once said.....there is a little, of me, in all of yous.....and there is a little, of this actor, in all of us, ergo a classical story...
Filled with such self loathing he leaves the coat and doesn't take up the drivers offer. His being cold is him punishing himself. He knows what he's doing is wrong and he needs to be punished.
The only trouble with this scene, is when telling a story, any story, you try and make it believable. Any guy, and mean any guy, WOULD HAVE GOT HIS COAT!!
I hated this ending. So typical of the time. Experiencing existential angst and the attempt to resolve it by avoiding any responsibility. The narcissistic indulgence is nihilistic. This character is utterly lost and refuses to grow up.
This movie was the pioneer of that dark unpredictable protagonist that isn’t a good guy just relatable era of the 70’s. Have more respect then that it crawled so films like taxi driver could run
Mighty difficult to say, I'd say. In one way, one can say he refuses to grow up, in another way, one can say, he has grown up. And in yet another way, one quote JPSartre's: 'Hell is other people.' Perhaps he's the kind of man who would have become a monk, had his circumstances presented that possibility.
Who was the guy driving the truck at the end? Someone was asking me that saying that the actor looked familiar but he was uncredited as far as he knew. Anyone here know?
@leamanc Interesting, but if you ask me it seems way more effective that the dialogue appears to be just another bunch of crap Bobby made up moving along into the next part of his life. My guess is that's why they left it in. It still would have worked if you see a long shot of Bobby and the trucker talking and then Bobby getting in the cab.
It would have ruined the ending if he took the wallet, but I'm not sure why he left his jacket, unless he was trying to give the impression of foul play in his disappearance.
@@yeshuaservant7 Forgot it? The truck driver asked him about the jacket before they left. It's more likely that he didn't want Rayette to possibly see him if he got out of the cab to go grab his jacket, so he'd rather be cold than take the chance of her seeing him.
@@mobus1603 He forgot his jacket. That's why he did not take it with him. But yes, he also could not take the chance of Rayette seeing him--if he had gone back inside to get it.
@leamanc honestly I feel like they left that in there because it jus seems like Bobby is making up some BS to avoid any more feeling like he does in the whole film
this is the ultimate "drifter" movie; the main character is caught deep inside of this maze of an existential crisis, struggling to get out and find himself, to determine who he really is and what he stands for; its not the Texas roughneck with the "Tammi Wynette" girlfriend, Rayanne, its not the serious gifted musician, he goes to his father but its too late and his father can't help him. Finally, at the gas station in the bathroom he has an epiphany of sorts and he realizes that he can't go on, so he sheds his jacket, a metaphor to shedding the life with Rayanne and he heads back on the road to continue searching. Some of us never discover who we really are until the end of life. This is the human condition.
There's nothing "classic" about this movie. It just happened to be popular when most baby boomers were young and everything is significant when you're young. Bobby is one of the most narcissistic characters to ever grace the big screen. He uses and discards people like so much toilet paper. Leaving his girlfriend in a hotel for 2 weeks without a thought, fucking his brothers girlfriend, abandoning his unborn child, he walks through life with an unwarranted sense of entitlement and superiority (I can play the piano...but I won't) all the while sporting a grumpy cat face as if somehow he's the victim. We all have encountered people like this in real life, now haven't we?
what's wrong with an unwarranted sense of superiority? Who are you to judge another personality? I believe people who think they are superior really are superior. And those menial and petty who have the hide to bring them down are just pathetic. I agree with you on his wrongs about leaving his unborn child and such, but narcissism is a healthy behavior in our species. Megalomania would be my favorite.
It's a character study. One of the things that makes it great is that he's NOT likeable. It's examining a character who is selfish, self-absorbed, irresponsible, and afraid of any kind of commitment or connection with anybody & seeing what the consequences are: he ends up being alone & homeless. It's a cautionary tale. If you want 90 minutes of mindless entertainment where you can root for a two-dimensional good guy, go watch IRON MAN 15.
Lynn Turman Well Lynn, I've never seen an Iron man movie so I can't judge it's qualities or lack thereof. The real question is; What makes a great movie? First off, you must tell a story. It has to keep the viewer engaged and create some emotional connection with the protagonist. The story has to progress and show how the protagonist deals with or changes in response to the events he experienced during the film. It also have to have relevance beyond the era it was created. There has to be a purpose for making the film, a "theme" rather than just special effects and sexy actors. In Five Easy Pieces, Bobby ends the movie just as it began. We follow him around watching him inflicting emotional wreckage on everyone he encounters only to conclude by him jumping in a semi presumably to continue his sociopathy ad nauseum. There is no growth, no change, no consequences commensurate with damage he caused. Compare that to The Godfather, Citizen Kane, 12 Angry Men, Dr. Strangelove or Apocalypse Now. The contrast couldn't be more stark.
***** To begin with, what makes a great movie is totally subjective (like all artistic endeavors). I guess you can classify a movie as being "great" if enough people are of that opinion (which when it comes to FIVE EASY PIECES, many people are). I'll agree with you that your description of the protagonist's journey is a narrative standard found in most movies (great or otherwise). And I'll agree that Bobby DOESN'T grow or change or have an arc. But that's the point. It would be out of CHARACTER for him to do that. It's short on plot & story arcs, long on examination of a character. And again, one of the things GREAT about it is its AVOIDANCE of well-worn conventions like you mentioned (not that there's anything wrong with them--the movies you mentioned are all great). Ever see ADAPTATION? Listen to Nicholas Cage describe to his agent at the beginning why he's interested in adapting into a movie a book about flowers. That kinda sums up what I think FIVE EASY PIECES is trying to do. Not having a likeable protagonist who doesn't change over the course of the movie will mean it will have its detractors, but it doesn't mean it isn't good (or dare I say great).
Lynn Turman My guess is what makes this movie memorable isn't the story, but Jack Nicholson. When you ask the average person what he remembers about this movie, most will point to the dinner scene. For the first time we saw what Nicholson would later mine into Hollywood gold in The Shining and A Few Good Men; his smirking sarcasm giving way to simmering and then explosive rage. For comparison, imagine if you will, Justin Bieber performing that scene. RU-vid protip: Instead of accentuating words using all caps, simply place a star before and after the word (no space) and it makes the word *bold* Nice chatting with you Lynn.
i wish he ended up with that one girl back at his house. :/ even though i think she was engaged to that other man and his actual gf was pregnant. his gf just acted too stupid, it annoyed the crap out of me. i guess i just hope for happy endings and the main character ends up with someone. however, this movie does a good job in showing a realistic version of things and how things don't always work out the way you want them to. plus the idea of giving up everything and just going off somewhere new is quite interesting too.
@@Martys-4x4 well .. there is still a gas station there.. just not the 1970s version. There’s a nice farm market beside it which is also an expanded version of the fruit/veg stand that was always there.. it’s all beside the Chemainus River and overall an nice spot that will still look mostly like the scene in the movie.
Karen Black's part, was one of the most annoying and idiotic parts, I think the way he left her at the gas stop was classic, I would have go rid of her early on....
