Directed by Bob Rafelson
My rating: 4 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Blu-ray, Criterion Collection)
Jack Nicholson is a trained pianist from a cultured background who chucks it all to work in the California oil fields while living with girlfriend Karen Black. He despises everyone around him, including Black, but doesn't have the courage to do anything about it. Instead, he drinks, has affairs and tries to hide his boredom. While visiting his sister in LA, he learns about his dying father and takes a road trip to an isolated island where he lives with family members. The trip provides the opportunity for some comedy, including the famous chicken salad sandwich routine and hilarious remarks on the nature of man by Helena Kallianiotes. At their destination, he's just as bored in the cultured atmosphere, and soon seeks out his brother's wife for an affair. It ends badly of course, and things get even worse when Karen shows up. Nicholson has several outbursts and always seems one step away from erupting into violence. He finally reveals his true feelings to his father, who is debilitated by a stroke and cannot understand or respond. The final scene is one of the best in all of American cinema.
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