Jack Nicholson stars in this classic character study that functions as an examination of the rootless existence of a blue collar kid who was once a piano prodigy, but like so many others of his generation, can't seem to figure out what the right path is for his adult life. This is a great Nicholson performance because it came from the "pre-Nicholson" era, which I like to think of as being before 1975, when One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest kind of solidified his star persona for the rest of his career. This early film reminds you of the kinds of character performances he was always capable of giving- and it's got the famous "chicken salad sandwich" speech in it, which is a little more classic Jack, but the rest of the movie isn't, as he's much more quiet and understated. He and Karen Black were both Oscar-nominated for their roles here.
Original 1970 Trailer:
