Movie: Five Easy Pieces
Jack Nicholson had several minor movie parts, like in The Little Shop of Horrors, before his first big role in Easy Rider. Before making the blockbuster films Chinatown and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, he was in Five Easy Pieces, his first movie where he was the headliner.
There is one scene in this film that everyone remembers. It is of course, the “chicken salad” scene in the diner, with one of the most devastating deliveries and even more devastating penultimate put-downs in the history of film dialogue.
Robert Dupnea (Nicholson) was a seething volcano, ready to erupt at any moment. All he wanted was an order of plain toast, but the crusty waitress was having none of this. “No substitutions”, she growled. Robert then delivered his brilliant “work-around” with his memorable “knock-out” punch at the end.
If you haven’t seen the movie or the scene, I won’t spoil it, just watch the embedded video. It will have you grinning all day.