Five Easy Pieces
DANO: “There’s a scene from Five Easy Pieces that I think about pretty often. That’s a favourite film of mine, for sure, and a performance that felt really important to me when I was younger. The ending of that film, even though there’s not a lot of dialogue, is wonderful.”
EXT. GAS STATION — DAY
Bobby Dupea (Jack Nicholson) and his pregnant girlfriend Rayette (Karen Black) pull into a Gulf gas station. They’re at the end of a very long and difficult road trip.
INT. CAR — DAY
They pull up to the pumps. Bobby, looking desperately unhappy, touches his hand to his nose. Rayette puts on some lipstick.
Rayette: I’m going to that café for some coffee. You want anything?
Bobby shakes his head. A long pause.
Bobby: No.
Rayette rifles through her purse.
Rayette: You got any change?
Bobby digs into his pants, finds nothing. Reaches into his jacket, pulls out his wallet, gives it to her.
Rayette: You don’t have any change?
He shakes his head. She gets out of the car. He’s lost in thought, staring dead ahead.
EXT. GAS STATION — DAY
Bobby gets out of the car and heads towards the men’s room.
Rayette: You sure you don’t want anything?
Bobby shakes his head. An attendant emerges, and Bobby motions towards his car. A large logging truck drives in and pulls up as Bobby opens the door of the men’s room.
INT. RESTROOM — DAY
Bobby enters the restroom, takes off his jacket, and hangs it up. He goes to the mirror. Rubs his face, coughs briefly, then heads to the urinal. Nothing happens. He doesn’t even try to take a leak. He thinks for a long time, turns round, looks at himself in the mirror, examining himself, for a good 15 seconds.
EXT. GAS STATION — DAY
Bobby leaves the men’s room. He’s not wearing his jacket. By the pumps, the attendant has popped the hood of Bobby’s car and is looking at something.
The logging truck is still there, its engine idling, its driver standing next to it. As the driver walks away, Bobby calls after him. They have a conversation. We can’t hear what they’re saying. But the driver nods in assent, and climbs into his cab. Bobby follows, and climbs into the passenger side.
INT. TRUCK — DAY
The driver reaches over and pulls out a pencil and paper, starts updating his records as he talks.
Driver: Ain’t you got a jacket or anything with you?
Bobby: Oh, no. Ah… Jesus, it got burned up. Everything in the car got the shit burned out of it. Everything. All I got is what I got on.
Driver: I got one behind the seat if you want it. Why not put it on?
Bobby: No, it’s okay.
Driver: Suit yourself. I tell ya one thing, where we’re going it’s going to get colder than hell.
Bobby: No, it’s okay. I’m fine. I’m fine.
As the driver prepares to drive away, Bobby looks out of the window.
Bobby: I’m fine.
EXT. GAS STATION — DAY
The truck pulls away. Rayette gets out of the car and stands in the forecourt, looking around for him. The mechanic points her in the direction of the men’s room. As she crosses to it, and leaves the frame, the credits roll.
FIVE EASY PIECES IS OUT NOW ON DVD, BLU-RAY AND DIGITAL