Jack Nicholson as the Drop-Out Kid, a classical pianist who opts for the blue-collar life. He makes showy fusses over a freeway traffic jam and a sourpuss waitress (two scenes that are played for easy comedy of the mad-artist-in-conflict-with-society type), and he finally sheds a tear over the lack of communication with his dad. He is, in short, one of those characters you're supposed to identify with. The oil-field, bowling-alley, and coffee-shop settings are skimmed over lightly and flashily, so that the filmmakers, as much as the hero, appear to be slumming. The main area of concentration is the acid caricature of sitting-duck targets -- old biddies, snobs, nitwits -- and the film falls apart when it moves to the family home, which is overcrowded with such types. The music, both classical (Schubert) and country (Wynette), holds things together until then. Karen Black, Susan Anspach; directed by Bob Rafelson. (1970) — Duncan Shepherd
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