The Essentials: Jack Nicholson’s Best Films

Jack Nicholson is eccentric. Jack Nicholson is also rich enough to afford the luxury of eccentricity. But even in the late ’60s, remember the breakout role of “Easy Rider” didn’t come until 1969, Nicholson did weird, surreal things like walking around nude for months at a time. “As a matter of self-help, he spent three months walking around in the nude, at all hours of the day, no matter who stopped by, his daughter included,” Rolling Stone wrote in a 2013 profile.

Perhaps it’s that eccentricity, the craziness coupled with the oozing, effortless charm, the ability to seduce anyone within his orbit and that devil may care attitude that made Jack Nicholson a star. It’s maybe not his best role, or best movie, but Nicholson was arguably born to play the devil and did so with naughty relish in “The Witches Of Eastwick,” again, alluringly charismatic, somehow impossibly sexy charismatic and dripping with a confidence that is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

One might argue that it was impossible to not like, or fall in love with, Jack Nicholson, and that’s perhaps why he became one of the biggest stars in the world despite his character actor looks. Nicholson typifies the imp, the devil, with his mischievous Cheshire cat smile and those jagged “do you dare me” razor-sharp eyebrows.

But perhaps for all his wicked, wry charms, for all his star power magnetism, Nicholson could and can act. We remember him often as the guy who was always bequeathed the center stage spot at the Oscars (now passed on to Meryl Streep), the guy holding court, smoking the cigar and sucking up all the attention in the room, but Nicholson has chops that have gone high and low. From the biggest, go-for-broke madcap performances (“Batman,” “The Shining“), to the understated and low key (“The Pledge,” “The Crossing Guard“), the sad and vulnerable (“About Schmidt“), the self-satisfied scene chewing (“The Departed“), the against-type role (“The King Of Marvin Gardens“), and the cool and slyly understated (“Chinatown,” “The Last Detail“), in a career that’s spanned nearly seven decades and almost 70 film credits, Nicholson did it all.

Not that awards are the be all end all, but he is one of the all-time great and has been rewarded as such by the Oscars: 12 Academy Award nominations, three of which are wins (eight for Best Actor and four for Best Supporting Actor), Nicholson is the most nominated male actor in Academy Awards history. Given all the ink spilled over the living legend—sure to be remembered with the Dennis Hoppers and Marlon Brandos of the world—it’s difficult to add something profound to legacy of Jack Nicholson, but as his birthday arrives on Sunday, (April 22) and the actor turns 81, we’ve decided to rectify the egregious mistake of never writing a full essentials retrospective of the actor and laud his eclectic, eccentric career. And by the way, while he apparently “retired.” there’s apparently one more performance left in the wings in, of all things, a remake of the bizarre (and amazing) German-Austrian father/daughter comedy “Toni Erdmann“ with Kristin Wiig which would be a helluva note to leave on.

“About Schmidt” (2002)
An odd, mundane, beautifully blue-hearted, increasingly dark-humored and gently touching slice of middle America excellence from writer/director Alexander Payne, “About Schmidt” provides late-period Jack Nicholson with an intimate, gratifying and tenderly envisioned character study, which remains one of the acclaimed actor’s last lead performances — and certainly one of his last absolutely great lead performances too. Crafted as a poignant, insightful and entirely human examination on aging, grief, loneliness, and the worth of one’s legacy, Nicholson gives one of his most personal and profound performances in an astounding career composed of towering roles. Centered around a disgruntled retired insurance salesman who attempts to postpone his daughter’s impending wedding to a man he believes isn’t worthy of her, it’s a somber performance driven by melancholy and sullen contemplation, but it’s also a deeply, almost painfully, funny movie too. As heartbreaking as it is deeply bittersweet, with a haunting final shot that is unquestionably among the strongest and most evocative acting in Nicholson’s career, “About Schmidt” is a fitting and strangely lovely triumph that’s not only worthy of Nicholson’s commanding presence but also one of the actor’s most humble, heartfelt and truly best performances in his luxurious, extensive 50 year career. – Will Ashton

“The Departed” (2006)
In Martin Scorsese’s electric and manically entertaining “The Departed,”  Nicholson’s captivating turn as ruthless mobster Frank Costello is somehow both one of the film’s showiest performances and perhaps one of its most overlooked. Arguably the actor’s last truly great performance — unless or until he (hopefully) comes out of his retirement — Nicholson’s fiery, imposing and charismatic criminal character is the movie’s lightning rod, the one that really brings life to the already-magnetizing popcorn drama-thriller. It is flashy and volcanic and often filled with spontaneous outbursts of violence and vulgarity and wicked glee, but it is also a stunningly calculated and entirely masterful performance, the work of a true thespian who is excelling in his given craft. Nicholson is full of vibrato and dynamism, undoubtedly, but as an Irish mobster in the heart of Boston who is training a mole to work in the FBI, one who knows that his days are numbered and that the gun is waiting to turn back to him sooner before later, there is an ingrained melancholy laced within this supporting turn. It could be said that Nicholson is grooming the next generation of acting giants here, all while giving us, the audience, one last vigorous hurrah in the process. It is a powerhouse performance, and it’s a testament to Nicholson’s unkempt ferocity. There are few quite like him. – WA

“Chinatown” (1974)
“Chinatown” centers on a private detective (Nicholson) hired to expose an adulterer, yet finds himself caught up in a mysterious web of deceit, corruption, and murder. Had the film not had the unfortunate distinction of being released the same year as eventual Best Picture winner “The Godfather Pt. II,” it may have gone down as one of the top Best Picture winners of all-time. Either way, the film remains one of the most tightly scripted in the history of the medium, taking home the Best Original Screenplay Award at the Oscars, and it hasn’t aged a day. One of the main reasons the film has such a lasting legacy is the compelling Jack Nicholson performance at the center of it. As private investigator Jake Gittes, Nicholson won’t back down from his mysterious case and does whatever it takes to get to the bottom of it. Earning his 4^th Oscar nomination in 6 years, Nicholson’s iconic character oozes charm despite sporting an unflattering nose bandage more than half the film’s runtime. Although Nicholson would have to wait one more year to earn the first of his three Oscar wins, his performance as Jake Gittes showcases the traits that make Nicholson one of the best actors of all-time. Balancing his role as tenacious investigator and as romantic charmer, Nicholson provides yet another unforgettable performance to his résumé. “We can’t forget it, Jack. It’s Chinatown.” – Karl Schleider

“The Pledge” (2001)
Late period Jack Nicholson typically finds the veteran actor in a state of reflection. These last few performances tend to see Nicholson either searching, looking out into the horizon and wondering if there is more left unexplored — all while contemplating what came before in his trails. That sense of longing is reflected in Nicholson’s anguished, agonized lead performance as Detective Jerry Black in Sean Penn’s deary, downbeat mystery drama “The Pledge.” Following a familiar set-up with a soon-retiring man of the law driven back into the field when a young girl is found murdered in the snowy mountains, “The Pledge” succeeds through not only Penn’s more assured, commendable direction, but through the always-dependable Nicholson providing yet another soulful lead performance. Similar to their work together in “The Crossing Guard,” Penn gives Nicholson a platform to brood lonely and contemplate loneliness, but it contains little of the heightened dramatics that have come to define his legacy. This performance is among the actor’s most nuanced and subdued, especially towards the end of his career — the work of a man, near retirement, who doesn’t exactly know what to do with the rest of his time on this planet, but someone who still wants to make an impact. It’s also the work of a great actor once again showcasing his masterful talents with range and depth. One of Nicholson’s greatest strengths is capturing the inner turmoil of the troubled everyman. With “The Pledge,”Nicholson proved for one of the last times what he can do. – WA

“Terms Of Endearment” (1983)
“He did everything for us on ‘Terms of Endearment,’ including writing eleven versions of this speech,” Jack Nicholson said about his friend and director James L. Brooks after accepting the 1984 Oscar, whose modesty and flattery came across nicely for a well-deserved plaudit. Nicholson plays Garrett Breedlove, an affable astronaut who scarcely believes his luck when Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine) asks him to lunch years after she turned down his advances. Nicholson brings a romantic touch he rarely showed before “As Good As it Gets,” his assertion that “you do bring out the devil in me” is a particularly touching moment from a man whose trademark cackles reign in other scenes. There’s believable chemistry between Nicholson and MacLaine, and while he lacked the magnetic looks of Michael Caine or the animal gravitas of Harrison Ford, he compensates with humble charm. And when he states “If you wanted to get me on my back, all you had to do was ask me,” there’s nothing false about it at all.– Eoghan Lyng