The Essentials: Jack Nicholson’s Best Films

“The Witches of Eastwick” (1987)
It seems inconceivable now that Bill Murray was one of the favorites to play the devil himself, Daryl Van Horne i,n “The Witches Of Eastwick, a role tailor-made for Jack Nicholson. As devilish as he plays it, Nicholson also lets Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer and Cher enjoy the showier moments, kooky in his eyes, maniacal in his movement. He may be recognized for barbarian activities, but this is a performance wholeheartedly played for camp pleasure and delight. Nicholson has flirted with insanity in his repertoire, but this is a mania beyond good or evil. “Do you think God knew what He was doing when He created woman?” he cries to a congregation, arms upfront, eyes skywards. Leering with that delightful repulsiveness, as he oggles and hungrily covets the three witches of the title, the lurching, devious revulsion of the character is to the ’80s what Nicholson’s “Tommy” co-star Oliver Reed, brought to many of his wickedly debauched seventies films and performances.-EL

“Five Easy Pieces” (1970)
“Keep telling me about the good life, Elton, because it makes me want to puke!” Before Jack Nicholson was Mr. Hollywood, front row at the Lakers and Oscars, he achieved greatness as the quintessential American misfit, and no film portrays this quality better than Bob Rafelson’s “Five Easy Pieces.” More than any other of his films, “Five Easy Pieces” takes the razor-edged ebullience of Nicholson’s persona and situates it in a real social context, or rather, unhappily caught between two social contexts and alienated from both. Nicholson plays Bobby Dupea, a classically trained pianist who has abandoned his wealthy upbringing to work in an oil field, only to make an uneasy return to attend his dying father. Too wild to be wealthy, too cultured and clever to be blue-collar, the diner scene alone cemented Nicholson’s status as someone deconstructing society’s rigid rules armed with nothing more than “smartness and sarcasm.” Yet, as Dupea returns home and his past comes into focus, we see that behind the anger lies fear; fear of his unfulfilled musical promise, fear of his inability to fit in, fear of confronting his inner demons. Offered two different versions of life and love, Dupea runs from both. The rootless, brilliant, embittered Robert Eroica Dupea is Nicholson’s most poignant and complex character, a lasting emblem of American dissatisfaction. – Joe Blessing

“Something’s Gotta Give” (2003)
A distinctly Nancy Meyers film, “Something’s Gotta Give” is elevated by its committed and charming performances. As an older man who is finally realizes that women decades younger than him aren’t a suitable match (and out of reach), there’s something about the Harry Sanborn character should be easy to root against. But, as was the case with “As Good as it Gets,” Nicholson is able to take a familiar character and inject his own brand of captivating charm to make for a character however odious at times, likable. Following the love story between him and Diane Keaton’s Erica Barry as they both try and navigate the ins and outs of looking for love well past your prime, Nicholson shared a palpable chemistry with Keaton and he was able to once again soften his edges and demonstrate vulnerability that perfectly juxtaposed his dry and sardonic delivery. The two of them, with Nicholson acting generously aside her, ground what otherwise may have been a forgettable, if sweet, film with well rounded and heartfelt performances. – Ally Johnson

“The Crossing Guard” (1995)
Sean Penn’s somber, contemplative sophomore feature “The Crossing Guard” is not your typical revenge tale. Not driven by bloodlust and a need for retribution, instead, the movie is motivated by pity and remorse. As the grief-stricken alcoholic Freddy Gale, a lonely jeweler who fills his empty nights with alcohol, strippers and empty sex, Nicholson brings a heavy and intensive presence, to Penn’s troubled narrative. Not so much sympathetic as it is broodingly empathetic, Nicholson’s disheveled Freddy finds his parallel in John Booth (an equally compelling David Morse), a drunk driver who accidentally killed Freddy’s daughter, leading Freddy down his own drunken, heavy-hearted quest for redemption by trying to kill John, mistakenly thinking taking a life for a life will be a means of healing. Neither character is virtuous or moral; they both have crosses to bear. Both are deeply flawed men with scars inside and out, and throughout their emotional journey, both men are left to live — or die — with the guilt they care inside them. The movie, meditative, uncomfortable and sometimes oddly touching is s also given its weight and thoughtful morality through Nicholson’s poignancy. As a film, “The Crossing Guard” is a good script trying hard to be great. But through the commendable talents of Nicholson and his talented ensemble, which also includes Anjelica Huston and Robin Wright, the film finds humanity through heavy waves of sorrow. – WA

“As Good As It Gets” (1997)
Although its depiction of obsessive-compulsive disorder may not have aged that well, it’s hard to deny that James L. Brooks’ “As Good As It Gets” is one of Jack Nicholson’s standout performances. The legendary actor earned his third and seemingly final Academy Award for his role as a reclusive romance novelist whose interactions with a struggling waitress (fellow Oscar winner Helen Hunt) and a post-traumatic painter (Greg Kinnear) “make (him) want to be a better man” (as illustrated by the film’s most famous line). Brooks’ film perfectly captures Nicholson’s ability to play both charismatic and smarmy, and the incredible feat that “As Good As It Gets” pulls off is the ability to take Nicholson’s Melvin Udall from odious and repulsive to redeemed by the time the credits roll. In many ways, this may be the quintessential Nicholson performance, exploring the full extent of his range and giving him plenty of scenery-chewing moments. Despite his despicable behavior, Melvin becomes a sympathetic character before our very eyes, and it’s hard to imagine another actor infusing the same life, humor and complexity into the role. As it stands, Nicholson in “As Good As It Gets” creates one of cinema’s most memorable curmudgeons. -Robert Yaniz