No, he's not dead, but he's been retired for 15 years. Last time we saw him onscreen was the small role in the insignificant James L. Brooks comedy HOW DO YOU KNOW in 2010. From what I've been able to glean, the 87-year-old legend is content with staying indoors at his home, maybe venturing out for a Lakers game now and then. Any proposed projects in the interim, like a US remake of the excellent German film TONI ERDMANN (2016) died.
I mean, it's his right, of course. He's earned it. But I'm still somewhat saddened, because he's always been my favourite actor by a wide margin. I have a somewhat obsessive relationship to him, even, ever since I was a kid and a poster of his SHINING face adorned the door of my boy's room. Here's a pic of said boy's room, some time in the early 90s:
Since then, I've seen every single film that Jack Nicholson has been involved in, and probably 90% of his early TV work.
A few weeks ago, I saw the excellent horror film SMILE 2, in which his son Ray has a small role. And when Ray puts on a grin in a particular scene, it's the spitting image of his father. Suddenly, all the memories flood back, and the feeling of loss reappears after having come to terms with his absence in the last 15 years.
His retirement is well deserved at this point, but COME ON, JACK! You still have one more in you. Just look at Joe Pesci returning for THE IRISHMAN.
I liked him in some things but he's basically the same in every film. He's a great Hollywood star and had a dynamic personality, but he was never an actor with much range performance wise.
As FSM's 2024 Man of the Year, I greatly admire Nicholson's 1969-75 work and consider it among the top 5 all-time great cinematic runs. I've watched Chinatown probably 30 times and it remains my favorite Nicholson film.
After finally winning his first Oscar, Nicholson's work became a lot less interesting to me, though I still enjoyed watching him (most of the time).
Maybe it's because the culture changed or Nicholson's movie star persona had become too familiar to me by then, but Jack was a lot more hit or miss though always worth watching.
Love Jack's touching As Good As It Gets Best Actor win speech, in which he mentioned Peter Fonda, the late Robert Mitchum and the late J.T. Walsh.
I liked him in some things but he's basically the same in every film. He's a great Hollywood star and had a dynamic personality, but he was never an actor with much range performance wise.
I obviously disagree with that, but it's a misconception that I've met many, many times throughout the decades. Yes, he's most famous for a certain type of bad guy/sleaze/cool role (which I absolutely ADORE, btw...it's the reason why I first got into him), but he has an amazing range that doesn't get the credit it deserves. Things like FIVE EASY PIECES, CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, THE PASSENGER, THE CROSSING GUARD, THE PLEDGE, ABOUT SCHMIDT, where he's either toned down, or gets to play around with a wide range of emotions. Stunning.
As FSM's 2024 Man of the Year, I greatly admire Nicholson's 1969-75 work and consider it among the top 5 all-time great cinematic runs. I've watched Chinatown probably 30 times and it remains my favorite Nicholson film.
Interesting pick. It's an amazing film, but bored me as a kid, as did the sequel that Jack directed himself - THE TWO JAKES. It's obviously grown on me in adult years.
Unlike you, I think he's kept a steady quality throughout, his last GREAT performance being in THE DEPARTED (2006).
Jack Nicholson plays............ well Jack Nicholson. It's like Robert Redford, i always like him, and there are a lot of films i like, but....he's always Robert Redford.
Jack Nicholson plays............ well Jack Nicholson. It's like Robert Redford, i always like him, and there are a lot of films i like, but....he's always Robert Redford.
True, though Redford was like fine wine while Nicholson was like Red Bull.
I liked him in some things but he's basically the same in every film. He's a great Hollywood star and had a dynamic personality, but he was never an actor with much range performance wise.
I obviously disagree with that, but it's a misconception that I've met many, many times throughout the decades. Yes, he's most famous for a certain type of bad guy/sleaze/cool role (which I absolutely ADORE, btw...it's the reason why I first got into him), but he has an amazing range that doesn't get the credit it deserves. Things like FIVE EASY PIECES, CARNAL KNOWLEDGE, THE PASSENGER, THE CROSSING GUARD, THE PLEDGE, ABOUT SCHMIDT, where he's either toned down, or gets to play around with a wide range of emotions. Stunning.
I guess my biggest hangup is he always looks psychotic even when playing a good guy. That's not a smile I'd ever trust!
I urge you (and Lars) to see some of those films I mentioned earlier. Opens up a whole spectre to his range. Jack Nicholson isn't always Jack Nicholson. That's a rather modern invention.
I urge you (and Lars) to see some of those films I mentioned earlier. Opens up a whole spectre to his range. Jack Nicholson isn't always Jack Nicholson. That's a rather modern invention.
Well I dunno. He's kinda stuck with what "god" gave him so to speak. He's got crazy eyes, creepy smile and an unsettling voice. Even if he plays a good guy he comes across a little... off. This limits his ability to become a chameleon like some actors.
I mean, not every actor can be Gary Oldman. Chameolon-like abilities are great to have, but just as important is total investment in a character, and an emotional range within said character. Have you seen some of the films I mentioned earlier? If you've only seen - say - THE SHINING, BATMAN, THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK and that kind of fare, one would obviously have a skewed image.
CHINATOWN is one of my all time favorite movies, so I obviously support the notion that Nicholson could convincingly play nice guy leading-man roles. In fact, CHINATOWN was, among other things, a take on the classic film noir mystery world and period, but with its own sensibilities. The classic noirs were black and white, played often at night, while CHINATOWN is in color, with often deliberately taking place on sunny and bright locations. The classic noir gumshoe was often a jaded cynic in need of job and money, while Nicholson's J.J. Gittes wears expensive suits and has a successful agency with several employees, and he easily rejects offers if he thinks they are not worth his time, and lets people pay him off at a later time if they can't afford to right away. Nicholson plays a successful, decent character, who had once tried to help someone in "Chinatown", which ended in tragedy. So he is cautious, but still morally grounded. There is depth to this character, a depth Nicholson conveys often through sometimes just a few gestures and looks, there is no "overacting" here. And if he gets angry at the fellow in the Barber shop, it's not the typical "here's Johnny" madness, it's just a decent guy who wanted to get a haircut and shave, who then gets upset that a Banker who forecloses mortgages acts as if he were morally superior to a detective.
Nicholson had a strong screen persona, he wasn't a "chameleon" in the sense that you didn't recognize him, but that doesn't mean he wasn't convincing in his roles, he was, he wasn't all "crazy Jack" in all his roles.
It's funny when, at the end, they announce the reviews of next week's episode -- the brand new films of MAD MAX: BEYOND THUNDERDOME and SILVERADO. Today (sorta) classics, at the very least reference points, but just fresh movies at the time.
Anyways, back to Nicholson, I dig the confrontation/interaction scenes with another icon of the silver screen, Robert de Niro (who's also not much of a chameleon), in THE LAST TYCOON (1976). Especially the end, when Jack punches the lights out of Bob. A 9-minute masterclass of unspoken tension from both actors in this clip:
As FSM's 2024 Man of the Year, I greatly admire Nicholson's 1969-75 work and consider it among the top 5 all-time great cinematic runs. I've watched Chinatown probably 30 times and it remains my favorite Nicholson film.
After finally winning his first Oscar, Nicholson's work became a lot less interesting to me, though I still enjoyed watching him (most of the time).
Maybe it's because the culture changed or Nicholson's movie star persona had become too familiar to me by then, but Jack was a lot more hit or miss though always worth watching.
Love Jack's touching As Good As It Gets Best Actor win speech, in which he mentioned Peter Fonda, the late Robert Mitchum and the late J.T. Walsh.
And Miles Davis.
Chinatown is one of my favorite films. I love those classic films from that era--Carnal Knowledge, The Last Detail, etc--but I like some of the under the radar films, too, like Mike Nichols' The Fortune and Tony Richardson's The Border.
I think, starting with Cuckoo's Nest, Nicholson became sort of a brand and in some of his subsequent roles really cranked up the crazy when he didn't need to. So, The Shining and Batman are performances I'm not wild about. Of his later roles, I really liked As Good as It Gets and A Few Good Men.
Jack Nicholson plays............ well Jack Nicholson. It's like Robert Redford, i always like him, and there are a lot of films i like, but....he's always Robert Redford.
True, though Redford was like fine wine while Nicholson was like Red Bull.
Nicholson had a small role (well, at least it turned out that way) in ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER. He played a rather cynical character, not unlike the roles he had later in his career. The film was supposed to be a big roadshow musical, but Barbra Streisand saw what was happening with big musicals at the time (SWEET CHARITY, HELLO DOLLY, STAR!, DOCTOR DOOLITTLE to name a few) practically bankrupting the studios, and insisted the film be cut down to regular feature length. As a result, most of Nicholson's scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. Even back then she had that kind of power. The missing footage has holy grail status.
Nicholson had a small role (well, at least it turned out that way) in ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER. He played a rather cynical character, not unlike the roles he had later in his career. The film was supposed to be a big roadshow musical, but Barbra Streisand saw what was happening with big musicals at the time (SWEET CHARITY, HELLO DOLLY, STAR!, DOCTOR DOOLITTLE to name a few) practically bankrupting the studios, and insisted the film be cut down to regular feature length. As a result, most of Nicholson's scenes ended up on the cutting room floor. Even back then she had that kind of power. The missing footage has holy grail status.
Yeah, I had to sludge my way through that film just for the brief Nicholson scenes. Tantalizing to know there's a lot more on the cutting room floor, although we'll probably never see it.
(for the record, I should add that I've created threads for every single Jack Nicholson film here on FSM over the years, via the scores, in addition to the big titles that already had them....maybe I'll find time to add links to these here later).
