10 Greatest Films of Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson was born in New Jersey, in 1937. He was raised by his grandparents and his mother was portrayed to be his sister. After some theatre and soap opera work, Nicholson appeared in his first film, The Cry Baby Killer, in 1958. He didn’t really hit it big until 1969’s Easy Rider.
Jack Nicholson is the most nominated male actor in the history of the Academy Awards. Over a 33 year period, he was nominated 12 times. He won three of those Oscars, two for best actor in a leading role and one for best actor in a supporting role.
He has built a career upon being simultaneously a live wire and ultra cool. His characters walk the edge of reason but do nothing that is not calculated.
10. A Few Good Men (1992) — Aaron Sorkin wrote the play and the screenplay. Having seen both, there is not a lot of difference. The play is a little stronger — partly because the theatre is more willing to allow the pause. It’s a story that excels because of Sorkin’s brilliant dialogue. Director Rob Reiner brings it to the screen with strong performances from Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise.
Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Cruise) and Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) find themselves assigned to defend two young marines accused of causing the death of a fellow marine through hazing. Kaffee and Galloway’s investigation reveals that the story is bigger and potentially more embarrassing for the Corps.
Nicholson received his tenth Oscar nomination for this role.
“You can’t handle the truth!” — Colonel Jessep
9. Batman (1989) — Nicholson gave us a version of Caesar Romero’s Joker with a coating of menace. At its best its wonderful, but I could have done with about five less minutes of vogueing to Prince music.
“Where does he get those wonderful toys?” — Joker
8. The Departed (2006) — Martin Scorsese directed this film about two young men that are the same but opposites. Damon plays a gangster embedded in the police force and Leonardo diCaprio plays a cop embedded in the mob.
“What Freud said about the Irish is: We’re the only people who are impervious to psychoanalysis.” — Colin Sullivan
7. The Last Detail (1973) — Two sailors escorting a younger sailor to prison decide to show his one last night on the town. It’s quite raucous for an early seventies film and Nicholson must have been a revelation to period audiences in this fabulous performance as an emotionally stunted loudmouth. He received his third Oscar nomination for this role.
“Boy, they really stuck it to ya, didn’t they, kid! Stick it in and break it off. Up your giggy with a wah-wah brush, stick it in an’ break it off.” — Baddusky
6. Terms of Endearment (1983) — This is really Debra Winger and Shirley MacLaine’s film. Jack has a relatively small part, but he’s large enough to make those minutes count, playing a retired astronaut involved with MacLaine’s character. Nicholson received his second Oscar win for this supporting role.
I saw this film when I was eleven or twelve and my strongest memory is of my mother suddenly bursting into tears and running from the room. It’s a tear jerker.
“I’ll tell you, Aurora. I don’t know what it is about you, but you do bring out the devil in me.” — Garrett Breedlove
5. Five Easy Pieces (1970) — Nicholson plays a man experiencing an existential crisis while traveling to see his dying father. Nicholson received his second Oscar nomination for this film.
“I move around a lot, not because I’m looking for anything really, but ’cause I’m getting away from things that get bad if I stay.” — Bobby
4. About Schmidt (2002) — Nicholson is a force of nature, on screen, and that force is at its most unstoppable when it meets an immovable object, which in this case is the wonderful Kathy Bates. Nicholson plays a recent widower, traveling across country in a Winnebago to interfere with his daughters wedding. Nicholson received his twelfth Oscar nomination for this role.
“Relatively soon, I will die. Maybe in 20 years, maybe tomorrow, it doesn’t matter. Once I am dead and everyone who knew me dies too, it will be as though I never existed. What difference has my life made to anyone. None that I can think of. None at all.” — Warren Schmidt
3. Easy Rider (1969) — Easy Rider is a road film, so although some of it is not in New Orleans, New Orleans is the destination. Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda play bikers that have just made a good amount of money selling drugs. Their goal is to make it to New Orleans to party at Mardi Gras and then continue on to Florida, where they plan to retire. Along the way they pick up Jack Nicholson. The film is noted for its fractured, non-linear story and shaky camerawork that are intended to resemble an acid trip. Nicholson received his first Oscar nomination for this role.
“The governor of Louisiana gave me this. Madame Tinkertoy’s House of Blue Lights, corner of Bourbon and Toulouse, New Orleans, Louisiana. Now, this is supposed to be the finest whorehouse in the south. These ain’t no pork chops! These are U.S. PRIME!” — George Hanson
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) — A fierce battle of wits between Nicholson’s McMurphy and Louise Fletcher’s Nurse Ratched, in a prison mental ward. This film gave Nicholson his first Oscar win. At the time, the film was the highest grossing film of all time.
“They was giving me ten thousand watts a day, you know, and I’m hot to trot! The next woman takes me on’s gonna light up like a pinball machine and pay off in silver dollars!” — McMurphy
1. Chinatown (1974) — one of the best neo-noir. Directed by Roman Polanski, it stars Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. Nicholson plays a Sam Spade type character investigating a corrupt reservoir deal. He received his fourth Oscar nomination for this film.
“‘Course I’m respectable. I’m old. Politicians, ugly buildings, and whores all get respectable if they last long enough.” — Noah Cross
Other films considered for this list include As Good as it Gets, Carnal Knowledge, Ironweed, The Crossing Guard, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and Reds.
What would make your list?
