Five Easy Pieces a Denny's along Interstate 5 near Eugene, Oregon. Thirty years later, Nicholson performed a scene in the movie "About Schmidt" that drew from this scene; it was cut from the film but is available as a Deleted Scene in the DVD release. Nicholson's character in "About Schmidt", an emotionally downtrodden retiree, in contrast, humbly accepts the waitress's "no substitutions" rule. The opening credits list the five classical piano pieces played in the film and referenced in the title. Pearl Kaufman is credited as the pianist. Also listed are four songs sung by Tammy Wynette: "Stand by Your Man", "D-I-V-O-R-C-E", "Don't
Five Easy Pieces Touch Me", and "When There's a Fire in Your Heart". According to "Variety", the film earned $1.2 million in North American in 1970. By 1976 the film had earned $8.9 million in North America. The film opened to positive reviews. It holds an 87% "Certified Fresh" rating on online review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The critics' consensus states: "An important touchstone of the New Hollywood era, "Five Easy Pieces" is a haunting portrait of alienation that features one of Jack Nicholson's greatest performances." Roger Ebert gave the film four stars out