Adam DeRidder

Young Jack Nicholson is well cast as Bobby - a man who was in the inner circle with every social group he met, but always felt outside of it. The people in his life love him, but he cannot accept their love. We see brief moments where he engages and is a very engaging person - gracefully arcing heavy chains as a roughneck, playing piano with ease, outwitting the rigid rules of a diner, connecting with a beautiful woman. We see moments of tenderness for Di Pesto, concern for a friend in trouble and other moments of true decency. In the second half of the movie, we see him return to what should feel like home and we hope that here, he will find the peace that has so far eluded him and that he will put behind, his life or auspicious beginnings and tragic, uneasy departures. The characters are well-written and well-played. We see the beginnings of several careers that spanned more than a decade, starting more or less with this movie.