To many film pundits, 1969's Easy Rider is a groundbreaking avant garde (or experimental in layman terms) film. In a way, I agree with them. Motorcycle films were seen as cheap ho-hum exploitation films that no one cares about, but this film changed the way films were made. This film made it clear that films that were known in Old Hollywood was to be no more. The road was paved for New Hollywood and it shows that independent film can be successfully given to mainstream audiences. After all, this film was the third-highest grossing film of 1969 ($41 million dollars to a budget of a very small $400,000). I also found the movie to be a boring and frankly quite overrated. This film definitely appealed to the teens and college kids of the 1960's counterculture era, but we live in a different world today. This movie felt equivalent of taking a boatload of LSD's, and the effect quickly wore off for me. There are moments of greatness, but the overall film doesn't live up to the hype.
Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) are two hippie bikers who smuggled cocaine across the Mexican border to earn money and travel their way across America to live the American dream. After selling the cocaine (to rock icon Phil Spector of all people), it's time for them to begin their odyssey. They take their bikes and roar down the highways going from Point A to Point B. Everywhere they go, they encounter people who hate them for not conforming with American society. They also encounter people just like them. They meet people at a hippie commune. They also meet a liberal tax evasion lawyer in a jail cell, George Hanson (Jack Nicholson). When released, they invite Hanson to go on the journey with them to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Jack Nicholson's performance is the main positive highlight for me. His screen time is limited, but he nails the role as the alcoholic George. One funny moment for myself is that I thought Peter Fonda's character was actually Jack Nicholson at first. I guess they look alike during this time period. Regardless, Nicholson delivered and began a long acting career thanks to this movie. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper were merely okay. I wasn't too much invested in their characters.
Speaking of Dennis Hopper, he was the one who directed the movie. As a first-time director, he changed cinematic history for the better and that is no easy feat. You can tell he has directorial talent, but you can also see he has much to learn. At least he got a magnificent performance out of Jack Nicholson. I also liked what the story is trying to convey. I learned some things about the 1960's counterculture era where young people were beginning to conform against society. This is the kind of thing that hasn't been seen on screen before, so it was definitely something new for audiences to take in. The soundtrack of the movie is A plus. Any soundtrack that has Bob Dylan, The Band, The Byrds, and Steppenwolf deserves a gold medal.
That leads me to my next point. The movie is just basically a 95-minute glorified music video. All these songs are great and they fit the mold of the counterculture era, but it does nothing to the plot. One of the biggest complaints about the movie is that the plot is nonexistent, which I sadly agree with. Usually, I don't mind drug use in a movie, but I was irritated by the amount of drugs used. Calm down, people! On the whole, this was a fascinating watch. On one hand, this is a ground-breaking movie with some solid ideas and a fantastic Jack Nicholson performance. On the other hand, I felt like a psychedelic after watching it. The music, the drugs, the hippie experience.....and I am not sure how I feel about that. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I was disappointed after hearing so many people in the film world rave about this film. But, that is just me.
My Grade: C+
Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) are two hippie bikers who smuggled cocaine across the Mexican border to earn money and travel their way across America to live the American dream. After selling the cocaine (to rock icon Phil Spector of all people), it's time for them to begin their odyssey. They take their bikes and roar down the highways going from Point A to Point B. Everywhere they go, they encounter people who hate them for not conforming with American society. They also encounter people just like them. They meet people at a hippie commune. They also meet a liberal tax evasion lawyer in a jail cell, George Hanson (Jack Nicholson). When released, they invite Hanson to go on the journey with them to Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Jack Nicholson's performance is the main positive highlight for me. His screen time is limited, but he nails the role as the alcoholic George. One funny moment for myself is that I thought Peter Fonda's character was actually Jack Nicholson at first. I guess they look alike during this time period. Regardless, Nicholson delivered and began a long acting career thanks to this movie. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper were merely okay. I wasn't too much invested in their characters.
Speaking of Dennis Hopper, he was the one who directed the movie. As a first-time director, he changed cinematic history for the better and that is no easy feat. You can tell he has directorial talent, but you can also see he has much to learn. At least he got a magnificent performance out of Jack Nicholson. I also liked what the story is trying to convey. I learned some things about the 1960's counterculture era where young people were beginning to conform against society. This is the kind of thing that hasn't been seen on screen before, so it was definitely something new for audiences to take in. The soundtrack of the movie is A plus. Any soundtrack that has Bob Dylan, The Band, The Byrds, and Steppenwolf deserves a gold medal.
That leads me to my next point. The movie is just basically a 95-minute glorified music video. All these songs are great and they fit the mold of the counterculture era, but it does nothing to the plot. One of the biggest complaints about the movie is that the plot is nonexistent, which I sadly agree with. Usually, I don't mind drug use in a movie, but I was irritated by the amount of drugs used. Calm down, people! On the whole, this was a fascinating watch. On one hand, this is a ground-breaking movie with some solid ideas and a fantastic Jack Nicholson performance. On the other hand, I felt like a psychedelic after watching it. The music, the drugs, the hippie experience.....and I am not sure how I feel about that. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I was disappointed after hearing so many people in the film world rave about this film. But, that is just me.
My Grade: C+