Easy Rider

Release Year: 1969

Director:  Dennis Hopper

Review: One of the films that was the spark that lead to the start of the New Hollywood. If nothing else "Easy Rider" is an important, influential and groundbreaking film.  Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper play two hippie type men who are on a road trip to Mardi Gras on their motorcycles, hoping to find freedom.  Drug use plays a prominent role throughout and Hopper uses quick cuts and bizarre film techniques to make you feel like your under the influence of some of the same drugs.  Being a counterculture film the theme of freedom is central, and what it means to be free, or if it's even possible in America is questioned.  There are some high concept attempts to convey these counterculture themes, which I can appreciate, but ultimately I didn't have a good time watching this film.  Watching two wayward bikers meander through the south in a drug induced haze wasn't entertaining.  At times it seemed the Hopper sacrificed substance for artistic experimentation. It was almost as if he was laboring to be unnecessarily abstract and actually hurt his message and sapped the film of enjoyment. 

Jack Nicholson's role in the film is a welcome reprieve from the bland, but ultimately is too short lived.  Had he been there throughout, it would have been an entirely more enjoyable ride.  The best thing about the film is it's sound track, comprised of classic rock songs which fit perfectly with long shots of the duo on their bikes cruising the highway.  After this, it became a trend to use songs to score movies, which is just one of the many ways this film influenced the film industry. It is a bold movie with a lot to say and with an unquestionable historic impact, but it doesn't make it anymore of an enjoyable or insightful film.
Rating: 2.5/5