Easy Rider

Easy Rider has indisputable depth of thought and great actors. I saw it for the first time as a high schooler, when I identified with the main characters in many ways. Nevertheless, it rolled by slowly and I wasn’t particularly excited about it when it was over. (05/24/2002)

Buying a chopper, a lot of money; riding down coke lines, a lot of money; passing lanes on a motorcycle on American roads, priceless. For everything else, there’s MasterCard. (04/20/2008)

Easy Rider is usually considered the cornerstone of the road movie genre and the beginning of the 60s trend, when Hollywood began to turn away from making films for the settled bourgeois, from whom the comfort of the television screens took them away from the movie theaters, to the young generation that looked at the world around them differently and above all behaved differently. Sex, drugs, long hair, and a dream of unlimited freedom are typical attributes of the hippie generation. The feeling of unrestraint is evoked by Dennis Hopper's long panoramic shots of the endless American heartland, which are alternated with shots of his heroes and their powerful motorcycles. It is noticeable that the film did not have a solid script and Hopper obviously improvised at some points, but thanks to the presence of the central trio of actors, I lean toward giving it 4 stars. The film's nonconformity also plays a significant role in my assessment - I seriously do not like those southern hillbillies, militaristic members of the militia, and conservative small-town folks that the director confronts with his characters. I appreciate the authenticity of Easy Rider because the film evokes the feelings of the '60s generation like very few others. Overall impression: 75%. (03/17/2015)

This is such a carefree ride that its creators didn't even think it necessary to come up with a proper script. Plot-wise, it's about nothing, but the atmosphere is pretty good, especially thanks to the soundtrack and the shots of motorbikes whizzing through the American landscape. Jack Nicholson was the best of the bunch, and the prison and diner scenes were the only stops that didn't bore me. But they say it's a cult. (10/25/2014)

A quirky psychedelic cult film that may well capture the atmosphere of its time, but for me it's absolutely outdated. I don't think ninety minutes have ever felt so long, even waiting at the dentist. I appreciate the great music, the awesome Nicholson, and the challenging interpretive nature, but you can really tell at times that the entire crew was smoking like Petty and Selma throughout. Not for me. (08/02/2018)

One of those movies that you hear about for a long time, but you don't know until you see them. Well, I've already seen it and now I know. It's an excellent film, both in terms of acting and production. The storyline is very simple, but the presentation here simply leads and gives the whole film something extra that takes you back in time and helps you understand the characters. (07/07/2015)

From what I gather, I can imagine what the hippie era and everything around it was like. I'm sure that when this movie came out, it was definitely a blast. But the years go by, and over those 40 years, the movie has lost almost all of its appeal. It's a complete bore that not even a good score can save. Fonda and Nicholson give good performances, but Hopper is as bad an actor as a director, and perhaps ruined a good screenplay by his directing. Finally, don’t tell me this is a cult movie. A cult movie is just as fantastic at the time of its creation as it is 30 years later. This just didn’t withstand the test of time and has no chance of appealing to younger generations. (06/26/2013)