Easy Rider (1969)

Starring Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, this road film follows the two young men traveling across country from L.A. after a drug deal. Along the way they meet a Hippie colony, experimenting with drugs, and simply live life as they please. Much of the movie comprises of the many pit stops they take as they make their way to Mardi Gras. Some people welcome them, and still others are hostile, especially in the South. This film does a wonderful job of portraying the counter culture generation and the experiences they had. In some ways it seems that Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda are not really acting, but partially embodying the existence that they are already used to. One of the highlights in the film would be Jack Nicholson's odd ball, hick lawyer who crosses paths with the two hippie bikers in a Southern jail. A stellar soundtrack including such 1960s groups like the Byrds and the Band take potentially boring biking sequences and make them some of the best moments of the film. They also often express the mindset of the generation including anthems such as “Born to Be Wild” and “I Wasn’t Born to Follow.” Although it is not the greatest movie, it holds historical importance in order to help us remember this past generation.

4/5 Stars