Easy Rider (1969) - 5 stars out of 10

Easy Rider (1969) - 5 stars out of 10

Most film critics adore “Easy Rider” but I think that I have a difficult time appreciating it because I did not grow up in the 60’s.  I think that it does an amazing job of capturing the 60’s culture and values (as far as I know), even though there was a dozen too many motorcycle montages for me.  This societal piece touches on the hippie movement and society’s perception of them, drug usage, and free love.  The film definitely aims for realism, using real drugs on-screen, relying on improvisation through its very limited screen play, and using native “hillbillies” on location.  Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda offer good performances, but the film did not interest me very much.  It is worth watching for Jack Nicholson’s Oscar-nominated performance, but I would recommend then skipping the disturbing LSD sequence and fastforwarding to the last 5 minutes.  “Easy Rider” captures the counterculture of the 1960’s, but will probably only appeal to you if you experienced it.