Rating: 
Summary: not so ez getting
Review: I am 25 years old right now, and the first time I saw this movie, I had no clue what they were trying to get across. Now I am fascinated by it, and its controvery is far more apparent to me. My best recomendation to anyone who is going to see this for the first time and did not live in the 60s is to learn more about the time period first. That way, when you see Henry Fonda stuffing money into his gas tank so he can buy drugs on his road trip, you will realize that the mainstream reaction was "Oh my lord, how can someone do such a thing, like actually plan out that they know that they will want drugs in the near future." And there is even more to that shot besides what I have tried to articulate. So there is no sure fire way to explain this movie to anyone too young to remember when it first came out. However, if one makes the effort (and not an extreme one is needed) the times and feelings of the 60s can become intelligible. I can honestly say that now being able to watch this movie and understand it is a most rewarding experience for me, so all I can say is I hope it can be for others like myself.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the greatest American films ever made!
Review: I can't acknowledge my admiration of this movie enough. To me this is American Cinema at its finest.If you like stories about freedom this is for you. To paraphrase Jack Nicholson 'Lots of people like to talk about freedom but they don't want anybody living it'. Its a sometimes surreal adventure, but it makes its points well. The wide screen version enhances the, already superb, cinematography. I give this film my highest recomendation.
Rating:
Summary: Hip about Easy Rider
Review: I have got the movie poster in my home. Need I go on? Music is Steppenwolf, Byrds, Hendrix, and a really cool psychedelic tune by the Holy Modal Rounders called If You Want to be a Bird. This is the ultimate journey of unbound freedom in America in a tumultuous time(Assassination, Vietnam War, Civil Rights, Watts Riots, Cold War tensions). Wyatt and Billy are not involved politically in any of this. They are just out to enjoy a lost America that has been forgotten(also check out Zabriskie Point!)due to the establishment and the progress of mankind.Peter Fonda remarks in one scene "This used to be a helluva good country."
Rating:
Summary: Counterculture Touchstone
Review: Easy Rider is a counterculture touchstone. It also was a trailblazer in the independent film market. There had other hippie movies before, but they were mostly bad films about drug use. Easy Rider tells the story of two hippies, played by Dennis Hopper & Peter Fonda, who motorcycle across the country from California to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. They had just made a big drug score and are using that money for the trip. Along the way, they stay at a commune in the desert, get caught up in a dispute in a small town and of course take alot of drugs. There is a scene in a New Orleans graveyard that visualizes an acid trip. Jack Nicholson shows up as a drunk who is constantly being jailed. He rides along with Mr. Hopper & Mr. Fonda and meets an untimely death. The role garnered Mr. Nicholson an Oscar nomination and catapulted him to stardom. The film is visually pretty and well shot and they make great use of rock songs as no other movie had beforehand. The film was also a commentary by hippies about hippies. It is supposed to show that hippies are just peace loving people who embody the freedom America is supposed to give people. They are unfairly persecuted by small-minded people who judge them by the length of their hair. At the time, this was all groundbreaking stuff. The problem is that the film hasn't aged well in the 30 years since it's release. It is still cemented back in 1969 and now is just a relic from that time. The film's power should be more judged for the doors it opened up for other maverick film makers like Martin Scorcese, Peter Bogdanovich and other later ones like Quentin Tarantino and Spike Lee. Before Easy Rider, you had to play within the system. After it became a huge success, you could go underground and get daring pictures released.
Rating: 
Summary: A real eye-opener
Review: This movie still surprises even today. Though it is dated, it gives a fascinating portrayal of two hippies rolling throguh America at a time of social change. Mostly scenes and intricate editing, we see a portrait of two bikers who search for freedom. For me, the delight is seeing Jack Nicholson in one of his absolute best performances. He steals every scene he is in. However, it is a bit slow and it is not quite a epochal classic like Rebel Without a Cause. It still evokes a sense of freedom and a sense of America.
Rating:
Summary: A slow start but good
Review: This is a true classic. The movie starts so slowly that I was afraid I was going to drop off to sleep. The commune breaks things up a bit, but the fun only really starts when Jack Nicholson joins the club. Truly, Nicholson is one of the greatest actors ever. From Terms of Endearment to Batman, Nicholson makes almost any movie worth watching. Same here. Many scenes are laugh out loud funny. I was rolling on the floor laughing during the exchage about aliens. The drug trips are interesting. The music is a huge part of the culture and so it is in the movie. To tell more would be to ruin the greaetest moments in the film. It is worth watching. I should say that there is some nudity, but no language if you are interested.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow-moving and boring
Review: Easy Rider's reputation as a classic doesn't resonate with me. Simply put, the film is boring. Most of it is little more than endless shots of the cast riding their motorcyles, and equally endless scenics rolling by. There isn't much dialogue, and each scene is very disconnected from the next. We get hardly any sense of who the characters are and why they are acting the way they are. Different themes in the film - freedom, prejudice, community, and hypocrisy - are tossed around aimlessly, with no sense of cohesion, making the viewer wonder just what the film's point is (when he isn't yawning). A classic it may be to some viewers, but to this one it is just a giant snooze.
Rating:
Summary: "America the Beautiful..........on a Harley"
Review: I saw this movie the first time while home on leave from Vietnam. I had a 90 day pass. I had finished my first tour in Nam and was headed back after leave. I identified with the rebellious nature of Fonda and Hopper. In Nam we tried to stay individuals as much as we could, or were allowed too. The movie is great!! If you were alive, and a teenager then, you will know what I mean. When I returned, it took me 4 months to get the soundtrack on an 8 track tape. We played it so many times, we wore it out in 6 weeks.
Rating:
Summary: Easy Riding
Review: This movie is so great. Dennis Hopper not only made a fun picture, he touched on the very issue that makes America a great place, freedom. At it's root that is what Easy Rider is all about. The first time I saw this film I was like, "this is a classic?" The second time I saw it, years later, I was like "this IS a classic!" Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda riding their choppers towards New Orleans and their quest to be free is a classic American movie. It is a comteperary tragedy that deserves all the praise it has received over the years. Upon first viewing this film I did not see any message in it, but after seeing it again I really understtod what Hopper was saying. Everyone should see this film and listen.
Rating:
Summary: Get Your Motor Runnin'; Head Out On the Highway
Review: I bought this title because I am a motorcyclist. If you have never ridden one and want to know what it is like, this movie will take you on a virtual road trip from Los Angeles through beautiful mountain scenery down to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The two stars, Peter Fonda (Wyatt) and Dennis Hopper (Billy), head out on the highway to the motorcycle anthem, "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf, and there are some fantastic camera shots of them crossing the Colorado River. If that scene doesn't get your blood pumping, then you can be assured that motorcycling isn't for you. There's a lot more to this movie than just scenic motorcycling and sixties music. A typical biker movie has a weak plot, usually involving some gang terrorizing the local community. Before creating this movie, Fonda and Jack Nicholson (George), as well as some of the other cast members all appeared in such flicks. By contrast, "Easy Rider" is really a mold-breaker for its type, because it involves a lot of social commentary. Early in the movie, Billy and Wyatt pick up a stranger along the highway, who turns out to be the leader of a commune. He is a dead ringer for John Lennon, when he had his Sgt. Pepper look. Wyatt and the stranger get along well, but Billy is suspicious of the hitchhiker. They take him back to his commune and hang out for awhile there with the people. Wyatt fits in OK, but Billy is not generally respected. Many of them make fun of Billy. For some time, this was very hard for me to account for, since Billy is a freak. I did not gain any insights into this until I read the book, "Riders On the Storm" by Doors' drummer, John Densmore. In it, he explains how the Doors, who were from Los Angeles, were not invited to play the Monterey Pop Festival. San Francisco flower power was about peace and love, and Jim Morrison, the lead singer, gave off an aggressive vibe. Densmore also said that some famous flower power musicians did not want to be publicly associated with The Doors. For instance, John Sebastian agreed to play harmonica on "Roadhouse Blues," but he would not allow his real name to be used in the credits. I believe that the difference in values between Los Angeles and San Francisco is crucial to understanding why Billy was rejected by the commune members. Wyatt and Billy are not from San Francisco, and they do not wear psychedelic clothing. They hail from Los Angeles, and they are preoccupied with freedom--not peace and love. Billy has a real aggressive vibe to him. He is very confrontational, and he doesn't get along well with others. Wyatt is more of a seeker. He is open-minded and interested in what other people have to offer. They're both rich, but not through legal or reputable means. They smuggled some cocaine across the border from Baja, Mexico, and then they sold it for a huge profit. The two are friends, and they seem to have accepted each others strengths and weaknesses. The movie makes some clear statements about sixties social values and morals. In other cases, it brings up issues, but doesn't reach any firm conclusions. The movie ends tragically, but it isn't an indictment of flower power. Billy had rejected peace and love, and had he not reacted in the confrontational manner that he did, things might have turned out differently. This movie is about the tradgedy and failure of hate--and the need for peace, love, and understanding. I give this movie a five-star rating because it documents the issues of the times so effectively. As a motorcycle movie, this production is practically unbeatable because it has captured the spirit of motorcycling so well.
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