Antonio Mendoza, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson

Two young "hippie" bikers, Wyatt and Billy sell some drugs in Southern California, stash their money away in their gas-tank and set off for a trip across America, on their own personal odyssey looking...( read more  read more... ) for a way to lead their lives. On the journey they encounter bigotry and hatred from small-town communities who despise and fear their non-conformism. However Wyatt and Billy also discover people attempting 'alternative lifestyles' who are resisting this narrow-mindedness, there is always a question mark over the future survival of these drop-out groups. The gentle hippie community who thank God for 'a place to stand' are living their own unreal dream. The rancher they encounter and his Mexican wife are hard-pushed to make ends meet. Even LSD turns sour when the trip is a bad one. Death comes to seem the only freedom. When they arrive at a diner in a small town, they are insulted by the local rednecks as weirdo degenerates. They are arrested on some minor pretext by the local sheriff and thrown in jail where they meet George Hanson, a liberal alcoholic lawyer. He gets them out and decides to join them on their trip to New Orleans in time for Mardi Gras.

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82% liked it

48,765 ratings

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86% liked it

36 critics

R, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Dennis Hopper

Release Date: January 1, 1969

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DVD Release Date: December 7, 1999

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Flixster Reviews (2,948)


  • October 10, 2009
    I was utterly surprised by this film. I was expecting nothing more than some short scenes of our now-infamous actors smoking marijuana followed by trippy Willy Wonka scenes . Oddly, this did occur, but this film was much more than that. This film should be shown in every American...( read more) History class in the United States. It not only showed the beauty of the country of which we reside, but it also spoke about the people that reside in it. You know the old saying, 'Guns don't kill people, people kill people', well after watching this film, it is a very true statement. We are afraid of what is different. We are a culture that is afraid of change, yet seek it so badly. We are a society of hypocrites, androids, and ignorants. We thrive on the fact that we are the best country in the world, yet somebody shows any disassociation of routine, we are the first to question and get angry. I would dare say that we have moved so far from the 60s that I cannot see why our parents do not cry everyday. Their generations was a free-spirited, mind challenging culture that explored all possibilities no matter the cost. The experience was all they needed as a reward. Now, we are more concerned about money and the family-plan that we sometimes place ourselves on the backburner to life. Wake, eat, and pay the bills. What a sad daily structure that we have. When was the last time you considered the possibility of just jumping on your bike and riding until you hit water? Probably not for a long time ? why? It is called 'bills' and 'responsibilities'. These are the choices that we chose to make, and for anyone to say that they cannot do it, I would have to challenge. You CAN do anything, it is whether you chose to do it is another question. I wonder what it will be like in another 30 years. Where will we be, and will the idea of individualism be lost? I can't wait to see ?
    Outside of the deeply rooted themes of this film, I felt that Hopper (who also directed) knew exactly what he was doing behind the camera. He kept the talking short, the music loud and symbolic, and allowed the background to do the explaining. I loved the fact that we really knew nothing about Fonda or Hopper's characters. It allowed us to relate to them. You could easily add your story into their characters and have the life that you lead and wish to escape. Hopper was able to transform this film from a drug movie to a film about humanity. Fonda, who also helped write the film with Hopper, did a superb job of adding Nicholson's character into the mix. Nicholson represented us, the American public and our love of liquor, football, and lies. I viewed Nicholson as the average American. He drank too much, was the product of a wealthy upbringing, but did not know much about the world. He was sheltered. He never smoked weed (in fact didn't even know what it was when presented to him), never left the state line, and never lived life. He constantly used the expression, 'I have always wanted to ?'. How many times do you hear this a day from either a family member or a co-worker? If you always wanted to do it, why haven't you? So, here we have Hanson, dreaming a dream but never following through, who is traveling with two guys that live the ultimate life and live by their own rules. They are complete opposites, but Hanson's words seemed to remain in my mind for a long time. He reminded me of one of my wife's students today that spoke about freedom. He knew exactly what it was, but never practiced it. Hopper and Fonda were walking (driving most of the time) representations of the word 'freedom'. It is tragic what happens to Harmon, because he (unfortunately) experienced the negative side of freedom ? hatred and fear of the unknown. There was one scene that just jumped out at me. It occurs in the diner before the incident later that night where our travelers experience hatred in the country they admire so much. They go from peace and love to fear and hate. It is as if they witnessed night and day. It was frightening to hear the words coming from people in that restaurant. It was not only scary to wonder what was going to happen to our narrators, but mainly that people were speaking that way to fellow citizens. I know that it still occurs today, and it is surprising to me. We bomb a country because they do not follow the same principles that we do, but we need to start asking ourselves this question ? do we need another United States?
  • September 30, 2009
    The daddy of all independent films. I think I have more admiration for this film than any other although I found the story a little hard to swallow. Did people get killed for growing their hair long back in the late sixties? I know that's not the point of the film, I find the gen...( read more)eral wisdom and philosophy of the film to be an honest portrayal of social change in the late 60's, I just think one killing is fine but twice is silly. Other than that the film is perfect and a real inspiration to film makers/lovers.
  • July 10, 2009
    An American anthem.
  • January 23, 2009
    1969 will forever be seen as a watershed year in history. You have Woodstock, the first time protests were very vocal in an American war, the almost certain election of Robert F. Kennedy who was making an Obama-like run to the Presidency before his assassination. And in films y...( read more)ou had Easy Rider.

    Easy Rider is basically the story of two guys: Billy (Dennis Hopper, who also directs) and Wyatt a.k.a. Captain America (Peter Fonda) that take their score from a cocaine deal and head to Mardi Gras. There's very little in Mardi Gras. The story is about the trip and the people along the way, such as the hippie commune that seems like a Neanderthal exhibit in a museum now that forty years have passed. They also bring a boozing young southern lawyer (Jack Nicholson) along for the ride after meeting him in a jail cell.

    Easy Rider is an above average film with lots of improv, due mainly to the fact that the cast were actually smoking pot during the filming. The story is simple and there are a few spots that seem a little odd, it's an above average piece of film making.

    Easy Rider equals more than it's parts. It really ushered in the era of the low budget independent film of the 1970's that exploded throughout the decade. Directors were given free reign and small pictures took the stage from big budget star studded films. Easy Rider started all that. The film itself is a drug hazed time capsule of 1969 but it's presence has been felt in film over the last forty years.
  • November 9, 2008
    "Born to be wild" great defining song. The definitive counter-cultural road movie. With the motorcycle-riding duo (Hopper and Fonda) across America to find the true hippie loving America. Nicholson steals the show as a drugo lawyer, leading to stardom in the 1970s. It could almo...( read more)st be an national anthem for the 1960s' with cultural dialogue on freedom, individualism, patriotism and hippieism.
  • November 18, 2009
    Definitely one of the best movies of its time. It's really experimental, but I think it captured the essence of America. You saw the beauty along with the ugly. The hostility brought upon two harmless men with long hair is frighteningly surreal. It just goes to show you how naive...( read more) and one sided people can be. Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda played their parts perfectly and you got to see a crazy supporting role from Jack Nicholson. I would really like to see the original three hour cut because you do feel a sense of speed in the film that I don't think was intended.
  • November 17, 2009
    Someday i'll grab my bike and fall on the road, just like them. Awesome movie!
  • November 15, 2009
    Film sulla libertà dell'uomo e sul modo di vivere la vita dal punto di vista di due giovani motociclisti. Un cult-movie sul sogno americano.
    Grandiosa l'interpretazione di Jack Nicholson
  • October 30, 2009
    SPOILERS!

    While this must have been amazing to watch in the 70's as 2 stoners travel around the countryside and basically do nothing but ruffle people's feathers; I just have no affinity for the movie whatsoever. They might be the cool icons for rebellion, but what happens when...( read more) someone rebels with them - he ends up dead. Sure, the movie in essence is about the country's reluctance for change - but what does it do with this message? They realized they're gone about it the wrong way in the end and end up messed up or dead on the side of the road.
    But I'm supposed to care since these people have no back story and they don't care about the 'civilized' world? The 'cities'? Good riddance hippie scum!
  • October 29, 2009
    I've always liked Denis Hopper's motorcycle

Critic Reviews


March 25, 2003
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

It plays today more as a period piece than as living cinema, but it captures so surely the tone and look of that moment in time. full review

View more Easy Rider reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • broadwaymo
    June 26, 2008
    George Hanson: "You know, this used to be a helluva good country. I can't understand what's gone wrong with it."

    Billy: "What the hell is wrong with freedom? That's what it's all about."

    George Hanson: "Oh, yeah, that's right. That's what's it's all about, all right. But talkin' about it and bein' it, that's two different things. I mean, it's real hard to be free when you are bought and sold in the marketplace. Of course, don't ever tell anybody that they're not free, 'cause then they're gonna get real busy killin' and maimin' to prove to you that they are. Oh, yeah, they're gonna talk to you, and talk to you, and talk to you about individual freedom. But they see a free individual, it's gonna scare 'em."


    Wild Hogs... Please!
  • tannerbjj
    February 2, 2008
    "No, man, like hey, man. Wow. I was watching this object man, li-like the satellite that we saw the other night, right? And, like, it was going right across the sky, man, and then... I mean it just suddenly, uh, it just changed direction and went whizzin right off, man. It flashed..."
  • madcat612
    October 13, 2007
    "I'm hip about time, man...I just gotta go."
  • Lloydlicious
    February 12, 2007
    Ride or High!
  • peek89
    June 30, 2006
    This film was amazing. It's from people who were really part of the 60's drug scene so you know it's truthful. This is a truly timeless movie. I love it!

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Easy Rider Trivia


  • Easy Rider: Apart from Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda, which other actor Acted and Directed the film?  Answer »
  • During the filming of Easy Rider Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson were actually smoking marijuana on camera  Answer »
  • The flame tank chopper Johnny Blaze, in Ghost Rider, rides is a modern replica of the "Captain America" chopper that Peter Fonda rides in WHAT movie?  Answer »
  • While riding with Captain America and Billy in the movie Easy Rider,Jack Nicholson's charactor wears what on his head?  Answer »

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