Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) smuggle cocaine from Mexico to L.A. and sell it to a man in a Rolls-Royce (Phil Spector). They use the cash to take a cross country trip to New Orleans for Mardi Gras in their customized motorcycles. Wyatt dresses in an American flag leather costume, calling himself Captain America, and Billy dresses in an Indian-style buckskin outfit. Billy looks like a stereotypical hippie drop-out, Wyatt seems like a clean suburbanite in silly clothes. Captain America says, "I'm hip about time." Maybe, but this emotionally flat poser doesn't seem "hip" about anything else.
On their trip to find "the real America" they pick up a hitch-hiker (Luke Askew) who invites them to his commune for a few days. One of the kids there is played by Bridget Fonda, Peter's daughter. Life is hard for the farming hippies and our heroes are given some LSD to share with "the right people" when they depart. While riding in a small town parade they are jailed for "parading without a permit" and are released with the help of drunken lawyer George Hanson (Jack Nicholson).
George: "You know, this used to be a helluva good country. I can't understand what's gone wrong with it."
Billy: "Man, everybody got chicken, that's what happened. Hey, we can't even get into like, a second-rate hotel, I mean, a second-rate motel, you dig? They think we're gonna cut their throat or somethin'. They're scared, man."
George: "They're not scared of you. They're scared of what you represent to 'em."
Billy: "Hey, man. All we represent to them, man, is somebody who needs a haircut."
George: "Oh, no. What you represent to them is freedom."
Billy: "What the hell is wrong with freedom? That's what it's all about."
George: "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."
Billy: "Well, it don't make 'em runnin' scared."
George: "No, it makes 'em dangerous."
George joins the freewheeling bikers, smokes some marijuana for the first time, then is killed in his sleep by rednecks. Billy and Wyatt continue to New Orleans and visit a brothel recommended by George. Two prostitutes, Karen (Karen Black) and Mary (Toni Basil), join them in the Mardi Gras festivities and all four take LSD in a cemetery. In the end, Wyatt says, "You know Billy, we blew it." He means their search for freedom was financially successful, but a spiritual failure. The film ends in spectacular tragedy because of trigger-happy rednecks.
EASY RIDER was an overwhelming box-office smash hit when released, one of the highest grossing films of the 1960's. There were lineups around the block outside movie theatres. It appealed to alienated youth, hippies, motorcyclists, and everybody who wanted to be "hip" or know what was going on. However, this trendsetting movie nearly destroyed Hollywood as every studio tried to duplicate its success.
The original title of the film was "The Loner", and it started out as a police chase movie, but was later edited into a pretentious teen exploitation flick. It supposedly evokes and symbolizes the era of the swinging 1960's, but I think it's crap. Peter Fonda is a terrible actor, and Dennis Hopper is a stoned zombie in the film. EASY RIDER made Jack Nicholson a star, and he is certainly the best actor in the movie, even though I've never liked him at all.
What really made the movie a success is the great Rock soundtrack, which was originally in horrible mono. The songs are: "The Pusher" (Steppenwolf), "Born To Be Wild" (Steppenwolf), "I Wasn't Born To Follow" (The Byrds), "The Weight" (Smith), "If You Want To Be A Bird" (The Holy Modal Rounders), "Don't Bogart Me" (Fraternity of Man), "If Six Was Nine" (Jimi Hendrix), "Let's Turkey Trot" (Little Eva), "Kyrie Eleison" (The Electric Prunes), "Flash, Bam, Pow" (The Electric Flag), "It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding" (Roger McGuinn), and "Ballad of Easy Rider" (Roger McGuinn).
This dated, low-budget melodrama was written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern. Dennis Hopper directed, and his previous work with Roger Corman is quite evident. The cast also includes: Luana Anders (Lisa), Antonio Mendoza (Jesus), Sabrina Scharf (Sarah), Robert Walker Jr. (Jack), Sandy Brown Wyeth (Joanne), Keith Green (Sheriff), and many others.
What is an "easy rider"? It is slang for a pimp, or more correctly, the kept lover of a prostitute. For example, "Easy Rider" is a great risque song by Mae West in SHE DONE HIM WRONG (1933). How it applies to this grossly overrated motorcycle movie is anybody's guess, although to be fair, Peter Fonda is quite aware of the slang meaning and said it symbolizes the relationship of the bikers with America.
