Easy Rider (film): I'm not understanding why this film is so highly rated

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(Edited)
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For the most part, I tend to agree with ratings on major review sites that are more than 70% or 7/10 but in the case of the 1969 film Easy Rider I do not agree at all. This movie is rather famous and many professional critics have it listed as one of the top 100 films of all time. It took me until yesterday to finally get around to watching it and honestly, I can't really understand how anyone could be enthusiastic about this film.


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Seeing the 3 big names in this film, I half expected to watch a piece of cinematic history that perhaps lead to all of them becoming super famous as they are today. What I got was a rather boring piece of cinema that appears as though it was made by someone attending film school at some overpriced inner-city art school. Despite the big names in this, particularly Dennis Hopper (who also directed the film) and Jack Nicholson, the acting is downright terrible and many of the scenes appear to be ad-libbed.


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Basically Wyatt (Fonda) and Billy (Hopper) take off from L.A. to go to New Orleans as their destination taking in the scenery from their bikes along the way and do a bunch of drugs before getting back on the bikes and carrying on. They encounter a wide array of people along the way, and make a bunch of friends with the awful dialogue that takes place. Along the way they meet a bunch of people that for some reason don't like people that ride motorcycles and the attitudes the encounter get more and more discriminatory the further south they go.

They are denied rooms at motels only to be welcomed in by a hippie commune a few days later. The dialogue is just as bad at both locations with the primary irritant being Billy, played by Dennis Hopper, who just hoots and howls any ol' nonsense at apparently any opportunity.


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I guess you could say that I appreciate the fact that both of the main characters are really driving the motorcycles in what appears to be all of the scenes. That probably wouldn't be possible these days because of all the rules that we have in filming.

I honestly couldn't understand the high ratings this barely watchable piece of cinema so I looked it up and one of the reasons that is listed as why this film is held in such high regard is because many people believe that the roaming nature of the plot is meant to perfectly capture what it is like to be on the road on motorcycles. Having never participated in such a thing is possibly why I disagree with this being a good film but at the same time I have a hard time believing that most professional critics have experienced that either.

The scenery and music is good, I'll give them that.

I was impressed with the fact that the film cost a mere $400,000 to make and ended up pulling in $60 million globally at the box office. It has no doubt brought in much much more than that over the years with other fees that would be collected for any TV station or streaming service to feature it in their programming.

Apparently the movie industry declined to pick up this film so Hopper just made it himself independently and nobody could understand why it was successful. This resulted in the film industry having an introspective moment about their own ability to gauge what it is that the public actually wants, only to gamble on another one of Hopper's ideas and have it completely bomb. The rights to the name were acquired and an attempt at a sequel was done in 2012 and it too completely failed.

Should I watch it?

Well that trailer very well encapsulates what the entire film is all about. It's basically a very long music video where the dialogue that happens is of very little consequence.

I hesitate to tell people to avoid this and will admit that maybe the cultural and historical importance of this film is just beyond my grasp to understand. Apparently it is an important time in history as far as cultural attitudes were concerned and it also marked a point in Hollywood where producers started to change their opinions on what would get considered for mass release from that point forward.

I'll just go ahead and say that "I don't get it." But by all means, feel free to disagree with me seeing as how 70% of the people out there that have reviewed this seem to absolutely love it. I thought it was boring.


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the only place to legally stream this movie is on Amazon Prime. It is available for purchase or rental on almost all other carriers



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16 comments
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Appreciate the review. I have wondered about this film myself. It may remain on the to-watch at a future date list. But, doubt I make it a priority over anything else right now after reading this.

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well i don't mean to deprive you of a piece of cinematic history. I just didn't enjoy it and perhaps I am missing the historical relevance of it all.

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Nah, you're not. It wasn't at the top of the list by far the way it was. I imagine it is one of the many films from that time period that you had to live in it to really appreciate it.

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“Because it was an anthem of an entire generation, telling the world, it’s better to live as a peasant than a rich guy.” Good Morning GIF

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It’s just a glorified advertisement for the worst motorcycles on the planet.

As a motorcyclist I’ve never seen this movie but a lot of the movies from this era were pretty much bad acting.

This movie promoted Harley Davidson motorcycles in much the same way The Italian Job promoted Mini Coopers.

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Ah, I suppose that makes sense. Worst on the planet eh? I know nothing about this sort of thing but I do recall how expensive they are.

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Hi,
you always have to consider the historical era in which the films are produced. What social issues were there at that time. Society is always a “liquid” set of factors.

It's always a combination of factors.
It was produced at the peak of the 1960s counterculture movement, Easy Rider perfectly captured the zeitgeist. It explored themes of freedom, individuality, and rebellion against societal norms, resonating with a generation yearning for change.

The movie is a journey across America. A classic road trip story, offering beautiful landscapes and a sense of escape. It taps into the universal desire for adventure and exploration....but beneath the surface of the road trip lies a scathing critique of American conservatism and intolerance. The bikers' clashes with small-town America highlight the generation gap and societal tensions of the era.

Despite a low budget, Easy Rider's cinematography is impressive. The use of long, sweeping shots creates a sense of freedom and emphasizes the vastness of the American landscape. The iconic soundtrack featuring Steppenwolf's "Born to be Wild" perfectly complements the mood of the film.

Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper deliver strong performances, portraying the two bikers with charisma and complexity. Their portrayal allows viewers to connect with the characters despite their flaws. A movie without this kind of strong connection between characters and audience cannot work. It cannot remain in history.

However, it's worth noting that Easy Rider isn't for everyone.
The slow pacing and lack of a traditional plot can be off-putting for some viewers.

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Thanks for that. This fills in the gaps that I was unable to comprehend and adds a lot for context for anyone that reads this. Your words are one of the best responses I have ever gotten to something I have reviewed.

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Do you still judge a film by its rating?
I highly advise against it.
Wonderful review by the way

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Do you still judge a film by its rating?

I almost never look at a rating until after I have watched something because I often disagree with critics, especially these days where reviews of shows or movies can often be politically motivated, which is stupid.

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I struggled with this film and is not a film I would revisit unless I was struggling to fall asleep. The slow pace just does not do it for me and maybe in it's day it was ranked highly mainly down to the cast and not much else. Top 100 depending on who the judges are and definitely not in my top 1000.

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yeah, I can understand that historical importance and what not but it wouldn't be in my top 100 and I would never watch it again either.