Easy Rider (1969)

This quintessential 60s counter-culture film is something to see; it's also hard to quantify. It's a character driven storyline of Wyatt (Peter Fonda) and Billy (Dennis Hopper) as they hit the road in a celebration of what exactly?! Individualism, maybe? I think that is the point-- Easy Rider is celebration of what and where you are in life.

Easy Rider is a history lesson. It's a period piece that captures a time of fear, prejudice, societal norms and those who chose to live outside them.

Directed by Dennis Hopper, the film is almost mundane in it's approach. Though drug use is a part of the film, it hardly defines it. There is nothing grandiose or 'cinematic'. Easy Rider feels honest and gritty. There is a scene where Wyatt and Fonda are repairing a flat tire in the background while two cowboys are shoeing a horse in the foreground that speaks volumes.

The soundtrack is a 60s hit-list from the likes of Steppenwolf and Bob Dylan. The cinematography is beautiful with sweeping vistas of the American highway. Peter Fonda is amazing as is a young Jack Nicholson.

Depending on your point of view, Easy Rider will be one of two things. You'll either find it dated and clumsy or a remarkable commentary of the day.