Cutting Down Classics: Easy Rider

As a film nut, I take it upon myself to watch a large number of classic movies. The goal, aside from checking off films from all of the "must-watch" lists, is to develop my general film knowledge and reference pool and thus, make me a more informed reviewer. There's just one problem. I'm expected to like them. Whether a film agrees with my sensibilities or not, I'm expected to respect the film's good qualities, its place in film history, and agree that is a critical piece of cinema for future generations...even if I think what I just watched was garbage. I imagine you've felt the same way. You've read off a "100 Movies to See Before You Die" quiz and wondered, "Why the hell in this piece of crap movie on this list!"

With that in mind, I introduce our new recurring segment: Cutting Down Classics. In these pieces we will take a look at movies that A) are consistently referred to as classic films B) have a dedicated cult following or C) simply don't work with modern sensibilities. The goal isn't to say these movies are terrible, but that it's ok to dislike them and bring up some reasons why. Today we begin with one the films credited with beginning the age of New Hollywood: Easy Rider.

The movie follows Wyatt and Billy, two directionless bikers looking for a good time after selling a substantial amount of cocaine. Soon the duo begin an eye-opening and mind-altering journey through the American South and Southwest as they search for meaning and purpose.

The Reason It's A Classic: Captures the Dying Counterculture

Because I'm not a total jerk and can recognize some of this film's merits, I'll explain why this movie is considered a big deal. In essence, it was a "voice of a generation" movie. In an era when the hippie movement was losing steam, and the experiences of free love and drugs were slamming against the authority and power of Nixon's "Silent Majority," Easy Rider was a movie that hit that wavelength and connected with those living similar lives and feeling similar feelings. Add in a soundtrack consisting of the era's best rock music and this was bound to find an audience. That said...

Why You Might Hate It

It Feels Completely Directionless

Modern audiences don't have anything against road or travel movies. They are however, used to them in a specific form: comedies. And there's a reason this format works so well for comedies. It means that the naturally episodic nature of the film is clearly designed to get laughs from the audience with an eventual emotional payoff or growth for some of our main characters. People don't love National Lampoon's Vacation because they learned a lot from Clark Griswald's experience. They love it because of its absurd 

But Easy Rider isn't particularly funny. There's a couple of choice moments, i.e. Jack Nicholson's character trying marijuana for the first time, but nearly every moment of rebellion and fun is immediately punctuated by tragedy or things turning soul. Metaphorically resonant at the time? Sure. Depressing and hard to invest in? Absolutely.

It's Slow

I am not built for movies with long stretches of silence. I like dialogue and I like it quick and snappy. And there is almost none to be found in Easy Rider. The movie is experiential, in that all of the sights, sounds and experiences are the narrative without a lot of commentary from the characters. There's almost no exposition, and scenes drag on in real time. There's also a lot of experiences and scenes that feel unnecessarily long. A visit to the hippie commune takes forever, the bad acip trip and even the act of smoking a joint around a fire all play like slow burns without major pay offs. Jack Nicholson's manic energy helps a little bit, but once he's gone we're back to near silent protagonists taking their time.

This World Doesn't Exist Anymore

This will be a recurring theme for a lot of classic movies that fail to resonate in the modern era, but the world of Easy Rider doesn't exist anymore. It's a historical document of an era when hippie lifestyles were burning out or blowing up, drug experimentation was relatively common, and being different was viewed with open hostility. As an example, at one point our heroes are attacked by a gang of plaid-shirted southerners simply because....they ride bikes? Because they're different? They offended their sensibilities? I'm not naive enough to say that certain people will get odd looks in certain portions of the country, but the chances are three offbeat white dudes getting beaten to death just because they're different doesn't resonate nowadays. Change things up to include racial and religious minorities and non-heternormatize folks and maybe, but to a lot of modern audiences the extreme reactions towards our heroes, including the infamous ending seems melodramatic at best.

Conclusion: A Cultural Artifact

There's a reason Easy Rider resonated in its time frame, but that same aimless dive into fringe cultural experiences are exactly why it's almost unwatchable now. It's a movie I wouldn't recommend unless you're a gigantic fan of the actors involved or a film nerd.