My Rating: 4/5 Stars
An adventure movie that began sometime in 1960s America, and it centered around 2 free-spirited, close-friends acted by Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. Jack Nicholson played a secondary, but funny role as a drunk, privileged lawyer who possessed an eccentric perspective, and who unintentionally dressed as a crazy person in a small-town diner. These 3 guys tried to live their lives as free as possible.
At the start of the movie, the 2 buddies were located somewhere in southern California or Mexico. They bought cocaine or heroine from Hispanics, and then sold the drug to some rich white guy in some luxury car with a chauffeur. This trade was made in secretive locations, because it was and is still a contraband according to the US government and Mexican government. The 2 friends used this drug trade to probably make $40,000. This is a lot of money for the 1960s.
Between the 1950s and the 1960s, I think $20,000 was the value of a good house. I also read that before the 1930s, Americans usually bought a house with a 50% down payment, and then paid off the other half plus mortgage interest within 5 years. After the late 1930s, which was the start of Roosevelt’s federal mortgage programs (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), Americans bought homes with a 20% down payment and bought the rest of the house plus mortgage interest within 15 years. Flash forward to the 1970s: Americans began accepting 30-year mortgages with various down payments. Then the 1990s arrived, and Americans began acquiring 30-year mortgages with little or no down payments. Anyway, back to the movie.
Fonda's and Hopper's characters used the drug money to obtain financial freedom, thus they could drive their motorcycles to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana, and then spend the rest of their lives partying and not worrying about money. To them, this was freedom. Fonda’s character wore an outfit and rode a motorcycle decorated with the US flag. Hopper’s character wore clothing that was a combination of Native American traditions and cowboy styles. His bike was styled with red and yellow flames. Fonda’s character was relaxed, cogitative, and friendly. Hopper’s character was easily entertained or angered, and simpleminded.
On their adventure from the west side to the east side of America, Fonda’s character gradually learned that freedom consists not only of financial freedom, partying, drinking, and doing drugs. He learned this from meeting people along his travels. Here are a few of them.
(WARNING: MANY SPOILERS BELOW)
There was a Christian farmer who was married to his second wife, and the two of them had children from their previous marriages, and probably children from each other. The Christian family’s daily schedule was difficult and repetitive, but this farming regiment was chosen by the Christian farmer and his wife, because he excelled in farming, she was a good housewife, and their systematic farm placed food on the tables of many people, especially their own family, and it allowed them to trade with others. The 2, free-spirited friends also met a hippie leader who hated and fled from an allegedly rigid city life, and then struggled to create a liberated, agricultural society with other hippies. These hippie farmers lived a haphazard, agricultural lifestyle, which offered lots of free time for fornication, socializing, art, and random fun, but it also created poverty, and poverty brings along many limitations.
The 2 friends were insulted and persecuted by a few small-town folks, because these folks misunderstood the 2 friend’s unregimented personality with troublesome dispositions or criminal inclinations. These folks were very faithful to their traditions, which guaranteed them a variety of benefits, but it limited their understanding and relations with outsiders.
Jack Nicholson’s character came from a wealthy, prominent family, so he was free to do just about anything he wanted. He chose to become lawyer who indulged in alcohol and partying, thus he accomplished very little in his life, despite the many opportunities he possessed. Him and his family were well-known in a small town, so his irresponsibilities were tolerated by this small town. This was not the case in another small town, thus, he was persecuted by some people in this other small town.
By the end of the 2 friends' adventure, Hopper’s character did not gain any new insights on life, but Fonda’s character realized that, due to various factors, their free-spirited lifestyle was not as free as they once thought. Their lifestyle permitted them to live aimlessly and joyfully around America, but it also prevented them from contributing to any great accomplishments.
Fonda’s character learned that freedom exists in various forms created by various people. Each person has a limited life span, and every time a person spends a portion of his/her life on a decision, the decision results in a unique combination of benefits and drawbacks. Decisions can be chosen by a person intentionally, unintentionally, subconsciously, or consciously. Each person’s free choice or freedom can be ruined by ignorance, recklessness, or belligerence originating from him/herself or from others. Each person gravitates towards options that allow him/her to acquire money and survive. Of course, each person defines wealth and survival in unique and common ways. Freedom involves a lot more than simply having fun.
I gave this movie 4/5 stars because this movie could have gone a lot deeper, or provided more examples about freedom, or the lack thereof, in the real world.