The episodic plot concerns two motorcyclists who take their profits from a drugs deal to head for the New Orleans Mardi Gras.  In the course of their odyssey across America, they encounter frequent backwoods intolerance........The film's lasting effect made a star out of Nicholson, who won an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of an aimless lawyer making his first experience with drugs.  An offbeat, low-budget ROAD MOVIE that has become a cult film by capturing the restless hedonism of the hippie era.  The film's surprise success insipired a wave of youth-culture movies, few of which are now remembered; although the big studios attempted to imitate EASY RIDER'S casual technique and rebellious attitudes, its impact has never been equaled.  The film cost only $375,000 to make and it grossed a whopping TWENTY MILLION at the box-office.