CORPORATE LINE: It was inevitable that THE DUKES OF HAZZARD would leap onto the big screen, and now, thanks to Broken Lizard’s Jay Chandrasekhar (SUPER TROOPERS, CLUB DREAD), it finally has. Slipping into the boots made famous by John Schneider and Tom Wopat, Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville play moonshine-selling cousins, Bo and Luke Duke. Along with their ridiculously gorgeous cousin Daisy (Jessica Simpson) and joke-telling Uncle Jessie (Willie Nelson), the Duke boys love to get the goat of Hazzard County’s most crooked law enforcement officials, including Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (M.C. Gainey) and county commissioner Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds). But when they discover that Boss Hogg is using his leverage to run them off their farm in order to turn Hazzard County into a strip mine for coal, things get personal. With the help of their faithful friends, Bo and Luke set off on their riskiest adventure yet.
Showing his reverence for the classic 1980s show, Chandrasekhar incorporates freeze-frames, humorous narration, and extended action sequences, resulting in a crowd-pleasing romp that promises to introduce a whole new generation of fans to the Duke boys. While Scott, Knoxville, and the scantily clad Simpson deliver the goods, it is The General Lee–the pair’s electrifying orange Charger–that steals the show.
THE SCOOP: Growing up a fan of the show it’s impossible to enjoy the big screen version. I’d rather Warner Bros. took the original Bo and Luke and dusted off the original General Lee and let them go at a few less spectacular capers. Hell, a reunion of the original cast would have been much more interesting than this dumb and dumber version.
The original Dukes of Hazzard was all about having a good time and fixing something wrong within a half-hour—which always found the boys driving the General Lee at an insane rate of speed through the woods. This version tries to repeat that with no luck.
The actors, if we must call them that, are painfully unimpressive. Jessica Simpson looks sexy. Any airhead with a nice body could have played Daisy Duke with more flair than Simpson. Pam Anderson would have acted circles around Jessica Simpson. It’s actually a good thing that she is barely in the film.
Then there is Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott. Knoxville is awful. He’s been awful and continues to be a terrible actor. Why anyone keeps giving this guy work is beyond me. They can’t hold a candle to the original Duke boys. Reynolds is consistently working with nothing and will Nelson tries hard to laugh at the awful jokes he is given to spew.
THE EXTRAS:
Advertised as containing footage never shown in theaters—which is a laugh considering its only three extra minutes.
“Daisy Dukes: The Short Short Shorts” teaches viewers how to make their own shorts. What’s so hard about cutting pants?
“The General Lee Lives” is a look at how the General Lee was resurrected.
“How to Launch a Muscle Car 175 feet in 4 Seconds” goes behind the stunt of the jump.
Two gag reels: unrated and “PG-13” is nothing exciting unless you want the unrated version to see topless women. Word of warning: Simpson doesn’t get topless just in case you were ready to get your keys and head to the store to buy the DVD.
Jessica Simpson’s “These Boots are Made for Walking” music video is made for only those who go gaga over Ms. Jessica.
“The Hazards of Dukes: Behind-the-scenes look” has some so-so interviews.
FRANKLY: The Dukes of Hazzard isn’t even worth the cost of a rental.
+ Charlie Craine
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