| THE DUKES OF HAZZARD |
 2005 - USADirector: Jay Chandrasekhar
- Reviewed by Linda
Now, all these years later, following a slew of other TV-land big-screen remakes, we have the inevitable Dukes of Hazzard movie. It is all the characters that you know and love (Bo and Luke Duke, Daisy Duke, Uncle Jessie, Boss Hogg, Cooter, etc) but with none of the familiar faces. This film chooses to forgo the campy cameos of original stars (a la Starsky and Hutch, and The Brady Bunch movies), and instead casts the vaguely familiar (Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott), the over-exposed (Jessica Simpson), the unknowns (insert unknown name here), and a few random surprises (Willie Nelson, Burt Reynolds, Lynda Carter). Refreshingly (dear lord, did I just say that???), Dukes chooses not to go campy, and not to go ironic, but just barrells straight on through as though it is a two-hour television episode. No one is ever winking at the camera, or pretending the film isn't anything other than a made-over extension of the show, and, dare I say, it looks like the cast is having a lot of fun. The Duke boys (cousins Bo and Luke Duke) a couple of overgrown man-child rapscallions, seem to do nothing except run moonshine deliveries, flirt with women, get into fist fights, and race their car The General Lee around, barely staying just ahead of The Law—aka Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds, hamming it up, but looking more than a little weary) and his crony Rosco P. Coltrane (M.C. Gainey, looking strangely like square-jawed Mickey Rourke in Sin City). But Boss Hogg, it turns out, has something up his white-suited sleeve: He is up to some evil scheme where he is slowly taking over land in Hazzard County, and the Duke boys have to figure out why. That is just the thin plot that is the framework for lots of audience-pleasing padding, including: many car chases, many fist fights, many situations where the boys get to work their charms on a pretty lady, and many MANY excuses to for Jessica Simpson to wiggle her Daisy Dukes at the nearest weak male. Now, is it just me, or does Jessica Simpson look rather freakish? Her body is fine, but the platinum blonde ropey tousle of hair combined with that eerie overly-tanned body just doesn't look right. She's distracting, and not in a good way. She made me miss the earthy, corn-fed hotness of Catherine Bach's Daisy from the TV show. I had a hard time getting anyone to come with me to the screening of Dukes. OK, so I actually ended up going alone. But the film turned out not to be as excruciating as I was expecting. No, I didn't laugh out loud once, or even chortle, but I did find my mental voice betraying my stone face by thinking, "Huh, that was kind of cute. You know, that Johnny Knoxville is kind of sexy. What's up with Seann William Scott's stubble? It looks like a G.I. Joe doll's beard. Oh my god! There's Lynda Carter! Did she act this badly in Wonder Woman? But that's OK! I love you Lynda!" (and so on). So, there is really no reason to run out and see this... but at the same time The Dukes of Hazzard is also not bad enough to saw off your arm holding the ticket just to avoid it. |
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I remember the boys next door (aged 10 and 8) used to play "Dukes of Hazzard" in their driveway during the TV show's heyday. They had a Matchbox car of The General Lee, and would break into song, singing in their deepest faux-country twang, "Just two good ol' boys... Ain't meanin' no harm..." Then they would grasp their Confederate-flag-bedecked 1969 orange Dodge Charger, launch it off the nearest slope (a rock, a log, their Toughskin-clad brother's leg) and yell, "YeeeeeeEEEE-HAW!!!" while guiding the Lee through the air in ubiquitous slow-motion (just like on the show). Seemingly minutes later, the car would finally land and spin-out, before revving its (vocalized) engines and peeling off to another adventure.
