Starring:
Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Jessica Simpson, Burt Reynolds,
Willie Nelson, Lynda Carter, M.C. Gainey, Michael Weston, Nikki
Griffin. Screenplay by John O'Brien. Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar.
Rated PG-13 for sexual content,
crude and drug-related humor, language and comic action violence.
The
Dukes of Hazzard film uses the original television
show as a template but tells the tale of the titular family as
a kind of hick mythology. Every time key characters are introduced
to the movie, it is done so by an old, cowboy narrator with a
patient southern drawl. The first thing he tells us is that Bo
and Luke Duke, Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville respectively,
are “...cousins closer than brothers.” This fact would
be implied by viewing the rest of the film. The two rarely, if
ever, have scenes apart. However, the reinforcement from the narrator
conveys the fact that the story you’re watching is a legend
in the making.
This
sense of grandeur is also meant to be shared with the rest of
the Duke relatives. Uncle Jesse is played by Willie Nelson with
a quiet kindness and wisdom. Lest you believe the elder gentleman
to be soft or feeble, he applies this wisdom into concocting what
is apparently the greatest, strongest moonshine in existence.
This illegal liquor serves as the basis for the Duke cousins dirt-peeling,
road-tearing exploits. Officially, anyway. Bo and Luke are the
kind of young men whose ideas of friendly wagers are cracking
each other across the cheek with telephone books. They thrive
on pain and danger and one gets the feeling they’d find
other reasons to evade squad cars if they weren’t transporting
their Uncle’s moonshine.
Finally there's Daisy Duke. The only television
character in history to have an article of clothing named after
her, she's portrayed here by Jessica Simpson in her film debut.
If Uncle Jesse is the sage-like scientist and Bo and Luke his
phantom transporters, Daisy is a sexual goddess incarnate, ensuring
her hell-raising kin remain safe with her feminine wiles. The
funny thing is that some of the moments where Daisy whores herself
for her cousins, by donning a bikini underneath a trench coat
or leaning seductively into her car, aren't even necessary. But
excuses were needed to strip Simpson down, so the occasional escape
from police custody, even though such a task is well within the
reach of the Duke cousins, is ample reason enough.
The
film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, and co-written by his
comedy troupe Broken Lizard. Together, these group of men are
responsible for Super Troopers, which is, arguably, one of the
most underrated comedies of the last five years. While I've never
seen one episode of the Dukes of Hazzard, I am a fan of Chandrasekhar
and the work produced by Broken Lizard. It was because of this
I brought a certain level of expectation to the comedic scenes
of this film. To his credit, the director steers clear of the
spoof approach and attempts to make a genuine action/comedy. Surprisingly,
he succeeds more in the former than the latter. Not that the jokes
were unintelligent or campy. They were just weak. The problem
may have been that the distinct and different brand of comedy
Broken Lizard is building a name for themselves with was too out
there for a studio remake of an iconic television show. This is
just a guess, anyhow.
The
best moments on this film, and perhaps the only true reason I
can find for endorsing this film, are those featuring the General
Lee. As stated earlier, the filmmakers attempted presenting the
Dukes' tale as a kind of legend. The only time it actually works
is when that infamous, orange Dodge Charger screeches from the
cops. Chandrasekhar was smart enough to hire the same choreographer
from The Bourne Supremacy to stage the General Lee tearing through
Hazzard County. Whereas in The Bourne Supremacy the car chases
held a certain level of gravity and realism to the impressive
maneuvering, none of that was necessary with the Dukes. Almost
mythic, the General Lee is a car that can soar through the air
twenty feet and not bottom out. It can work its way through cluttered,
chaotic traffic, leaving a litter of totaled vehicles and not
have a scratch on it. The film promises some of the best car chase
sequences in recent years.
This
sense of grandeur is also meant to be shared with the rest of
the Duke relatives. Uncle Jesse is played by Willie Nelson with
a quiet kindness and wisdom. Lest you believe the elder gentleman
to be soft or feeble, he applies this wisdom into concocting what
is apparently the greatest, strongest moonshine in existence.
This illegal liquor serves as the basis for the Duke cousins dirt-peeling,
road-tearing exploits. Officially, anyway. Bo and Luke are the
kind of young men whose ideas of friendly wagers are cracking
each other across the cheek with telephone books. They thrive
on pain and danger and one gets the feeling they’d find
other reasons to evade squad cars if they weren’t transporting
their Uncle’s moonshine.
The
film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, and co-written by his
comedy troupe Broken Lizard. Together, these group of men are
responsible for Super Troopers, which is, arguably, one of the
most underrated comedies of the last five years. While I've never
seen one episode of the Dukes of Hazzard, I am a fan of Chandrasekhar
and the work produced by Broken Lizard. It was because of this
I brought a certain level of expectation to the comedic scenes
of this film. To his credit, the director steers clear of the
spoof approach and attempts to make a genuine action/comedy. Surprisingly,
he succeeds more in the former than the latter. Not that the jokes
were unintelligent or campy. They were just weak. The problem
may have been that the distinct and different brand of comedy
Broken Lizard is building a name for themselves with was too out
there for a studio remake of an iconic television show. This is
just a guess, anyhow.
The
best moments on this film, and perhaps the only true reason I
can find for endorsing this film, are those featuring the General
Lee. As stated earlier, the filmmakers attempted presenting the
Dukes' tale as a kind of legend. The only time it actually works
is when that infamous, orange Dodge Charger screeches from the
cops. Chandrasekhar was smart enough to hire the same choreographer
from The Bourne Supremacy to stage the General Lee tearing through
Hazzard County. Whereas in The Bourne Supremacy the car chases
held a certain level of gravity and realism to the impressive
maneuvering, none of that was necessary with the Dukes. Almost
mythic, the General Lee is a car that can soar through the air
twenty feet and not bottom out. It can work its way through cluttered,
chaotic traffic, leaving a litter of totaled vehicles and not
have a scratch on it. The film promises some of the best car chase
sequences in recent years.