The Dukes of Hazzard

Alright, I've never actually taken the time to write up a review for a movie.. but after reading some of the other reviews over this movie, I had to. Tons of people claim this movie sucked, yet tons claimed it was alright.. I personally enjoyed the film.. sure it wasn't a 10/10 but it had its moments. I think everyones main problem about the movie was that they went and expected to see something completely different. That is what happened to me and a few others i went to see the movie with. However, After watching the movie, everyone thought it was a pretty decent movie and had a lot of good laughs.

Sure a lot of the jokes and whatnot have been done in other movies, but they picked some good actors for the roles of this movie. Although I gave it a 6/10, its definitely a movie that is worth watching if you want a good laugh.

Let me start off by admitting that I did not know what I was missing out until I watched this movie courtesy of Netflix. To be honest, I am guilty. Guilty of the sin of Hubris. I have never seen the original TV series but I love this film version. Lock, stock & one hundred barrels. With respect to the generation that grew up watching the show, this film is not a bastardisation. In my opinion, this film is a standalone & a cult.

Full of life, laughter & car chases because the chemistry between Sean William Scott & Johnny Knoxville as Cousin Bo & Cousin Luke create a boisterous duo.

Jessica Simpson as Cousin Daisy might not be on the same level as Catherine Bach (original Daisy) but she nailed the role as her own with her suave & finesse.

To summarise, this movie is a blast. I had a great time watching it. It might not be a masterpiece, but this film has that special variable as it was adventurous & it made me laugh.

Grab a couple of bottles, order a steaming bucket of chicken or whatever, sit back & enjoy the film!

Oh the days when any half way decent old TV show was getting turned into an underwhelming movie. This movie definitely isn't good, but everyone seems to be having fun with it and, despite the flaws, I find this to be pretty darn watchable background noise.

I'll start this review off with a few words of commentary; a Fiendatorial, if you will.

Ben Jones commenced a great bruja-ja here in (semi-)local Knoxville when he was present for the unveiling of this cinematic work. It seems that Mr. Jones (and while he spoke for some of the other "original" cast members, I never quite believed he was authorized to do that) believes that he should have been offered a cameo in this work. Since he wasn't, he has set about extolling the horrors of this modernized update of the beloved (?!) family series.

Okay, I'll accept that some people did LOVE this series. But the Dukes of Hazard always was a bit racy for some. Bo and Luke ran moonshine from their Uncle Jessie's still, Daisy was a little short on the wardrobe department, and Uncle Jessie was the leader of this motley hillbilly moonshine gang that any "Revenuer" worth his badge would have loved to have thrown in jail. The "boys" stayed in a constant state of trouble, and flaunted their illegal activities in the face of local law enforcement. These were NOT "good" boys!

No, there was no marijuana use in the television series. It was TELEVISION! They couldn't do that and be on television as a series.

Frankly, I never loved the series. I thought it was hokey, unintelligent, and downright stupid. It made Southerners look like we ARE inbred idiots. I detested it.

As far as this modernization goes, I found it to be a 100% improvement over the cheesy dialog and horrible acting perpetrated upon us by the series! The performances were great, the plot was in keeping with the original series, the action...wow the action!

This movie was a stunt-driver's wet dream! It was reminiscent (if only a small bit) of Smokey and the Bandit in that it was great fun to watch. And while I enjoyed Jessica Simpson's Daisy Duke far more than I thought was possible, she would have made a better Ellie Mae Clampett, in my opinion.

It wasn't afraid to laugh at itself and never took itself too seriously. Unfortunately, Burt Reynolds was a very weak Boss Hogg. I have no idea what they were thinking. The casting choice wasn't necessarily a bad call, but the direction of his character was just flaccid, as was Burt's performance. He played him too unemotional without ever coming close to hitting the level of calculated treachery Sorrel Brooke's Boss Hogg exuded. I felt that Mr. Reynolds was just...horrible in this endeavor, but Willie Nelson more than made up for that in his portrayal as Uncle Jessie.

So don't listen to the nay-sayers. This is a highly entertaining endeavor. Even those of us of the "alternative" categorization could (and did) experience a few honest belly-laughs at our own expense. Heck, we survived "Deliverance!" I'm sure we'll survive this.

The best line in the movie?

"You're hillbillies!"

"We prefer Appalachian-Americans!"

It rates a 7.6/10.

I am surprised at how low the scores are for this movie. My least favorite movie of all time has a higher score (Blair Witch 2).

But let me tell you, at no point was I tempted to walk out of the theater - I enjoyed almost every minute. I am 32 years of age and loved the show when I was a kid - if you didn't like the show, then I certainly wouldn't waste your time with this movie. And if you are going to get upset because this is a sexually charged, NON-family movie, save your cash. The Dukes are a swearing, moonshine-drinking, woman-chasing bunch. I definitely DO consider myself to be a movie snob - I appreciate good movies, and have become a huge fan of foreign / art films. I'm not saying "Dukes" is in the same ballpark as a really good movie - I certainly won't be purchasing the DVD - but don't be automatically scared away by the terrible reviews. And for what this is worth - the audience that I viewed the movie with was laughing, clapping hands, and clearly enjoyed the film.

Happy viewing!