The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!

It is quite rare for a TV reunion movie to be as good as a series itself but this Dukes of Hazzard movie was great.

The original Dukes of Hazzard series was just plain fun-it was the type of show anyone could enjoy. This movie recreated the magic of the original series and even though the stars were a lot older that made absolutely no difference to me-I still liked them and they were still convincing in their roles.

The movie may not have had Boss Hogg in but to it's credit they did acknowledge Boss Hogg unlike some TV reunion movies which seem to forget certain characters.

A great film which will be loved by fans of the TV series.

Years after the family have grown up and gone their separate ways, Uncle Jessie organises a reunion to bring all the clan back together again for a party. Once Luke, Bo, Daisy and Cooter are all back he tells them that he needs help to fight a property developer who is trying to build a theme park on the swamp and build access across his property. The developer challenges the boys to a race – her stock car against theirs with the winner taking all. When Daisy makes a discovery that all may not be what it appears she is kidnapped – can the boys rescue Daisy and win the race?

I watched the TV show when I was younger but I can't remember much beyond comedy lawmen, Daisy's body and car chase after car chase, so maybe this film wasn't aimed at me – but I watched it anyway. The reunion has a thin plot that is a little daffy but done with a slight bit of tongue in cheek. It gets a little stretched at times (the final race is a bit of a joke) as it takes on too many commitments without fitting them in well, but the light tone helps this.

The comedy is gentle and helps the film generally. The car chases are quite basic but there are one or two moments where the stunt drivers deserve a lot of credit (a mid air collision is a high point) but the really cheap back projection spoils any illusion of who is in the cars for real. If you were looking for genuine tension or excitement then you're in the wrong place I'm afraid.

The cast look genuinely happy to be back and there is a respectful tone for those who had died since the TV show wrapped – Booke's Boss Hog being the biggest loss I think. However everyone does what they are supposed to do. Uncle Jessie doesn't look that much older, Wopat and Schneider enjoy themselves and Bach still looks good despite not quite having the same body that she had as a youngster! Best reprises his role well and also covers for the loss of Booke. The addition of some martial arts action in the shape of Cynthia Rothrock adds a little spice to the mix and stops it becoming old too quickly.

Overall this is all a bit silly and is probably best served to fans however there is enough fun here to justify those of us who watched the series but wouldn't call ourselves fans.

Tom Wopat and John Schneider revive their 80's characters as, once again, the "Good Ol' Boys" rise up against corruption in the South, this time in the form of a businesswoman (Stevens), with the help of some friends from the old series.

You know, I grew up in the Dukes' era, and I was mildly surprised at how good of a job director Lewis Teague did with this film. I know that the original series has some corny plots by what we see nowadays, but, for those of us who grew up in that time, there wasn't one of us alive who enjoyed the original series without picturing themselves behind the wheel of the General Lee. (I had to mention the car - after all, it was the car(s) that made the jump, not those boys.) A little older, perhaps, but the actors walked in and picked up on their original characters like they've been doing them for the last twenty years.

The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! was a movie long in waiting. It was nice to see the Duke boys and the General Lee back in action. If you like the show, you would definitely like the movie. The old "save the farm" technique was used, but that is what all fans of the show are accustomed to. Even though Sorrell Booke, aka Boss Hogg, has passed, they did a lovely job of incorporating his memory into the movie. My only problem was with the slight prop imperfections, but what do you expect. Hopefully another movie is in the works, even though Denver Pyle, Uncle Jesse, is also no longer with us. I'm gone.

The plot and surviving cast were great here as we see the Duke Family and the lawmen in fine action again, this time to try to deal with a crooked developer and her cohorts. A nice capstone to an old fun family friendly series with an admittedly complex legacy.

Certainly, compared to the unrelated R-rated later day movies of the newer casts, both Reunion TV movies of the surviving original cast mates are raw gems of decency!