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Dukes of Hazzard movie review

by Kris ⋅ August 8, 2005 ⋅ Comment now ⋅ Subscribe RSS

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dreamlogic.net's MOVIE REVIEW . Dukes of Hazzard DUKE IT OUT
There was a brief moment where I would’ve admitted that Johnny Knoxville was the hottest thing on the planet. Not as strange as my first real celebrity crush on Ivan Lendl (the stellar stoic tennis pro), but there are some similarities due to their stamina and offbeat handsomeness and trim muscle tone. At their prime, both men knew what they excelled in and were almost superhuman in their abilities, whether it was killer topspins or taking a bowling ball to the groin. In Dukes of Hazzard however, Johnny Knoxville is only lukewarm.

Apart from Jackass, I’m hardpressed to be impressed with anything the King of Pain has done for Hollywood. Of course it’s mostly because everything since then is either so darn normal or else completely campy delusional like the pervert emperor he portrayed in A Dirty Shame or Mr. Snake-head in Men in Black II. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a crack-up and I’m glad he’s still filming, but it’s just, I duhnno, different (I’m looking forward to madcap silliness in the upcoming Ringer though. I know it looks stupid, but at least he’ll have more lines).

As randy cuzzin Luke Duke, Knoxville is reduced to quirky facial twitches as second fiddle to Seann William Scott’s signature “Alfred E. Newman” goofy grin. Scott helms the almost main character– the infamous General Lee, a souped up ’69 Dodge Charger this time with a Hemi (coincidentally like the 2006 V8 redesigns), prone to curve drifting. Upholding tradition, there are some crazy catapult car stunts; you can check out some of the miscalculations during the credit roll.

The storyline skids across good ‘ol boys vs. evil avarice as big man Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds) and company (Hazzard County popo) seize major plots of land, evicting the Dukes and their neighbors. The Dukes discover Hogg’s plan to destroy the entire town, vaulting them into a rescue race against time and an actual uhm, race. Their good intentions are not enough, and at times they get distracted, arrested and chased, but there’s no real threat or harm. Hogg’s snooty swagger doesn’t scare anyone and actually attracts jeers. Sworn enemy Sheriff Roscoe is almost non-existent. Also, the town remains vulnerable to Daisy Duke’s (Jessica Simpson) T&A teasers, which aids their escape almost every time.

Courtesy of the original TV Dukes’ creator/writer Gy Waldron, you’ll hear choppy dialogue with odd curbed pauses after each sentence like a sitcom sparring Katharine Hepburn and Dean Martin. Some of it is made-for-a-studio-audience or canned laughter material. Jay Chandrasekhar, (aka: Super Troopers/Club Dread dude) directed, so of course you’d expect silliness and an even sillier cameo. Supporting characters, if you can call it that, include Willie Nelson (who just released his first reggae album), and Wonder Woman Lynda Carter. Overall it’s a fun summertime movie with awesome car chases and races. I think a lot of footage was cut out to create a sweet snippy package, and that works out well. Hazzard County is alright to visit, but we wouldn’t want to stay there for long.