The Dukes Of Hazzard Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)August 2nd, 2005
THE DUKES OF HAZZARD
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
HERBIE for adults, THE DUKES OF HAZZARD is just as stupid and silly as the recent kids' movie, HERBIE FULLY LOADED. THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, directed by Jay Chandrasekhar (CLUB DREAD and SUPER TROOPERS), as I'm sure you're well aware, is a remake of the 1979 television series. The movie has a plot, but it is so superfluous to the movie that there is little point in discussing it. Suffice it to say that it involves despoiling the environment and winning a race.
Burt Reynolds is there to sneer a lot as the big bad guy in the all white suit, and Willie Nelson is on hand as an old codger who tells non-stop jokes such as, "What do you call a farmer with a sheep under each arm? A playboy." But the stars of the film are AMERICAN PIE's Seann William Scott and A DIRTY SHAME's Johnny Knoxville as crazy cousins Bo and Luke Duke. These two leads throw themselves into their frantic acting with such abandon that it is exhausting just watching them. Even if you hate the picture, you've got to admit that these guys really gave it their all. Speaking of giving, Jessica Simpson, as their cousin Daisy, shows off her killer smile and body in her part as the alluring lass whom no man can ignore.
Most of this physical comedy is done by driving extremely fast. Bo and Luke drive an old 70s muscle car with a Hemi engine that slips and slides around every curve and literally flies over every hill. Since their car, named General Lee, has a confederate flag on the top, they are both cheered and ridiculed by the Georgia locals, where the story is set. When a bunch of big African Americans call them "hillbillies," Luke sheepishly suggests, "Actually we prefer Appalachian Americans." If you're in the mood for stupid humor, THE DUKES OF HAZZARD will fill the bill. But it certainly isn't a movie that you'd want to recommend to somebody you're trying to impress.
THE DUKES OF HAZZARD runs 1:37. It is rated PG-13 for "sexual content, crude and drug-related humor, language and comic action violence" and would be acceptable for kids around 11 and up.
My son Jeffrey, age 16, gave it ***, saying that he found it just basic fun. His girlfriend Yasmin, also 16, gave it ***, saying that she found Scott to be a sexy beast. They both commented that Simpson was much better than they expected.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, August 5, 2005. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century theaters and the Camera Cinemas.
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Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com
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