It should come as no surprise that the big-screen
adaptation of The Dukes of Hazzard is filled with crude, sophomoric humor; that the
General Lee, a souped-up Dodge Charger, undergoes more character
development than any of its human co-stars; and that Jessica Simpson is
resplendent in a bikini. Oh, and did I happen to mention that stuff gets
blowed up real good and that the film perpetuates stereotypes of
Southerners? Obviously one would think that none of these qualities on its
own, let alone all of them thrown together in the same cinematic pot, would
contribute to any recipe for success.
But I’ll be gosh-darned if I didn’t love
every minute of this movie.
If cheesecake, car chases, and explosions can be
rendered as high art, Jay Chandrasekhar’s version of Dukes is a prime example.
Unabashedly crude and driven by the single-minded pursuit of pleasing the
original TV show’s legion of fans, the film revels in its lowbrow
roots and delivers perhaps the most entertaining movie of the summer.
What’s surprising is just how clever it actually is.
Though it’s as thin as onionskin, a plot
propels this tribute to underachievement. Nefarious Boss Hogg (Burt
Reynolds, clad,
of course, in all-white attire) is up to his old tricks again. As county
commissioner, he’s snatching up various properties through the use of
questionable legal practices. Wouldn’t you know it, the latest home
to fall under his control is that of Uncle Jesse Duke (Willie Nelson).
Obviously something must be done, and cousins Bo, Luke, and Daisy (Seann
William Scott, Johnny Knoxville and Jessica Simpson, respectively) set out
to discover what Hogg is up to.
Though this mission upsets the boys’ daily
routine of running moonshine, getting friendly with the young women of
Hazzard County, and engaging in fistfights at the local honky-tonk, they
still manage to find ways to save the day. A side trip into Atlanta
produces all sorts of mayhem, and a climactic road race provides Bo the
opportunity to show just what the General Lee can do.
It’s obvious that everyone involved was having
fun while making this movie. No one will be accused of giving anything
resembling a great performance here, but the casting is perfect; everyone
hits his or her mark, and says the lines with conviction. In the end, The Dukes of Hazzard follows
the philosophy of its main characters to a T — it provides a brand of
harmless fun that ends up being so entertaining that I’m about to say
something I never thought I would: I want a sequel, and I want it now.
This article appears in Aug 4-10, 2005.
