The Dukes of Hazzard

Having read some of the other comments here I was expecting something truly awful but was pleasantly surprised. REALITY CHECK: The original series wasn't that good. I think some people remember it with more affection than it deserved but apart from the car chases and Daisy Duke's legs the scripts were weak and poorly acted. The Duke boys were too intelligent and posh for backwood hicks, the shrunken Boss Hog was too cretinous to be evil and Rosco was just hyper throughout every screen moment. It's amazing the series actually lasted as long as it did because it ran out of story lines during the first series.

Back to the movie. If you watch this film in it's own right, not as a direct comparison to however you remember the TV series, then it's not bad at all. The real star is of course the General Lee. The car chases and stunts are excellent and that's really what D.O.H. is all about. Johnny Knoxville is his usual eccentric self and along with Seann William Scott as Cousin Bo the pair make this film really funny in a hilarious Dumb-And-Dumber sort of way the TV series never achieved. The lovely Jessica Simpson is a natch as Miss Daisy, Burt Reynolds makes a much improved Boss Hog and M.C. Gainey makes a believably nasty Rosco P. Coltrane, the way he always should have been.

If you don't like slapstick humour and crazy car stunts then you wouldn't be watching this film anyway because you should know what to expect. Otherwise if you want an entertaining car-action movie with a few good laughs that's not too taxing on the brain then go see this enjoyable romp with an open mind.

The Dukes Of Hazzard wasn't a bad movie unto itself, but it wasn't a masterpiece ahead of its time. I to was a fan of the original series, I own season 1-5 on DVD and watch the reruns of it on CMT or where ever they may air, but I didn't have a huge problem with it. Broken Lizard could have done a lot worse than what they did with it, it was just a movie which was unrestrained free to say or do whatever they wanted and go in direction thy like to see. If Broken Lizard and Jay Chaz (or however you say his name or spell it) wanted to, he could have made this the biggest piece of white trash garbage that he wanted it to be, he could have made Daisy Duke a complete dits and Bo and Luke white trash, barefoot country bumpkins who never left Hazzard and gone to the big city. I thought the movie was very entertaining, it didn't make me double over with laughter, but it was what it was which was a "leave your brains at the door" type of movie which isn't that bad. Most people wanna say that it was disrespectful to the original series, but let us not forget that the first season of the original series had Bo Duke making a joke about how if he and Daisy weren't related he'd marry her and she cracks back by saying "That's never stopped anyone in this family before" and another having Boss Hogg convince Bo and Luke to transport a dangerous criminal and not caring if they got killed. Yes the characters in the movie could have stayed truer to the characters of the TV show, but for what its worth it wasn't as bad as I or maybe everyone else thought it was. The movie had some hit and miss moments but over all I would watch on TV or maybe buy it on DVD if it was on sale because as I said it was a very entertaining movie, not a great Oscar award winning movie of course, but just something fun to watch.

I just watched this movie tonight on DVD with my 17 yr old daughter, and we both thought it was a riot! Cute boys, hot cars, GREAT car chase sequences, hillbilly humor...what's not to love? It's not Ingmar Bergman, but it WAS highly entertaining, and the sound track ROCKED. Not a serious film, but sometimes we just need to kick our shoes off and laugh! Sometimes I think that we take our movies too seriously. They can't all be Academy Award caliber. Never was a fan of the original series, myself, but I really enjoyed this. Makes me want to trade in the Subaru for something loud and fast! Even Jessica was tolerable and I really can't stand her. All in all, an enjoyable "ride".

Yes, I was once a 9-year-old who would 'yee-haw' in front of the TV every Friday night. But then I grew up and basically forgot about the Dukes of Hazzard. Years later, when I learned of the movie, I scoffed. I had zero expectations and no plans to see it. Then months later, I ran into it on HBO.

This movie is a blast. Anyone looking for a dusty museum exhibit to replay the original series for a new generation will be disappointed. But It's great fun for anyone willing to be in on the joke and go along for the ride.

Boss Hogg isn't fat. Uncle Jesse smokes weed. Roscoe is less cartoon bumbling, more cartoon menacing. Daisy is blonde. The General's paint job needs... explaining.

But the movie retains everything that made the original series work: car chases, bar brawls, short-shorts and good-hearted outlaws looking out for the good folks of Hazzard County. The movie brings back all these crucial elements... and then takes them out and gets them drunk. Buckle up for safety!

The plot is an inch deep, but gets the job done. The humor is perfectly simple and perfectly funny. And, aside from Burt Reynolds, the cast aren't winning any Oscars (ever), but they can handle these characters just fine.

Lastly, I had no idea how much I missed the General Lee. I'm not a car guy or an action-for-the-sake-of-action guy, but the car chases, crashes and jumps in this movie are incredible. Most modern action scenes are just noise and blur, but the driving-action scenes in this movie are extremely well-paced and well-executed. I could replay the car chase in Atlanta (with Bo in emotional crisis behind the wheel) a hundred times and never stop loving that scene.

I was truly surprised how much I enjoyed this movie - both times (thanks, Netflix!), with about 10 years between viewings. The big screen version of The Dukes of Hazzard actually works, and no one was more surprised than me.

Now how do you think them boys are going to top this one?

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!