The Dukes of Hazzard (PG-13)
Mike:
Scott:
Scott: Tonight we are reviewing Dukes of Hazzard,
a remake of the late 70's, early 80's TV show of the same name. What'd ya think?
Mike: I'm not sure, I liked it and I didn't.
Scott: It was a bit of a wishy washy movie. It tried to be a comedy first and action second, but the comedy really never took off.
Mike: It tried to be like the old show, but had some modern raunch to it like American Pie and movies like that. It wasn't as funny as I hoped it would be. But the old show wasn't that funny either.
Scott: True, but in the old show the Dukes weren't quite as dumb as they were in this. If I remember correctly, they were pretty smart, and not just quick witted. They figured stuff out and were always one step ahead of the police.
Mike: The original Dukes were definitely more charming than these two. They had comedians in the lead and it was directed by the Jay Chandrasekhar of Super Troopers fame, so I expected funny.
Scott: And some of those Troopers showed up in the flick too.
Mike: Oh yes. The campus cop scene is a direct homage to Super Troopers. Even with the same guys.
Scott: Yes, that scene didn't really fit into the movie in any way other than as an inside joke for the Super Troopers fans.
Mike: One of campus cops is the director-useless trivia for you trivia nerds. There were some genuine laughs in the movie, though. I especially liked the new character of Seev. He was nuts.
Scott: Johnny Knoxville, as Luke Duke, and Seann William Scott, as Bo Duke, were passable characters. They were kinda funny, as funny as the movie would allow.
Mike: Also, if you like car chases, this is the movie for you.
Scott: There was some of the best car chases scenes and driving since The Bourne Identity.
Mike: I actually love car chases, though. I think it's a "boy" thing. The General Lee was looking sweet.
Scott: I read that the reason the Dukes used the Charger was because of the car chase scene in Bullitt. They got the car(s) for free for the series because of the publicity of the Bullitt scene. They even used an original Charger from the TV series for a few of the close-up shots.
Mike: I liked the fact that they used the confederate flag like on the old car, but then used this to make several jokes about them needing to join the 21st century.
Scott: An update on that flag was nice. I don't think a TV show now-a-days could get away with it.
Mike: It's especially funny when they are in the big city of Atlanta. They see how unhappy some people are about that flag.
Scott: It was nice that the showed the update views on the flag.
Mike: This picture was definitely about stunt casting. Especially by using Willie Nelson as Uncle Jessie and Burt Reynolds as Boss Hogg.
Scott: What is stunt casting, Mike?
Mike: Using brand names for the parts rather than actors who could better fill the parts. Linda Carter, as Pauline and formerly as Wonder Woman, was another bit of stunt casting.
Scott: What did you think about Jessica Simpson, aka Daisy Duke?
Mike: Simpson is part of that stunt casting too. But I think it will work. There are plenty of guys who will come to the movie just for her. Luckily, she doesn't have that many lines.
Scott: She really wasn't anything special in the movie; she was just wearing the low tops and short shorts. Really it was mostly like Catherine Bach, the original Daisy Duke, was on the TV series.
Mike: I know we have been criticized for talking about pretty girls, but Simpson is in this movie for one reason and one reason only... to wear Daisy Duke shorts and occasionally a bikini! She doesn't even sing, which I hear is her claim to fame.
Scott: The role wasn't given because of her acting or her singing. The plot was just about as good as the TV show plots were; so don't see the movie for that. If you see it, do it for the car and the chase scenes!
Mike: I went to see it for the car and for Daisy Duke and they got those 2 just about right!
Mike: My biggest disappointment acting wise was Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane. On the show I thought he was one of the funniest characters. Don't even know who this guy was in the movie.
Scott: I was disappointed with that as well. That was a great opportunity for a classic bad guy and they come up with some guy who's a relative unknown.
Mike: In the show he is a bumbler not an actual bad guy. They tried to make him out to be a bad guy, but I don't think it worked.
Scott: No, he was too tough for the Dukes to be so weak for Boss Hogg.
Mike: The other guy who annoyed me was the character of the race driver Billy Prickett, played by James Roday. The actor seemed to be doing a Sam Rockwell impression. Or was it Ben Stiller? Either way it was obnoxious.
Scott: I couldn't put my finger on who he seemed to be playing, but it reminded me of bad acting, or more specifically, over acting.
Mike: Yep.
Scott: So what did you think?
Mike: This movie is for some Dukes fans and most teenagers. The Dukes fans who take it too seriously will be upset. I give it a 3 out of 5 overall, mostly because of the great car chases. How about you?
Scott: Did you have an action rating?
Mike: I'm going to skip that, because I think it's tough to call this an action movie. It's not quite a comedy either.
Scott: I think the movie was a 2 out of 5 overall. It just never got off the ground. It had some awesome car chases, which makes it a 2.5 out of 5 for action. I would wait and DVD this movie.
Mike: It's good mindless summer entertainment, but probably best to wait and rent the DVD. Who would have thought that we would like this better than Stealth? You never can tell till you actually go to the movies!
Scott: Make sure you stay for the credits! They are some of the funniest parts of the movie!
Mike: Yes, thanks for mentioning that. The outtakes are actually hilarious. Wait till you see the General Lee jumps that didn't turn out as planned.
Scott: & Mike: YeeHaw!!
