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The Dukes Of Hazzard Director: Jay Chandrasekhar Rated: M15+ Now screening 
I wouldn't normally front up to a movie like 'The Dukes of Hazzard',
but having watched the TV show when I was a kid there was an element
of morbid curiosity involved. Admittedly, my vague recollections are
limited to the Dukes' car leaping over railway tracks and Roscoe P.
Coltrane yelling "Them Dukes, them Dukes!" every week, but I've seen
movies based on less. (By the by, neither of these two things occurs
during the film.)The film centres around the Duke family who live in Hazzard County, Georgia: cousins Bo (Seann William Scott) and Luke (Johnny Knoxville), who deliver moonshine made by their Uncle Jessie (Willie Nelson) in an orange hotrod called the General Lee. There's also Daisy Duke (Jessica Simpson), a waitress at the local tavern, who is famous for her very short shorts. Opposed to the Duke family are Sheriff Coltrane (MC Gainey) and slimy Commissioner "Boss" Hogg (Burt Reynolds). Those who remember the original TV series better than I do are likely to be disappointed. Sure, the plot - Boss Hogg grabbing up land by falsely arresting the owners - is slapdash, and the humour ranges from crude to just plain unfunny, but the major letdown comes with the performances. The Duke boys are meant to be rough, reckless, yet charming outlaws, but neither Scott nor Knoxville shows the necessary charisma to pull their characters off, while Reynolds seems to be going through the motions as the villainous Hogg. Only Nelson looks comfortable onscreen, and he delivers the film's standout performance, though Gainey and Simpson do a serviceable job. Much of the colour and humour comes from the eccentric minor characters of Hazzard, and the film suffers when the action moves to Atlanta. On the plus side, what the two leads lack in Southern charm they make up for in exuberant physical comedy, and it is when they are beating each other around that they work best together. The car chases are fast and fun, though I've seen better; after all, has anyone managed to top the final scenes of 'The Blues Brothers'? If you do see the film, make sure you sit through the credits to see a blooper reel containing some very impressive crashes. I can enjoy an undemanding action comedy featuring car chases and Jessica Simpson wearing short shorts as much as the next man, but it still should have more to offer than this. All I can say is that if 'The Dukes of Hazzard' is a faithful rendering of the TV show, then it's little wonder I can't remember it.  |
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