Review of The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) by Rachael J — 12 Aug 2009

As a fan of the orignal show, I have to admit I didn't hate it. That's about the best I can do, here. It's the loud, crude and rude cousin of the original. While it tries to tell a story similar to what they had on TV, I found I never quite enjoyed the ride as much.

On the plus side there is a lot less bluegrassy twang. Some people may not like this, but blasting through the country to AC/DC seems a little more appropriate to me. (Yeah that probably was me going by your house with Shook me All Night Long blaring and a black dog hanging out the window. But I digress).

Jessica Simpson made a passable (and highly lookable) Daisy while Knoxville and Scott seemed dummied down versions of the famous cousins. I still can't warm up to Willie Nelson as Uncle Jesse. Boss Hogg was a touch more menacing with Burt Reynolds in the role, as was M.C. Gainey's Roscoe.

Part of what made the series work was that Boss and Roscoe were bumbling fools outsmarted at every turn by "them Duke boys". Well, the tables have turned and now the Dukes come across as less intellignent and its only through blind chance and poor script writing that they save the day. Think Maxwell Smart in blue jeans.

All in all it seemed thrown together for no better reason than to make a few nostalgia bucks by flinging Dodge Chargers around.