Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
From left: Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke, Johnny Knoxville as Luke Duke and Sean William Scott as Bo Duke. - CONTRIBUTED
WHEN STEPPING into the theatre to see The Dukes of Hazzard it is probably wise to bear in mind that it was once a television show. Wiser still would be to bear in mind the knowledge that it features Johnny Knoxville, Sean William Scott and Jessica Simpson.
Of course, if despite this knowledge, you are still in the theatre, then you will probably enjoy The Dukes of Hazzard. Even so, that eventuality is still unlikely. The television show was never known for its brilliance and the movie went ahead and killed the two brain cells that the cousins, (the two good ole boys Bo Duke and Luke Duke) had between them. Of course, the television show had been fun. This is a visual explanation as to why one should not flog a dead horse.
Knoxville, Scott and Simpson are joined by Burt Reynolds (as Boss Hogg), Willie Nelson (as Uncle Jessie), Michael Weston (Deputy Enos Strate), M.C Gainey (Sheriff Roscoe) and James Roday (Billy Prickett).
The Dukes of Hazzard is another in a series of badly conceptualised movies this summer. It makes you continue to wonder how much spare time and spare cash people in Hollywood have why they continue to plague us with movies that are a complete waste of time.
Directed by Jay Chandrasekar the movie is based on the Gy Waldon characters from the 1979 television series. Though it is a remake, writers John O'Brien and Jonathan Davies managed to update nothing. All that was added were strings to Daisy's shorts, which she impressively wears almost all the time (even when she is supposedly in disguise).
SIMPLE PLOT
The movie seems to have been one stretched out episode of the television series. Its plot, if one should be so radical and call it that, is a simple one. Bo (Knoxville) and Luke (Scott) get into their car (The General Lee). They are usually being chased and drive very fast. They jump over things, swerve very fast and finally crash. The car is repaired and they get in the car again and it do it all over again.
To mix it up a little, their cousin Daisy Duke (Simpson) takes her clothes off, supposedly to get information but it is clearly because she has nothing else to do. Apparently, there is no cable in Hazzard County.
The result is that The Dukes of Hazzard is a story of mayhem and nothing. It does not even have the requisite dose of fun one would expect to be attached to flicks that surround mayhem. None of the characters is particularly interesting, the acting is at best adequate and the stunts are simply okay.
Of course, if all you want to see is Jessica Simpson next door to naked, The Dukes of Hazzard should suffice. If you are looking for the other elements however, there is apparently none left in Hazzard County. It would make a great popcorn flick, if someone had remembered to put the flick in.
