Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a little look at THE DUKES OF HAZZARD. I saw the flick tonight at a country radio-station sponsored screening here in Austin. Austin really isn't Texas. It's been called the loop-hole in the Bible belt and it's a very art-friendly and environment friendly city. But yes, there were plenty of Rebel Yells and hollerin' going down at the screening tonight.
I've said this before, but really quickly... I'm a big fan of Broken Lizard... I love SUPER TROOPERS to death and I even really dug CLUB DREAD (I know I'm in a small clique there). I never grew up with DUKES OF HAZZARD on TV. Of course I've seen many episodes, but it never had much impact on my childhood. So, I went into this film as a Broken Lizard fan, not as a Dukes of Hazzard loyalist.
And you know what? I enjoyed myself. The movie isn't fantastic, nor is it a turd. It's definitely better than mediocre and might just barely reach "real good." It is what it is, full of car chases, goofing off by them Dukes, an abundance of Jessica Simpson's skin and cleavage and some good character actor casting.
Jay Chandrasekhar and the screenwriters put a large emphasis on the Dukes in the General Lee, which would sound like an obvious choice, but you never know how these re-imaginings will turn out. It's a great choice and keeps the movie speeding along after a slight drag to introduce us to the main players after the opening of the movie.
Sure, the chase photography is fun. Sure, they did a great job of doing REAL car stunts, using very, very little CG in the whole of the film. Sure, Simpson did wear them Daisy Dukes very, very well. Sure, Willie Nelson as Uncle Jesse works really well, especially when telling his jokes while tossing Molotov cocktails full of 'shine at the pigs. Sure, it was cool seeing Jay and Erik (Stolhanske) slip into their SUPER TROOPERS characters for a scene. Sure, Kevin Heffernan wearing a 'dillo hat and his tighty-whities made me smile. Those are things the movie does well...
But the real reason to see this movie is Seann William Scott. Given the right material and the right character to play around with you get Scott at his best (here or AMERICAN PIE). If there is something lacking in the material or character you get an okay performance out of him (EVOLUTION).
He's fucking funny in this movie, absolutely in love with the adventure of it all and, of course, has a kind of disturbing love with The General Lee. He exudes a kind of southern charm mixed with a wide-eyed innocence in his totally not innocent character of Bo Duke. I don't know how he does it, but he really won me over with this flick. Johnny Knoxville is good as Luke Duke and plays very well off of Scott, but I felt Scott overshadowed him a bit... but that could be because the focus of the film seems to be more on Bo instead of Luke.
The movie doesn't completely work for me... for instance I never really liked Boss Hogg (as played by Burt Reynolds). Reynolds looks sharp in the white cowboy duds and has some good "I'm an asshole and I love it!" lines, but the way Reynolds played him was kinda weird. His delivery was off and the character overall felt unfocused. There's even an awkward "super villain monologue" that clues the Dukes into exactly what they need to do to thwart Boss Hogg's diabolical plans. Although, I must say that the scene in which this monologue happens is on the whole a really funny scene. I just didn't like the way Reynolds revealed that information, despite his undeniable charm.
One really great bit of casting for me was the man-god that is Joe Don Baker. If you're really hip that name alone will get you into the theater. Baker, along with Reynolds, was one of the sweaty southern icons of the '70s. He was Buford Pusser in the original WALKING TALL, but might be the most well known for a film called MITCHELL that now has a cult following because of the roasting it got on MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000. I, for one, think MITCHELL is a good flick, albeit full of '70s cheese. Very entertaining and not only on the "you can laugh at it" level. Damn, now I want to rewatch that fucker...
Anyway, Baker plays a small role, but it is so nice to see him up on the screen again... especially during the outtakes and bloopers they run during the credits... Joe Don Baker says something... that I won't give away that is perhaps funnier than anything in the movie during one particular outtake... It's worth paying admission to see that particular line delivered and the reaction he gets... Holy shit, it had me laughing hard.
So, all in all THE DUKES OF HAZZARD ain't the best thing you'll see this summer, but it's far from the worst. To be on the safe side, I'd recommend a matinee. It's not a movie I think I'll want to watch over and over again, but it's one that I really enjoyed seeing on the big screen.
I still have some interviews to knock out for you folks, so keep your eyes peeled for those in the near future! Til then this is Quint bidding you all a fond farewell and adieu.
-Quint
