Susan Granger’s review of “Dukes of Hazzard” (Warner Bros.)
As the great American critic H.L. Mencken said, “No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.” And the box-office success of this flick once again proves it. Bearing only superficial resemblance to the amiable action comedy series that ran from 1979 to 1985, the dumbed-down concept has a bunch of stereotypical rednecks romping around. The plot revolves around how cousins Bo (Seann William Scott), Luke (Johnny Knoxville) and Daisy (Jessica Simpson) try to save the Duke family farm by foiling crooked politician Boss Hogg’s (Burt Reynolds) plan to landgrab and strip-mine Hazzard County, Georgia. But most of the time, the “Appalachian-American” guys are selling moonshine manufactured by Uncle Jesse (Willie Nelson), brawling, chasing chicks and barreling recklessly through the backwoods in their beloved, bright orange ’69 Dodge Charger, flying a Confederate flag and dubbed General Lee. Utilizing an updated, by-the-numbers script by John O’Brien (“Starsky & Hutch”) and broadly directed by Jay Chandrasekhar (“Super Troopers”), they’re no longer “the good ol’ boys, never meanin’ no harm.” Instead, they’re sleazy, obnoxious goofballs. Granted, the rural car chases are cool; credit the stunt drivers for earning their paychecks. Bodacious blond Jessica Simpson’s sexy denim shorts are even cheekier than Catherine Bach’s were on the TV series, which co-starred Tom Wopat and John Schneider and was used as a lead-in for “Dallas.” And one-time “Wonder Woman” Lynda Carter does yet another cameo as the family friend, Pauline. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Dukes of Hazzard” crashes in with a coarse, crass 3. It’s pathetic when a the closing credits and outtakes are funnier than the film itself. Yee-haw!
