The Dukes of Hazzard (2005) from Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy; Greg Wroblewski) and Tuna

Scoop's notes

How did the Criterion Collection miss this DVD? Perhaps they have to wait until after the broadcast on Masterpiece Theater, where Johnny Knoxville and Stifler have contractual obligations. I don't believe I'll ever forget their spectacular four-hour version of Hamlet, starring Knoxville as the melancholy (but reckless) Dane. Some critics questioned the need to have Hamlet deliver his major soliloquies while riding weightless on the "vomit comet," but most agreed that it had the best car crashes of any filmed version of Hamlet, possibly excepting the one with Ethan Hawke in the Fargo hat.

I don't really want to be cast in the role of the guy who defends The Dukes of Hazzard against the critics. Lord knows, I don't think this is the best possible use of celluloid. Like many a critic, I'd rather be watching Henry V. But let's be honest here for a minute, shall we? It just ain't as bad as advertised, and the unrated version is pretty sexy. C'mon. This film took in $80 million at the box office, so even the PG-13 version entertained a whole lot of people, and the unrated DVD adds a lot of attractive naked flesh! There are pretty topless girls in the unrated version of the film. Then there are more pretty topless girls in the unrated deleted scenes, and the nudity is not restricted to the anonymous co-eds, but includes the two main love interests - the Hazzard county girl who went to college in Atlanta and her Australian friend. Finally, there is even more nudity and a whole passel of raunchy goings-on in the bloopers.

So let me just say that I had absolutely no problem getting through the film on DVD, and I also watched the special features. The film itself includes too many car chases and they go on too long. That would have been a major negative when the film was shown in theaters, but any future viewings will be at home in front of your TV, so the fast forward button will take care of that problem just fine. I reached for the remote more than once, I admit, but given that occasional cheat, I kind of enjoyed this flick. When the characters aren't driving, the comic pacing is brisk and the action is reasonably charming in a goofy way - exactly like an extended episode of the TV show. Oh, sure, I know it's not the kind of film that will stay with you, or the kind that you'll bring up when you and your buddies have had a few beers and open the floor to a "best comedy" discussion. It's a dumb, schlocky movie made from a dumb, schlocky TV series which wasn't any good to begin with.

But, to be fair, it is decent popcorn entertainment for those times when you just don't want to tax your brain, and the unrated version provides some downright tolerable guilty pleasures if you keep your thumb near the fast-forward button.
 

DVD INFO

  • Contains footage never shown in theaters
  • Two sets of additional scenes: unrated and "PG-13"
  • Featurettes include: Daisy Dukes: The Short Short Shorts (Learn how they made the shorts so short and how to make your own); The General Lee Lives (A close look at the beloved car); How to Launch a Muscle Car 175 feet in 4 Seconds (How they pulled off such a large scale car jumping stunt)
  • Two gag reels: unrated and "PG-13"
  • Jessica Simpson's "These Boots are Made for Walking" music video
  • The Hazards of Dukes: Behind-the-scenes look

NUDITY REPORT

See Tuna's comments below

Tuna's notes

The Dukes of Hazzard unrated DVD is here, and there is good news. There are three deleted scenes containing nudity. Jacqui Maxwell and Nikki Griffin are both topless in an alternate ending, and there are two additional alternate scenes with the topless sorority girls. In one, the girls are all smoking dope, in another, they are doing body painting to get ready for an anti-fur animal rights demonstration. To round out the exposure, Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke looks cute in shorts and a bikini, and Alice Greczyn is seen in a bra before the opening credits.

It is much like an episode of the TV show, but with the language and nudity punched up a little. As usual, it is Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds) vs. the Dukes, including Willie Nelson as Uncle Jessie. Boss Hog is after their ranch for some reason, and the Dukes must stop him while winning a race.

No substance, but an OK popcorn flick. Simpson made an effective Daisy, and Willie Nelson did his usual great job, although I thought Burt Reynolds was a little weak as Boss Hogg. I didn't like the TV show, and wasn't thrilled to be watching this one. Much of the budget must have been spent wrecking cars, as the film is nearly half chase scenes. There are, however, several spectacular jumps and the time passed quickly enough.

The Critics Vote ...

  • Super-panel consensus out of four stars: not even one star. James Berardinelli 0.5/4, Roger Ebert 1/4,

  • British consensus out of four stars: not even one star. Mail 0/10, Telegraph 0/10, Independent 2/10, Guardian 2/10, Times 2/10, Sun 4/10, Express 2/10, Mirror 4/10, FT 2/10, BBC 1/5.

The People Vote ...

  • Box Office Mojo. It grossed $80 million. The budget was $50 million. After all the sources of revenue have been tapped, it will make a nice little profit.
The meaning of the IMDb score: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence equivalent to about three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, comparable to approximately two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, equivalent to about a two star rating from the critics, or a C- from our system. Films rated below five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film - this score is roughly equivalent to one and a half stars from the critics or a D on our scale. (Possibly even less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

My own guideline: A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre. B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. C means it will only appeal to genre addicts, and has no crossover appeal. (C+ means it has no crossover appeal, but will be considered excellent by genre fans, while C- indicates that it we found it to be a poor movie although genre addicts find it watchable). D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre. F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well. Any film rated C- or better is recommended for fans of that type of film. Any film rated B- or better is recommended for just about anyone. We don't score films below C- that often, because we like movies and we think that most of them have at least a solid niche audience. Now that you know that, you should have serious reservations about any movie below C-.

Based on this description, it's a C-, watchable popcorn fare, but not one for the Masterpiece Theater crowd.

Return to the Movie House home page