The Dukes of Hazzard - Unrated
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Burt Reynolds, Jessica Simpson, Michael Weston, M.C. Gainey, David Koechner, Willie Nelson, Jack Polick
Directed by: Jay Chandrasekhar

The Dukes of Hazzard - Unrated Reviewed by Paul Heath

Over the past few years, Hollywood has flirted with TV shows of yesterday, and bought up the rights to them and remade them for the big-screen. First STARSKY AND HUTCH, then CHARLIE'S ANGELS and now THE DUKES OF HAZZARD, which is about to grace the home format.

Well, here's how the movie version goes. THE DUKES OF HAZZARD revolves around the exploits and adventures of the closer-than-brothers cousins, Bo (Seann William Scott) and Luke Duke (Johnny Knoxville), their other cousin Daisy (Jessica Simpson) and Uncle Jesse (Willie Nelson). This particular episode is set around the Hazzard County road race, and Boss Hogg's (Burt Reynolds) ulterior motive for bringing the superstar rally champion, Billy Prickett back to his home in Hazzard to compete. Cue lots of road racing action, super-human feats of driving and loads of DD (Daisy Duke) flesh on display.

I really liked the STARSKY AND HUTCH remake, possibly because I didn't really know that much about the original show, but I really loved the original DUKES series. It arrived when I was growing up in the early eighties, and along with THE A-TEAM, and erm, STREET HAWK, I consider it to be one of my faves of the day. Some did I like the movie. Well, in a way yes, abut in another, sadly...no. It's a fun ride, but it's so far away from the original concept. It's a little dirtied up (especially in this unrated cut), and it's riddled with a lot more innuendo. This isn't a bad thing usually, but with a movie like this, you have to try and stick a little to the original charm of the source material, something that I think the filmmakers have failed to do with the movie.

Things I liked. Jessica Simpson. The bond between the two male leads. Jessica Simpson. The car chases. Jessica Simpson. The intact theme song, Willie Nelson, and did I mention....Jessica Simpson. Things I didn't like - the offending curse words and the pointless nudity contained in this version, although I love boobies on show usually, but here I consider it unnecessary - the theatrical cut was better. The other thing I hated about this, was Burt Reynolds. I am the world's biggest Burt Reynolds fan as some readers might know, but I think that her just an awful choice for Boss Hogg. Nowhere near the original's Hogg, Sorrell Booke.

Going back to what I was saying, THE DUKES OF HAZZARD is a fun ride in a disposable sort of way. It's like an old rollercoaster. It's all right when you're on it, but it's pretty much forgettable when you step off, and not one you want to get back on in a hurry. So, does the DVD warrant a purchase.

Well, let's first look at the features. It comes in a single disc version, with a Dolby Digital 5.1 track and nice wide-screen transfer. There are a few features, presented in both 'Unrated' and PG-13 versions. First, the two gag reels. They are both different, and mildly entertaining, but the 'Unrated' version is made up of the stars 'f-ing' when they fluff their lines. There's also a little more nudity too. Then there's the additional scenes, which also gives a look at more 'breast' action in the 'Unrated' version.

The extras are also littered with a couple of five-minute documentaries. The first, "Daisy Dukes: The Short Short Shorts", surprisingly revolves around the selection of Daisy's shorts, from Simpson talking about how she had to work out to get that 'ass' in the movie, and there are thoughts from Director Jay Chandrasekhar, costume designer Genevieve Tyrrell, and assistant designer Molly Grundman. We next have "The General Lee Lives", a short about how they managed to shoot actors driving the car, and achieve the superb car scenes in the flick. Next, an accompanying piece, "How to Launch a Muscle Car 175 Feet in 4 Seconds". This one shows how they managed to thrust the famous car at high speeds over a broken bridge and onto a busy highway without getting anyone injured. Mildly entertaining again, but a little short and uninspiring. "The Hazards of Dukes" is a 15 minute documentary behind the scenes of the movie And features more words from director Jay Chandrasekhar, Jessica Simpson, producer Bill Gerber, actors Burt Reynolds, Seann William Scott, Johnny Knoxville, MC Gainey, Junior Brown, Ritchie Montgomery and David Koechner. It's quite well put together, and entertaining. Possibly the best extra on the disc. Lastly, an obvious inclusion in the form of Jessica Simpson's "These Boots Are Made For Walking" video. See the lovely lady kicking arse in the Boar's Nest, walking in them shorts and them boots, and soaping up the General Lee in a skimpy bikini top. Correction, this is the best feature on the DVD. It's great, and I learned from the disc that it's directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour).

So should you buy. Well, if you're a fan of fast cars, boobies, Seann William Scott, Knoxville or Jessica Simpson, then yeah, because they're all in good form in the movie. In my opinion, I'd possibly give it a rent, as the material possibly won't stand up to repeat viewing. Entertaining but forgettable.

Paul Heath