Movie review: ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’

FloridaGator80
A promotional still photograph from the movie “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

I always enjoy checking out flicks that update an old TV show and “The Dukes of Hazzard” offers a nice example of doing it the right way. It doesn’t have the same tenor as the TV original – and that’s usually bad … just take the “Bewitched” film as one example as the destruction of the memory of one of my favorite TV shows. However, I decided to check out the “The Dukes of Hazzard” from the big screen and found an entertaining cast that helps make this one really worth watching. After all, who doesn’t like Burt Reynolds? So, don’t turn your nose up at it, since “The Dukes of Hazzard” even has a simply hilarious take on the “Dukes” dealing with the Confederate flag on the roof of their car. I think of a huge number of ways you can waste just over 1½ hours rather than watching this one. You don’t have to think; you’ll enjoy it; and the humor is solid – especially Willie Nelson’s quips.

‘The Dukes of Hazzard’
(2005; 107 minutes; rated R; directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and starring Seann William Scott, Johnny Knoxville and Jessica Simpson)

CALL THEM APPALACHIAN-AMERICANS!

(NOTE: I expanded this review on Jan. 30, 2016, with additional trivia, opinion and updated links. I again expanded it on July 7, 2017. I again expanded it on Dec. 11, 2020. I again expanded it on April 23, 2023. I again expanded it on April 16, 2026.)

I previously reviewed “Monster-in-Law” (click here for my review) from 2005, but, if you look down a couple of notches on the top box office films of that year, you’ll find another funny one that is a completely different kind of humor and actually is even funnier in some places: “The Dukes of Hazzard.” It is a revival of the iconic TV series that ran 1979 through 1985 – so it comes as no surprise that it’s a shallow and stupid film, but it’s shallow and stupid done very well and you won’t be disappointed.

“The Dukes of Hazzard” is done by the “Broken Lizard” comedy troupe, with Jay Chandrasekhar in the director’s chair and he does a great bit part kind of spoofing himself and the group’s effort in their even more hilarious effort “Super Troopers” (click here to read my review of its sequel, “Super Troopers 2”). All five “Broken Lizard” members appear here and, like with “Super Troopers,” you’ll find yourself laughing. In fact, once you get past the empty silliness of the plot, you can enjoy the cast, which includes wonderful supporting turns from Burt Reynolds, Willie Nelson and even a small part for TV’s “Wonder Woman” herself Lynda Carter.

A promotional still photograph from the movie “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

What updates “The Dukes of Hazzard” movie from its TV origin is that there is a lot of smoking of marijuana and a few nude scenes. You never found that in the original or else it would have been even more popular!

I guess since I enjoy this kind of puerile humor, it isn’t a surprise that “The Dukes of Hazzard” was a total flop with critics and was nominated for a number of awards in the annual “Razzies” that highlights the worst films of any given year. Ah, they couldn’t take a joke – or apparently enjoy one, either.

As you might remember from the TV show, the Duke cousins “Bo” and “Luke” race around the fictional “Hazzard County” in Georgia and thwart the nefarious schemes of “Boss Hogg.” Well, the film replicates that concept with a brief interlude in the big city at a college for some coed nudity and weed and the scheme here is to buy up all the land in Hazzard and strip mine it.

A promotional still photograph from the movie “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

So, the plot is just an excuse to get the guys into their trademark Dodge Charger and speeding across rural Georgia as well as in the big city of Atlanta. The boys save the day (of course) and their cousin “Daisy” wears short-shorts just like in the original and everyone’s happy (and then a bit more) at the end. Even the credits are handled great with outtakes – especially seeing what really happened to the cars during stunts.

The main players here are Seann William Scott and Johnny (“Jackass”) Knoxville as, respectively, “Bo Duke” and “Luke Duke.” They’re the fun-loving guys and just want to have some fun … as well as some bootlegging. It was fortunate to bring these two together and they fill their roles with just the correct amount of energy and actually truly work well together.

Here’s a rundown of some of the principal cast:

  • Knoxville is a very under-appreciated comedy actor since you have to forget his “Jackass” persona to consider his true talent. He’s brash and open here and does a good job but, while the material suits him and he gets a passing grade, it’s not as good as the work he did in a much smaller role in “Big Trouble” (click here to read my review). Knoxville is watchable and fun and with his cutting-edge humor just waiting to erupt, he’s also unpredictable. Knoxville has also been in “Men in Black II” as well as voicing “Johnny Krill” for TV’s “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
  • Scott does a nice job of being the car-focused member of the Duke boys. He even wants to have a physical relationship with their car … and that, too, wasn’t in the original TV series. Scott is just as energetic as he is in “Dude, Where’s My Car?” but just a notch or two below his much better work in “Role Models” (click here to read my review) with Paul Rudd. Scott has also been in “Mr. Woodcock” (click here to read my review), “Road Trip” (click here to read my review) and of course was the profane, volatile “Stifler” in the “American Pie” franchise (click here for my review of franchises).
  • A promotional still photograph from the movie “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

    As the female lead here, Jessica Simpson is another casting homerun as “Daisy Duke” – you know, of the short-shorts fame. Simpson does a commendable job here as both the window dressing and tough person with whom to deal. She’s fun but also fatalistic that she’s going to have to use her physical beauty to help the cause. At least she doesn’t take it seriously and this raises her stock more than a few notches. Simpson has also been in “Employee of the Month.”

  • Burt Reynolds

    Of course, the best of the supporting cast is Reynolds as “Boss Hogg,” the bad guy who’s always got some scheme going. He hates the Dukes and Reynolds knocks this one out of the park with a bit of panache but it had to be easy for him. Of course, Reynolds is “The Bandit” from “Smokey and the Bandit” fame (click here to read my review) as well as being in “Hooper” (click here to read my review), “The Cannonball Run” (click here to read my review) and even deeper drama with “Boogie Nights.” Burt died at 82 of a heart attack in 2018.

  • A promotional still photograph from the movie “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

    The actor with the most casual insouciance is Nelson as “Uncle Jesse Duke,” who enjoys spinning off quickie jokes as one-liners just about every time he’s on camera. There’s also homage to his past at the end-of-film BBQ in the “smoking” shed. Nelson is a natural before the camera and even his outtake in the credits is funny. Nelson has also been in “The Electric Horseman” (click here to read my review) with Robert Redford and on TV shows such as “Monk.”

  • A promotional still photograph from the movie “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

    Rising to the top of the rest is Kevin Heffernan, who plays “Derek ‘Sheev’ Sheevington.” He is an ally of the Dukes, runs a bait shop, wears armadillo helmets to stop unauthorized government brain scans and enjoys explosives and the effect of explosives. Heffernan, who is a member of “Broken Lizard,” does as great a job here as the dense, paranoid but basically fun backwoods crank. He was just as good in the group’s pathetically bad “Beerfest” and the cult fav “Super Troopers” and has also been in and directed “The Slammin’ Salmon” with the “Broken Lizard” team.

Three other actors worth noting are James Roday Rodriguez as “Billy Pritchett,” who is an ally of Reynolds; David Koechner as “Cooter Davenport;” and Carter, who plays Nelson’s significant other “Pauline.”

  • Sadly, Rodriguez, who used just James Roday in this film’s credits and was in his career until 2019, completely overplays his hand here and you can develop the suspicion he was intentionally not doing a good job in order to win a bet with a friend or practicing for one of his assumed characters for TV’s “Psych.” The effort here is weak and Roday is almost mocking the acting profession with his take on the snotty race car driver. Roday was much better on “Psych” and has also been in “Broken Lizard’s” uneven, often vile “Beerfest.”
  • A promotional still photograph from the movie “The Dukes of Hazzard.”

    Koechner is truly funny in each film I’ve seen with him in it and “The Dukes of Hazzard” is no exception. His talent overrides the thinness of his character and he manages to elevate it, unlike Roday. Koechner has been in “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” (click here to read my review) and its sequel, also a great bit part in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” (click here to read my review) as well as the outstanding “Thank You for Smoking” (click here to read my review).

  • “Wonder Woman” Carter has the easiest of these three roles and looks as if she’s just having a bit of fun doing this one. Carter is also a veteran with Broken Lizard as she was in “Super Troopers” and has also had dozens of TV roles including “Starsky and Hutch” as well as “Law & Order.”

The single funniest line in the film is when Knoxville and Scott are confronted by a group of black guys in Atlanta. The “Dukes” have soot on their face from a university lab incident (part of the plot) and are driving a car with a Confederate flag painted on top. One of the black guys calls them “hillbillies” and Knoxville replies, “Actually, we prefer Appalachian-Americans.” Seriously, it’s a great comedy moment.

Well, “The Dukes of Hazzard” isn’t great cinema. So what? It’s fun to watch and you’ll be smiling long after you’ve watched it. I see absolutely nothing wrong with this kind of movie. Oh, and by the way, I’m reviewing the unrated version from the DVD, not the theatrical release.

“The Dukes of Hazzard” was the 26th ranked film at the U.S. box office in 2005 with $80.2 million in ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo. Worldwide, “The Dukes of Hazzard” made $111 million on a $50 million budget, according to Wiki. “The Dukes of Hazzard” and trailed far behind the year’s No. 1 film: “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” with $380.2 million. Other films from 2005 that I’ve reviewed include:

Assorted cast and film notes (via IMDb.com):

  • Knoxville’s birth name is Philip John Clapp; Roday’s birth name is James David Rodriguez; Reynolds’ full birth name was Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. and his nickname was “Buddy;” Nelson’s full birth name is Willie Hugh Nelson; and Carter’s full birth name is Linda Jean Cordova Carter.
  • The three original “Dukes” (Tom Wopat, John Schneider and Catherine Bach) were offered cameos but declined reportedly because they hated the script. Another main cast player from the original was quoted as saying he thought the film should not have such a mature theme since the TV show was so family friendly.
  • Thank goodness that the talentless hack named Ashton Kutcher didn’t get to play one of the Duke boys. Some idiot considered him for the part and thankfully this is one time idiocy didn’t win out and have an audience subjected to Kutcher’s complete incompetence.
  • Dolly Parton reportedly turned down the role ultimately given to Carter.
  • “The Dukes of Hazzard” is Simpson’s first feature film role.
  • Directly from IMDb.com: “Many of the jumps and car chase scenes were filmed on an agricultural research station at Louisiana State University. The station was leased to Warner Brothers during the off season.”
  • Finally and directly from IMDb.com: “Twenty-six Dodge Chargers were used in this film. Several 1968 and 1970 Chargers were converted to look like 1969 Chargers. Only one Hemi Charger was used, the rest were 440s, 383s and a few small-block 318s.”

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