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Dukes Of Hazzard - The Beginning [2007]


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Editorial
Synopsis

This special feature-length show takes a step back in time to show how the young Bo and Luke Duke grew into the characters TV audiences came to know and love. The troublesome Bo (Jonathan Bennett) and Luke (Randy Wayne) are placed firmly in the clutches of their Uncle Jesse (Willie Nelson) at the onset of the show, but they're soon teaming up with cousin Daisy (April Scott) to foil Boss Hogg's (Christopher McDonald) plans to seize their uncle's farm.


Absolutely Dire
Review date: 2008-08-11 Rating: 2 out of 10

A lot of people hated the first movie in 2005 starring Johnny Knoxville but at least in that film they got it half right; the car stunts were spot on.

Sadly this straight to DVD 'prequel' is everything people feared the first movie might be. They were wrong then, but they're right now. This is the worst hollow cash-in, moron-audience targeting pile of steaming horse puckey you've ever seen. Bo and Luke seem to have a combined IQ of 25 and yelling yee-ha at naked women (yes, naked; funny I don't remember seeing that on the TV show, or the movie for that matter) and played by nobody actors who should be thoroughly ashamed for the rest of their lives. Daisy Duke as a nerd? Are you kidding me?

The plot is made up of Bo and Luke driving like frat party drunkards and inadvertantly crashing in on women in the shower/sunbathing topless etc. If they didn't eventually get the general lee you'd wander how ANY of this crap had ANYTHING to do with The Dukes of Hazzard. The only jump they do is a bad CGI jump over a tiny gorge. This in itself is inexcusable.

I don't mind remakes. I like to think I have an open mind. I even liked the first film (when they were in the car at least), but this is pure drivel from the deepest depths of hell. If you know anyone who remotely likes this 'film' get away from them as soon as possible.

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Reviews


Better than the first movie -- but that's not saying much
Review date: 2007-07-17 Rating: 4 out of 10

Surely, there must be a way for all of us fans of the real Dukes of Hazzard to get together and stop Hollywood from making these stupid movies that spit upon the traditions of the television series. Maybe you're wondering why I would even bother to watch this straight-to-DVD "prequel." Well, I'll tell you - I just had to see if it could possibly be even worse than the first movie (and, uh, April Scott was looking mighty fine on the DVD cover). Much to my surprise, I think this film might actually be a smidgen better than the first one. That's not to say that this one doesn't stink like all the manure on Uncle Jessie's farm, though, because it does. It did make me laugh a time or two, though, so I think I'm being rather generous in giving the film two stars.

Apart from Willie Nelson, this film sports an all-new cast, with Jonathan Bennett and Randy Wayne taking on the roles of Bo and Luke, respectively. Both cousins, who haven't seen each other in several years, are sent to work on Uncle Jessie's farm in order to keep them out of trouble (Luke's a pyromaniac and Bo's an all-around menace to society). Daisy (April Scott) is also there, but she surely isn't the Daisy I was expecting. This Daisy is a good girl who dresses in frumpy clothes, does basically nothing with her hair, and can't get any man to notice her (except for hall monitor Enos). The movie's halfway over before she transforms herself and breaks out the Daisy Dukes I know I was looking for. Even then, she's no Catherine Bach, but she's certainly prettier - and a much better actress - than Jessica Simpson. Christopher McDonald plays this younger version of Boss Hogg. He's certainly a step up from Burt Reynolds, but why in the world they go out and get a tall, lanky guy to fill the definitive shoes of the short and stocky Sorrell Booke is still a mystery to me. James Best will always be the one and only Rosco, but I guess Harland Williams does OK in the role, especially for a comedian turned actor. Finally, the filmmakers apparently didn't appreciate Ben Jones, the real Cooter, telling fans not to watch the first movie because they turn Cooter into a complete idiot in this movie.

Basically, this film supposedly shows us the origin of the Duke Boys. Uncle Jessie and Boss Hogg are actually buddies at the start, but these fellow moonshiners part ways when Boss Hogg demands a bigger cut of Uncle Jessie's business. The Duke farm is soon on the line as Boss Hogg declares Hazzard a dry county and sics Roscoe on all of the moonshiners in the area (especially the Dukes). Bo and Luke volunteer to distribute the moonshine - but first, they need a fast car (enter the General Lee). Daisy wants to help out by getting a job at the Boar's Nest, but first she has to stop dressing like a schoolmarm and come up with a new, sexy look. From that point on, it's just a matter of getting through a bunch of stupid plot points and shenanigans on the way to the most predictable of endings.

Let me also say a few words about the women in this movie. Hazzard County is supposedly in North Carolina, the state I've lived in all of my life, and I just have to say that (apart from April Scott) the women in this film, especially the peroxide blondes Bo and Luke keep chasing, can't hold a candle to the true Southern girls of North Carolina. Carolina girls are the best in the world, but you wouldn't know it from watching this film.

I for one hope the Dukes of Hazzard movies will stop at two. Neither of them have been loyal to the spirit of the show, especially when it comes to Uncle Jessie, and there are plenty of other dumb scripts floating around out there in La-La Land full of the same dumb jokes and toilet humor you'll find here.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
April Scott
Randy Wayne
Jonathan Bennett
Christopher McDonald
Willie Nelson

Creators:
Jonathan Bennett (Primary Contributor)
Randy Wayne (Primary Contributor)

Recording label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
EAN: 7321900830454
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2007-08-06
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 92 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2007
Language: English (Original Language)

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