In today's America, where ultra-tribal politics reign supreme, it has become commonplace for individuals to be "cancelled", and entire chapters of cultural history to be swiftly erased with an efficiency that would make George Orwell's Ministry of Truth officials blush. One of the most striking examples of this phenomenon is the disappearance of The Dukes of Hazzard, an immensely popular television show that aired from 1979 to 1985 and became a defining part of popular culture in its heyday. Due to certain iconographic details that have since been deemed socially and politically incorrect during 2020 election campaign, The Dukes of Hazzard has all but vanished, and many of those who profited financially or gained fame from it now pretend that it never existed. Yet, less than a generation ago, that same show was not only acceptable but also spawned an ambitious Hollywood feature film remake, directed by Jay Chandrasekar.
Like the original show, the 2005 film adaptation is set in the fictional Hazzard County, Georgia. The story revolves around the adventures of Bo (played by Seann William Scott) and Luke Duke (played by Johnny Knoxville), two young men who, with the help of their beautiful female cousin Daisy (played by Jessica Simpson), run a moonshine business for their Uncle Jesse (played by Willie Nelson). The brothers rely on their iconic 1969 Dodge Charger, which they affectionately nickname "General Lee." Their main adversary is the corrupt Hazzard County Commissioner Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg (played by Burt Reynolds), who wields control over the area, including the law enforcement embodied by Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane (played by M. C. Gainey).
The original show was an action-comedy inspired by Smokey and the Bandit, with a strong anti-establishment bent. However, as a television show, The Dukes of Hazzard was firmly rooted in the realm of light-hearted family-friendly entertainment. The producers of the 2005 film, on the other hand, mostly relied on nostalgia, banking on the idea that potential viewers would be adults. As a result, the new film had a much edgier, adult-oriented humor, and plenty of references to sex, including some rather exploitative scenes featuring Jessica Simpson, one of the biggest sex symbols of US pop music at the time, appearing in a bikini.
Unfortunately, this approach backfired, particularly in the eyes of the original cast members, who considered it iconoclastic and exploitative. Their vocal criticism shaped the way critics viewed the film, and not in a good way.
Taken on its own, The Dukes of Hazzard, although directed by Jay Chandrasekar, member of Broken Lizard comedy troupe who knows a thing or two about screen humour, is a weak and forgettable film that relies on cheap thrills and a relatively low budget. The casting of Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, and Jessica Simpson in the main roles was not particularly well-suited, and Burt Reynolds, a veteran 1970s star, was decent as Boss Hogg, although many fans of the original would have preferred Sorrell Booke's portrayal. M. C. Gainey was wasted in an underwritten role as Coltrane, and the casting of Willie Nelson as Uncle Jesse, re-imagined as a pot-head, was unusual, but didn't harm the film.
While the film was tolerable for a general audience, it would probably not sit well with fans of the original show. Although the film had a decent box office performance, it failed to justify the franchise being rebooted as a film series. The closest attempt at a sequel was the 2007 direct-to-video prequel, The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning, which was greeted even worse by critics, leading to The Dukes of Hazzard remaining associated with its earlier television incarnation instead.
RATING: 3/10 (+)
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