Well, Mr. Ben Jones (Cooter) was right. (See my blog entry below “Ruining the Dukes.” I had normal expectations before seeing this movie, but I was eager to see it none the less.
I finally did get to see it this past Sunday, and while it wasn’t a total letdown, I was disappointed. I’ll try and explain what I mean, and #1 is the “most important”.
- No Cameos. Before going into the movie, I knew that none of the surviving members of the original series were not asked to be a part of the new film. I don’t know any self-respecting fan of the show – especially when you are creating a movie about it – can came to the decision not to have the original cast members come back for even one scene. Sure, the original cast for Boss Hogg and Uncle Jessie have passed on, but the others still remain.
- Improper Casting of the Duke Boys; Remember that season of the Dukes where John Schneider and Tom Wopat had contract disputes, and “cousins” of Bo and Luke were brought in to fill their roles? Remember how you felt, and how you feel after watching reruns on cable? That’s what it felt like when I got to the movies and saw Johnny Knoxville and Sean William Scott as the Duke boys. Don’t get me wrong – I like both of those guys in other films/tv they have been in, but as the Duke boys, it was disheartening to see something as fake as their acting. As for Uncle Jessie’s character, Willie Nelson played a fine role. He was cast properly.
- Improper Casting of Boss Hogg and Roscoe P. Coletrain: If you think for a minute Burt Reynolds was a good choice for Boss Hogg, you’re sorely mistaken. Boss (J.D.) Hogg and Roscoe were a comedy team – it was almost like Laurel and Hardy, and I’m sure I’m not the first person to make that comparison. Those two characters from the original show were a comedy show within themselves. How one could cast Burt Reynolds and M.C. Gainey as Roscoe needs to have their head examined. Again, great actors – loved Gainey in “Breakdown” w/ Kurt Russell and also loved nearly every movie Burt Reynolds did, but their performance in the Dukes of Hazzard was poor. The original comedy duo of Boss and Roscoe were not evident and sorely missed.
- Great casting of Jessica Simpson for Daisy! 🙂
- Sex, Drugs, and the Confederate Flag; Boy did the producer/director miss the boat here. First of all, there was sex (not shown) and implied drug use in the movie, neither of which I disagree with, but it didn’t fit the show. It’s just simply factually incorrect. In addition, the rebel flag on the roof of the General Lee in this movie was a focal point for racism. There was a scene in the movie where Bo and Luke drove the General to present-day Atlanta and wound up in the ghetto someplace, and 20 black guys surrounded the car and had something to say about the flag. The directors played the racism card. And, if you know anything about U.S. History, the Confederate Flag (Southern Cross / The Confederate Battle Flag / the Navy Jack / etc – whatever you want to call it), has nothing to do with racism. That flag is/was a symbol of regional pride and heritage. That flag traditionally represented the South’s resistance to Northern political dominance, and only did it become racially charged during the Civil Rights Movement.
- Enus. Close, but no cigar. Again, missing the comedy trio of Boss Hogg, Enus, and Roscoe.
- Flash was there, but it isn’t too hard to get a basset-hound to show up at the set and say nothing, is it?
Those are the things I found generally wrong with the movie. Now, what did I find that I really loved?…The car chase/stunt scenes. There was plenty of great action involving the General Lee, a modified 1969 (and 1970 in the original series depending upon the episode) Dodge Charger. This car, by far, was then and is still the star of the show. In the previews I watched late this past Spring, I assumed a few stunts I saw were computer generated. I was happily mistaken, as in the ending credits they showed a “bloopers” scene, and the jumps they did were in fact real, and done with real cars. It is for this reason, and this reason alone that I could recommend this movie to you. If you’re sa long-time Dukes hardcore fan, you’ll be disappointed in the movie in the grand scheme of things. Seeing Jessica Simpson and the General Lee made this movie a lot more watchable.
I beg someone — in a few years, please make a sequel. This time, please do it right and get a better cast, and get some of the original people back to do this movie justice.