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'Dukes of Hazzard': Another TV-to-movie bust

By HAP ERSTEIN
Palm Beach Post

One of the original television cast members of The Dukes of Hazzard has already protested the big-screen remake, claiming it sullies the show's reputation with its tawdriness.

Funny how no one seems to take offense at the movie's mind-numbing stupidity. Perhaps that is because the new movie accurately reflects the late-'70s, Carter-administration-era celebration of Southern good ol' boys and their cars. Just louder and dumber.

Warner Brothers Pictures 'The Dukes of Hazzard' D The verdict: An unnecessary, mind-numbing big-screen version of the good ol' boys, car-stunt TV series. Director: Jay Chandrasekhar Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Jessica Simpson, Burt Reynolds, Willie Nelson Run time: 106 minutes Release date: August 5, 2005 Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, crude and drug-related humor, language and comic action violence. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime [an error occurred while processing this directive]

Fans of the series — and there must be plenty of them if it ran for six and a half seasons — may get a nostalgic kick out of seeing Bo (Seann William Scott) and Luke (Johnny Knoxville) Duke downshift around Hazzard County, Georgia, in their orange Dodge Charger, eluding the police when they are not crashing into them.

Certainly, Hazzard devotees should enjoy getting an eyeful of Jessica Simpson in her feature debut, poured into a pair of minuscule denim cutoffs as cousin Daisy, a high-gloss visual hardly tested for her acting chops.

Burt Reynolds does a nice slow burn and wears white suits well as conniving Boss Hogg, and Willie Nelson fits right in as Uncle Jessie, sort of a Southern Henny Youngman.

Screenwriter John O'Brien did a similar rip-off job on Starsky & Hutch, apparently forging a career on bringing back unmissed cheesy TV shows. Director Jay Chandrasekhar (Super Troopers) seems more interested in the car stunts than the jokes, or at least is more successful with them.

If you are still around by the end, stay for the outtakes in the final credits to see why you should be glad you gave up your dream of becoming a stunt driver.