IMDb user comments for
The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007) (TV) More at IMDbPro »

Filter:

Best Chronological Prolific Authors Loved It Hated It Hide Spoilers:

Page 1 of 3:

[1] [2] [3]

Index

21 comments in total

---

36 out of 54 people found the following comment useful :-
Travesty, 4 maaliskuu 2007

Author: licoriceallsort from United States

If anyone truly remembers the Dukes of Hazzard TV show from the late 70's and early 80's, this review will ring true with them. The TV show was about good wholesome entertainment for the entire family, with nary a swear word. This movie was clearly made to cater to teeny boppers and idiotic adults with nothing better to do than watch pointless junk on the television. This has nothing to do with the 'beginnings' of the Dukes. It is set in modern day times, with horrible casting and a misuse of Willie Nelson. In the original show, Boss and Jesse Duke were moonshiners from the '20s. By this standard, they would be moonshiners from the mid-80's. Give me a break. Please don't waste your time! And Warner Brothers, please stop using the Dukes in your craptastic films! Let them rest in peace!

---

15 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :-
Dukes in Hazzard in name only now, 12 maaliskuu 2007

Author: David Isaak

Growing up The Dukes of Hazzard was one of my favorite shows. The cast had charisma, and the show had an authentic, country feel to it. The 2005 movie was part of the "re-imagination" trend in movies that started with The Flintstones and continues today with this atrocity. Instead of re-imagining them in today's times they should have cast the younger Dukes in the 1960's when they would have been legit teenagers, to keep in continuity with the show. They should have done this with the 2005 movie, too. This movie is a cynical, straight-to-DVD-and-TV, bottom-of-the-barrel hack job and it barely held my attention.

The problem with the plot is that it's a low-rent version of the TV show. Aren't there any writers in Hollywood who can write an original Dukes of Hazzard movie? My guess is there are plenty, but the producers have too much contempt for their audience to think they would appreciate a gritty, true-to-the-spirit-of-Hazzard script. Fans of the original series shouldn't avoid it because of profanity, they should avoid it because it is Dukes of Hazzard in name only now.

The most important thing to me is the casting of Daisy, and they failed miserably here. In the series Daisy was a smart woman who happened to wear cut-off shorts. In 2005 she was a sexpot wearing cut-off shorts, nothing more than eye candy, playing the part as a parody. There's little to say about April Scott: she isn't even close to being a young Daisy in this movie. I'm not talking about physical proportions (although I think she's too thin for a southern Belle); I'm talking about charisma and the intangibles you need to play an iconic character. She doesn't have it.

The lameness extends to all aspects of the re-imagining. The characters have become lame caricatures of themselves, and Hazzard County is no longer the dusty, mythical Confederate backdrop it once was. There's no point in "re-imagining" the Dukes of Hazzard if you're going to get politically correct. The original series was uncynically proud to be Dixie, and that was a huge part of it's appeal. If this movie is a finger-in-the-wind to see if a new TV series will work, I hope it fails miserably in ratings and sales.

And Willie, did you really need the paycheck?

---

5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Unbelievable...??? How do they greenlight these...???, 19 maaliskuu 2007

Author: sd7767 from Hickory, North Carolina USA

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I mean, I know it's for the money. Movie-making is a business arterial. But if they go in intending to "bilk" all the Dukes fans out there, who they know will rent or buy just because it's the Dukes, then at least stick to the proper formula. I liked American Pie too, but the crude stuff doesn't belong in a Dukes story. And what was the story, anyway? The scenes they do use seem entirely disjointed. I need to write ten lines here, so I will go on to say that I read many a user review on here, yet I post very rarely. This movie here just plain stunk. At least they didn't trash too many General Lees. But come to think of it, any more General Lees sacrificed for more lame remake movies like this are a travesty. In fact, since it's NOTHING like the real Dukes, it can't even be considered a remake anyway. I agree with many people who feel there are only one real Bo, Luke and Daisy. In fact, everyone is around except Sorrell Booke and Denver Pile. I can understand if they don't want to make another "reunion" movie, and that's okay. Just leave the General where he lays then, flying in the memory of a great TV show.

---

2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
I don't see what all the complaints about, 24 lokakuu 2008

Author: Payback1016 from Canada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I mean yeah, it doesn't have what I expect from the TV series that we grown to love and sure that most of the former dukes cast including Bo duke himself John Schneider didn't really like this or the other movie, but it's still good I mean it's pretty obvious they'd start out as moonshiners why do you think the TV's rosco keeps an eye on them in the series and come on all the guys that watched this movie and the seires you got to admit you liked when they uncensored daisy. and come on it's the 21st century what the filmmakers did was what the guys who made the series have been dying to do but can't because the FCC had a tighter stranglehold back then. I've seen this movie I laughed and I liked it. and I bet you guys didn't even watch it you guys just listen to what others said and thought "oh ya he's right I never seen this movie I guess because he's right I should boycott it" if that's true then watch the damn movie before you can criticize it. Oh and just so you know the moon shining business plot is not only true to the TV series but to the movie "Moonrunners". if not for that then there wouldn't be the Good ole boys.

---

11 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun film but rather disjointed, 4 maaliskuu 2007

Author: kthoran from United States

This movie is rather entertaining but has some glaring flaws.

To start with if we are to believe that this version of the Dukes tale is "the beginning" then the story should begin at an earlier time instead of the present day.

Additionally, the story isn't particularly compelling and doesn't reveal anything new about the origins of the Dukes of Hazzard but is instead another opportunity for the star of this franchise, the General Lee, to shine one more time which it indeed does. Humor and silliness is abundant and the eye candy is there but one is left with the feeling that this movie wasn't properly executed which perhaps explains why Warner's decided to skip releasing this at the box office.

---

2 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
All Duked Up . . ., 19 heinäkuu 2007
Author: Van Roberts (zardoz@bellsouth.net) from Columbus, Ms

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning" (** out of ****) explores the origins of the popular CBS-TV series. Specifically, veteran television director Robert Berlinger and freshman scenarist Shane Morris show how cousins Bo and Luke Duke hooked up with each other, met Uncle Jessie, Daisy, and Cooter, and created a lifelong enemy out of Boss Hogg. After the less than spectacular but nevertheless adequate box office performance of the 2005 theatrical feature that toplined Johnny Knoxville as Luke and Seann William Scott as Bo, with Burt Reynolds cast as Boss Hogg, Warner Brothers must have felt that the franchise had enough life left in it to prompt a prequel. Actually, the 2005 comedy served as a prequel, while "The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning" takes us back before the cousins met in the feature film. As Bo and Luke Duke respectively, newcomers Jonathan Bennett of "Mean Girls" and Randy Wayne of ABC-TV's "Sons and Daughters" play them during their teenage years. The superficial but adequate straight-to-video introduction to the Hazzard County hellions generates a modicum of interest for two reasons. First, Shane Morris provides the answers to several questions that "Dukes of Hazzard" completists will appreciate. Second, Willie Nelson graciously reprises his role as Uncle Jessie. Evidently, Warner Brothers either anted up some serious cash or Willie must have felt in a charitable mood. Unquestionably, other than the young actor (Joel Moore of "Dodgeball") who impersonates Cooter, none of the cast is remotely memorable as any of the series characters. Comic actor Christopher MacDonald of "Thelma & Louise" is neither dastardly nor urbane as Boss Hogg, while Harland Williams of "Dumb and Dumber" fares only slightly better as Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane. Indeed, Williams is a big improvement over M.C. Gainey in the 2005 feature. Of course, nobody will ever top James Best as the craven lawman.

We learn in "The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning" that Luke got in trouble with the law for setting off a fireworks display to show his love for a woman who ignored him while Bo failed his driving license test seven times during which he careened around recklessly every time with the fuzz in hot pursuit. The authorities and the parents decide the best thing for their errant offspring is to pack them off for the summer to Hazzard County where Uncle Jessie plans to work their tails off doing chores around his ranch. The cousins meet Daisy (newcomer April Scott) just after she has taken a vow of abstinence. At this point, Daisy has not donned her trademark cut-off blue jeans. No sooner have the cousins settled into Hazzard County than they run afoul of Boss Hogg and nearly kill his prize hog Dainty. Inexplicably, Hogg keeps Dainty in a pen atop the Boar's Nest. Boss and Jessie are on the outs. Boss demands a greater percentage of Jessie's slim moonshine earnings and eventually decides that he wants Jessie's ranch, too. Naturally, Jessie is not about to part with the ranch that has been in the family for 150 years. This complication prompts youthful Daisy to apply for a job at the Boar's Nest as a waitress, but she still looks like a plain Jane. After she sheds her spectacles, ties her shirt above her belly and packs her booty into a pair of cut-offs, the owner changes his mind. Meanwhile, cousins Bo and Luke decide to help Jessie with his moonshine activities, but this requires that they obtain transportation. While skinny-dipping at a lake, they discover a 1969 Dodge Charger sunk on the bottom and raise it. Cooter helps them refurbish it and paint it orange. Cooter, we learn, has a thing about horns. Remember, he installed the Dixie horn on the General Lee in the 2005 movie. Jessie tells them every car that he ever owned he named after a southern general, so Bo names it the General Lee. When Daisy asks Bo what his favorite number is, he picks the number 01 and our heroine paints it on both the doors. Bo welds his door shut because he says it is cool. We learn why Bo slides off the hood. He claims it is easier than walking around the car to get into it. As the same time, Sheriff Roscoe keeps a weather eye on our heroes and totes around a puppy version of Flash.

The boys run rings around the local law enforcement, but they don't perform any acrobatics in the newly christened General Lee until the finale. Some of the one-liners are clever, but the attitude has changed considerably with "The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning" in this Unrated Edition. Unlike the TV series, this prequel features more risqué humor, along the lines of the "Porky's" movie. When the cousins meet Cooter in high school, they take his dune buggy for a ride and smash through the girl's locker room so that dozens of screaming bare breasted babes pursue them. There is also an amusing scene when Boss Hogg's wife Lulu (Sherilyn Fenn of "The Wraith") gets turned on by young Luke and shows him how to stuff a baked turkey. The basting scene is predictable but nevertheless cute. Of course, Bo doesn't share Lulu's enthusiasm. One major anachronism pops up when a character asks the Dukes about cell phone coverage. If this is genuinely a prequel, there were no cell phones back in the 1980s. Director Robert Berlinger keeps the action moving at a steady enough clip, but you can tell that this is just a warm up of a movie with no greater ambitions that to account for all things Duke. Seasoned fans of "The Dukes of Hazzard" would be justified in looking down their collective noses at this low-budget feature and ignore it completely were it not for Willie and the origins of the series.

---

2 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
first half is so-so, but second half is downright lousy, 31 toukokuu 2007

Author: fuzzhead72 from Dayton, Ohio

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

My wife is a huge Dukes of Hazzard fan, and I enjoyed it as a kid as well. When I found out they made this 'sequel' to the movie, I really was looking forward to watching it. We sat down and watched it last night. Although I found the first 1/3 engrossing, the second third of the movie went downhill, and the final 1/3 was just plain boring. I got out a book and ended up reading and not paying very much attention towards the end. Yes, I thought it was that bad. I figured that maybe it had a fantastic ending or something that might have made up for how far downhill it slid, but my wife says no. The main reasons I have for not liking this thing at all are 1) predictability - just about everything in this movie goes by the book, and is terribly formulaic 2) the acting - over the top, not very believable 3) the writing, and some of the lines are particularly unbelievable and off putting. They could have made a great movie out of this if they had simply paid the writers for Frasier (or some equally talented folks) to come up with a witty take on the whole concept. One thing that really made me mad was the fact that my favorite character from the series was the most annoying in this - Cooter. I just found myself hating this clueless buffoon, yet also feeling sorry for him because he was in this movie. Please skip this one - you've been warned.

---

3 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
The Dukes of Been There, Done That, 22 huhtikuu 2007

Author: Robert_Hearth from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning" (2007)

Directed By: Robert Berlinger

Starring: Jonathan Bennett, Randy Wayne, April Scott, Christopher McDonald, Willie Nelson, Harland Williams, & Joel Moore

MPAA Rating: "Unrated" (for sexual humor and dialogue)

***PLEASE NOTE: This Is A Review Of The "Unrated" Version Of The Movie***

After a long-running television series (that survived for six years and still remains a fan favorite) and a big-screen movie all based on the same material and the same characters, I believe we have seen everything that the Duke boys have to offer. We have seen countless chase scenes, the "General Lee" getting destroyed and resurrected over and over, and Daisy Duke in all of her glory. What else is there to show? Well, as "The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning" shows, not much. I have only seen bits and pieces of episodes from the original television series and, though it certainly is not the most intelligent piece of televised history, it is still a classic show that is entertaining. In 2005, its big-screen adaptation (starring Johnny Knoxville, Sean William Scott, and Jessica Simpson) was a moderate success despite critical pounding. I found it to be an average movie that, like its source material, lacked brains, but made up for it with its entertainment value. With, "The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning", nothing new is presented and everything seems recycled…but is it as fun as its predecessors?

Bo (Bennett) and Luke (Wayne) Duke have gotten into a spot of trouble and have been sent to live with their Uncle Jesse (Nelson) and their dowdy cousin, Daisy (Scott). Uncle Jesse is a farmer and a moonshiner who develops a huge rivalry with the most powerful man in town, the notorious Boss Hogg (McDonald), who is threatening to foreclose on Uncle Jesse's farm. I'll give you a little hint. This plot has been done before, both in the television series and the 2005 film. It is nothing new, but the real fun in "The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning" comes with how it explains the back story of Hazzard county. We are given explanations for the rivalry between the Dukes and Boss Hogg, Daisy's famous shorts, Flash, and, of course, the birth of the "General Lee". I enjoyed watching how everything came together…though I would have preferred to have seen it all happen in a plot that wasn't so completely recycled (and poorly assembled, I might add).

I liked the cast of the 2005 movie, even if Daisy Duke was a blonde. So, I was disappointed to see that only one person would be returning--Willie Nelson. Not surprisingly, Nelson gives the best performance in the movie. Jonathan Bennett is usually a good actor…but, here, he overacts in a few scenes. I found his portrayal of Bo to be rather average, which kind of disappointed me. Randy Wayne suffers from the same problem, though not quite as badly. His performance is okay. They were both too animated, unfortunately, giving the characters a slightly cartoonish feel. April Scott made me sympathize with Daisy, bringing more to the role than just a flawless body (though, she brought that too). I liked it. Christopher McDonald was a bad guy. I bought it. Harland Williams shocked me. He just didn't do anything for me. I could see how the screenwriters envisioned his performance (probably to be much like that of M.C. Gainey in the 2005 movie)…but, instead of playing it with even an ounce of evilness, he was goofy and comedic. He missed the point.

I want to make something very, very clear. "The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning" is not a quality film. It is cheesy, silly, and many of the scenes are just not plausible. I mean, did you know that a car can turn up on its side and drive on two wheels just by you turning the steering wheel…or that a pig can escape its pin, climb up onto the roof, and then prevent itself from falling just long enough for help to come? But, really, did anyone watch the original television series to see intellectual situations with strong messages. People watched the show to be entertained and, for that purpose (and that purpose only), "The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning" works. It may be a guilty pleasure…but the fun you will have here is comparable to that of the original show.

Final Thought: "The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning" will entertain the people who enjoyed the original show.

Overall Rating: 5/10 (B-)

---

4 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Ashamed to say I watched it..., 22 elokuu 2007

Author: BUCKAROOBONZAI34 from United States

I grew up in the 80s, and was a loyal follower of the Dukes' TV show, so naturally I wanted to see this movie. Since it was supposed to be about the origins of the Duke boys and the General Lee I was expecting something informative and entertaining. What I got was a film about foul-mouthed teens and sexual exploitation. This is without a doubt the worst Dukes movie/show i have ever seen and I am ashamed to say I watched it. This movie was obviously aimed at the teens/young adult crowd, not that I would allow my child to go see it. The only saving grace was the above average acting of the main cast, though I'm not sure how they got Willie Nelson to be a part of this.

---

2 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Not as bad as one might think but still treads harshly over original series, 3 huhtikuu 2007

Author: Robert W. (Robert_duder@hotmail.com) from Ontario, Canada

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

As much as some people hate this straight to video sequel to the also hated 2005 remake...I much like with the remake felt rather differently. I definitely had to and tried very hard to separate these new films with original series. I didn't think the remake made such a mockery out of the original like some people thought (including members of the original cast) but this prequel really did some harsh re-tellings when it comes to the classic FAMILY original series. Now overall I don't see a problem with that. This is a new age, decades after the original series, and a re-telling, re-tooled for the new generation is probably necessary and might bring them back to the original series. That being said there was some pretty major flaws to the remake which I think were simply left to the wayside in order to make a straight to video flick that would appeal to teenage males and sell tons of copies and it will likely do that!! Director of many, many, many TV projects Bob Berlinger takes the helm for the prequel and you know what...honestly it shows. The film feels like it is made for television but Berlinger considers this his break out 'big film' so does everything in his power to do things he can't do on Television. Naked girls, foul language, slightly bigger crashes and budget constraining chases...and it's just a little overwhelming and unnecessary. He lost something at the heart of making a Dukes of Hazzard film.

Now something that happened to work out pretty good was the casting. The cast was downright not bad at all. In fact some of the actors and parts were better than the 2005 remake. Jonathan Bennett plays Bo Duke and does not a bad job. The script isn't great and they tend to be poking fun and often looking a little less intelligent then they should but that being said he does a decent job. I think he does at least as good a job as Sean William Scott did. Randy Wayne does a good job as Bo's Cousin Luke Duke who is kind of more of the focus it would seem most of the time. He's got the look down, and the accent and does a pretty good job of carrying the film in most scenes. He might not be the ideal choice but he's not bad. Now as much as I loved seeing Jessica Simpson in the 2005 remake...she wasn't right for the role at all. She was simply put in there as glaringly obvious eye candy and a big name to draw in the crowds and both worked. Enter the new Miss Daisy Duke April Scott (a former Deal or No Deal Model) and I think you have someone who does a darn good job as Daisy Duke. They still glaringly use her as eye candy and doesn't really give her a big role to sink her teeth into but I think she could if they let her. She looks the part, she's beautiful, and had good chemistry with the boys. I think given a decently written part she could be a great Daisy Duke. While not perfectly cast I saw and appreciated Christopher McDonald as J.D. Hogg more than I did Burt Reynolds. I love Burt Reynolds but Boss Hogg he is NOT. McDonald was just more of a slapstick, fun, pompous Boss Hogg the way Hogg was meant to be and it was fun to watch the boys get the better of him and that's the way it should be. Once again, much like Scott's role as Daisy if they had written a better role for Harland Williams he would have shined as Roscoe P. Coltrane. He was perfect and it was terrific casting but they didn't utilize him enough or give him enough to work with. Even the relationship between McDonald's Hogg and Williams' Coltrane was better but still not utilized enough. The only returning cast member is the incomparable Willie Nelson. Nelson as Jessie is a casting point of genius. I think he was terrific in the original but underused and they definitely focused on him more in this one which is great!! He's a little less of the father figure he should be and is definitely focused on more for his criminal activities but he's still awesome as always. And finally making a much bigger appearance in this film is Cooter played by Joel Moore. I think Moore captured Cooter perfectly as the well loved, smart handyman, and loyal ally to the Dukes. He was exactly that and was a perfect fit for this cast.

So having put together at the very least a decent cast that could do the job the rest should have been easy but this is where The Dukes Of Hazzard 2 loses much of it's steam. The forefront of The Dukes of Hazzard has always been and should always be The General Lee, the true star of the films, TV Series and the idea. Unfortunately it this prequel The General Lee takes a true back seat and barely makes an appearance and in fact gets wrecked more than used properly. There is one good car chase scene towards the end and a couple of smaller chase scenes but not nearly enough to support what The Dukes of Hazzard is all about. Still there is enough laughs, and jokes, and a half decent Dukes story line to make the film watchable. A particularly funny scene involves Bo and Luke and Boss Hogg's prize Hog which slips off the rooftop...hilarious. Overall it's worth seeing if you can put behind the old series and watch it for what it is and realize that this rendition is an immature, gross out comedy made for teens. 7/10

---

---

Page 1 of 3:

[1] [2] [3]

Add another comment

---

Related Links

Plot summary	Ratings	External reviews
Official site	Plot keywords	Main details
Your user comments	Your vote history