The Dukes of Hazzard
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Rated: PG-13
Website: http://promo.warnerbros.com/dukesofhazzard/index.html
Release Date: 2005-08-05
Cast: Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Jessica Simpson, Burt Reynolds, Willie Nelson
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Screenwriter: John O’Brien
Music Score: Nathan Barr
WorkNameSort: Dukes of Hazzard, The
Our Rating: 1.00
Believe it or not, a fella has to be in top physical condition to pull off this movie-reviewing gig, which is why I recently sat for a thorough ear exam. I wanted to make sure that no amount of signal loss was impeding my ability to decipher the highest highs and the lowest lows of today’s sophisticated cinema audio. As it turns out, my hearing remains almost supernaturally keen. So I risk no embarrassment in declaring that I could barely make out a word of the “dialogue” them there Duke boys kept a-hollerin’ over the roar of the General Lee and their movie’s soundtrack of ineptly edited swamp rock. Apparently, the moviemakers figured that either: (a) intelligible scripted exchanges were totally irrelevant to their cause; or (b) their target audience is used to doing most of its conversatin’ inside mufflerless Dodge Chargers whose stereos are always set to 120 decibels. If this describes you, then sit down, strap yourself in and get ready to take the ride of your life.
This article appears in Aug 10-16, 2005.