The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007)

Teenaged cousins Bo and Luke Duke spend their first few weeks in Hazzard County getting into trouble running outlawed liquor in order to save their Uncle Jesse's farm.

Director:

Robert Berlinger

Writer:

Shane Morris

Stars:

Randy Wayne, Jonathan Bennett, April Scott

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Randy Wayne	...	Luke Duke
Jonathan Bennett	...	Bo Duke
April Scott	...	Daisy Duke
Joel David Moore	...	Cooter
Harland Williams	...	Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane
Sherilyn Fenn	...	Lulu Hogg
Willie Nelson	...	Uncle Jesse Duke
Christopher McDonald	...	Jefferson Davis 'Boss' Hogg
Todd Grinnell	...	Hughie Hogg
Adam Shulman	...	Enos Strate
Gary Cole	...	The Balladeer (voice)
Trishelle Cannatella	...	Ali Handy
Jennifer Hill	...	Brooke Handy
Rufus Dorsey	...	DMV Examiner
Joe Gieb	...	Carnival Midget

Storyline

In this prequel re-telling of the famous 1979-1985 TV series of the same name, the teenage mischievous Duke boys, cousins Bo and Luke (Jonathan Bennett and Randy Wayne), are arrested for reckless driving and possession of illegal fireworks. They are sent to live with their Uncle Jesse (Willie Nelson) at his farm in rural Hazzard County in an unnamed southwestern state. Bo and Luke's orphaned dowdy cousin Daisy (April Scott) soon joins them hoping to find a place in her life. Jesse is also a moonshiner who struggles to make ends meet and soon employs a willing Bo and Luke to be his runners to deliver his 'special' White Lighting whiskey to all parts of the county after observing their driving skills using a fixed-up orange-painted 1969 Dodge Charger which they named 'The General Lee'. But it doesn't take long for Bo and Luke to find a worthy opponent in the form of the cigar-chomping J.D. 'Boss' Hogg (Christopher McDonald), the corrupt city commissioner of the nearby small town and ...

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Plot Keywords:

prequel | 1969 dodge charger | based on cult tv series | second part | bloopers during credits | 

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Taglines:

These are the Duke boys... from the beginning

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual humor and dialogue

Details

Official Sites:

ABC Family [United States] Official site [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 March 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Dukes of Hazzard 2

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Premiere, Gerber Pictures, Hollywood Media Bridge

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene at the town square where Boss Hogg is about to give an election speech, the narrator says that Boss Hogg's favorite saying is "Vote early and vote often." This saying actually exists and is attributed to "Big" Bill Thompson, the notoriously corrupt mayor of Chicago during the 1920's who was bought off by Al Capone. Whenever possible, Capone would rig the Chicago elections in order to ensure Thompson's victory.

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Goofs

In the original series, Bo and Luke's parents supposedly died in a tragic car accident, along with Daisy's. In the film, Jesse makes many references to the boys' parents being alive.

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Quotes

Cooter: Shit, I'm willing to try anything. Except guy on guy.

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Crazy Credits

We can see many outtakes during the end credits.

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Connections

References Cool Hand Luke (1967)

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Soundtracks

High Maintenance
Written by Joanna Cotten, Angie Russell and Daryl Burgess
Performed by Joanna Cotten
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

weak leads and unfunny

Bo Duke (Jonathan Bennett) gets arrested in Chickasaw County, GA for creating mayhem with his driving. Four counties over, his cousin Luke Duke (Randy Wayne) is arrested for causing fireworks mayhem. The boys are sent to work for uncle Jesse Duke (Willie Nelson) who is selling his moonshine "medicine". Daisy Duke (April Scott) is an awkward church-going virgin. Rosco P. Coltrane (Harland Williams) is the sheriff in Hazzard County. Boss Hogg (Christopher McDonald) runs the town and actually has a piece of Jesse's business. He is looking to expand and threatening to foreclose on Jesse's farm. At school, Daisy introduces her cousins to Cooter (Joel David Moore) in auto shop class. The boys find a 1969 Dodge Charger on the bottom of a swimming hole and restore it christening it 'The General Lee'.

This is a lot of T&A, sometimes bare and plenty in tight outfits. Obviously, the filmmakers know what they're going for. This is a softcore B-movie with whatever scraps they can gather. A prequel to Dukes was always going to be a high hill to jump. This is giving up before they started. None of this is that good. Sadly, none of it is expected to be good. They lured Willie Nelson back and brought out an unfunny version of Harland Williams. The two young new actors lack the charisma to lead. April Scott has her impossibly skinny waist and her Barbie-like figure. The story is a mess and none of it is funny.