The Dukes of Hazzard (2005): C+

A Southern-fried surprise that’s as stupid as Enis but as goofy-cool as the General Lee, The Dukes of Hazzard proves that every big-screen remake of a ‘70s-era TV show need not be a disgrace to both its source material and the art of moviemaking. Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar (a member of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe), this turbo-charged adaptation crashes and burns whenever it wastes time on its worthless plot about strip-mining, NASCAR racing, and other unimportant nonsense. Yet it frequently hits a boisterous and sexy groove via the interplay between roughhousing cousins Bo (Seann William Scott) and Luke (Johnny Knoxville), the sensual shenanigans of their blonde bombshell cousin Daisy (Jessica Simpson), and a particularly amusing detour to Atlanta in which the film references Super Troopers, imagines big-city college sororities as pot smoke-filled havens for hotties, and addresses the General Lee’s controversial Confederate Flag hood decal. That the story is empty-headed and frequently boring as dirt can’t be ignored. But Knoxville, Scott, Simpson, Willie Nelson (as Uncle Jessie) and Burt Reynolds (as Boss Hogg) thankfully treat the project as a ludicrous lark, and their good-natured silliness – when coupled with outstanding car chase footage in which the camera gets right up against the grill, bumper and tires of the bouncing, skidding and leaping General Lee – comes reasonably close to making The Dukes of Hazzard finger-licking good.