User Reviews

This wasn't bad as far as reunion movies go although it felt like one long Dukes episode stretched out to two hours. The absence of Sorrell Booke is felt and you can tell it was going to be Denver Pyle's last turn as Uncle Jessie. I was glad they acknowledged Enos' job in LA although i wish they had included Coy and Vance in either this one or the next one. The only thing that I felt cheated on was the ending. Anyone who watched the show knows Enos had it bad for Daisy and it looked like we the fans were finally going to see them get together and get married but unlike the Bionic Reunion movies the fans didn't get what they wanted her. Instead Daisy's ex-husband shows up causing Daisy to faint then change her mind when she wakes up and decides not to marry Enos. I felt like he did being strung along for thirty years then nothing. Like I said it was a good reunion as far as reunions go it just fell flat at the end.

Reunion shows are usually a mixed bag. On the one hand, it is always tempting to see your favorite shows as a kid and recapture past viewing pleasure. On the flip side, many of these re-makes are not well done, and they negate the good memories these shows hold. The Dukes Of Hazzard Reunion does a credible job for the most part of honoring the original series, providing a plausible storyline and not straying too far from the original concept.

The show opens by getting us reacquainted with the principal characters as one by one they converge on Uncle Jesse's farm. Bo is now a professional race car driver. Luke works for the Forestry Service. Cooter is a congressman, while Daisy is a grad student at (appropriately) Duke University. While Enos works for the LAPD- a nod to his departure from the original series- Roscoe has inherited the deceased Boss Hogg's fortune and is double dipping as both Sheriff AND County Commissioner. The Duke clan must stop crooked land developer Mama Max (Stella Stevens) from building a theme park in Hazzard Swamp- the land on which the Duke Farm sits. Along the way, we're treated to the usual hi-jinks which characterized the series; car chases, bumbling cops, not-too-bright criminals and fun and adventure with our two principal stars and the most famous Dodge Charger in history. It is a theme that works well because of its familiarity.

"The Dukes" is not without some sadness and regret. The late Sorrell Booke, a wonderful character actor who masterfully portrayed Boss Hogg, is not on hand (There is a wonderful, touching scene in which a tearful Rosco speaks to a painting of Boss in his office). Denver Pyle (Uncle Jesse) was ill with cancer when this movie was made yet gamely soldiered on. Gone is Waylon Jennings, the deep voiced country music legend and Dukes Balladeer. And those expecting to see sexpot Catherine Bach- the object of every male fantasy in the 80's- will surely be a bit disappointed, as age has made her a mere mortal.

Despite these factors, the original Dukes Of Hazzard holds fond personal memories of childhood, and this movie brought many of them back while successfully paying tribute to the series.

The dukes and all of their friends return to Hazzard county for a reunion festival, and have new adventures which include a predictable plot about a greedy woman who wants to buy Uncle Jesse's land, and plenty of car chases. Despite aging and deceased actors, this movie manages to retain most of it's original style. The characters still act like you would expect them to, and the action is as entertaining as ever. A special kudos can go out to the casting department for getting all of the original actors they could, and not trying to cover up Sorrell Burke's death by having another actor play Boss Hogg.

That's pretty much all the good I can say for this movie. Other than that, Roscoe Coltrane just isn't as funny without his "little fat buddy" around to constantly harass and degrade him. It's not quite as funny to see him as the new "boss", although it is fitting for his character. Seeing him as a dimwitted sheriff was funnier. The other characters work better, but it's hard to see Denver Pyle struggle to say his lines with his impending death of lung cancer.

And now the major flaw-Political Correctness. This movie, like many other TV shows and movies from the 90s, was injected with an overdose of pc. The "Tough Man" contest is changed to the "Tough Person" contest, there is a 100 pound blonde female wrestler who physically harms at least half the male cast, including her boyfriend, which Daisy seems to think is a victory for all women everywhere. The bad woman basically turns good in the end to avoid being arrested, while her male underlings learn nothing and are abused as a consequence. (One guy is even taken for a ride in the trunk of the General Lee. And in the end, Daisy decides not to marry poor Enos at their Wedding, just because she basically didn't feel like it. What a cop out! Geez, they might as well have removed the confederate flag from the General Lee!

But the worst part is, there really isn't a whole lot of laughs. What made the original series so funny was Boss Hogg and Roscoe's banter- which, like I said before, can't be found in this movie.

Anyhow, long-time fans who don't mind the PC, and are really interested in seeing what happened to the characters may find it entertaining. To anybody else, it's just a dumb, dumb movie.

My 10-year old son and I just finished watching the reunion on CMT, and it's the second time i've seen it ... it was his first. i vaguely remembered not liking this reunion, now i remember. Enos and Daisy's marriage doesn't happen, Cooter's a Congressman? The main thing that really seems to bother me is that ONLY Bo drives the General Lee. Why is that? Did John Schneider's ego cause him to demand that in his contract? I've done some searching on the internet but i can't seem to find this discussed anywhere.

The plot was predictably thin in regards to original content. But, how many of us were expecting earth-shattering suspense or mind-blowing changes?

THIS COMMENT MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS :

I never thought they would ever do it, so I was totally blown away when I saw the Dukes of Hazzard Reunion on CBS back in 1997. The series became hot all over again when it played on TNN and now on CMT. It was indeed sad that Sorrell Booke as Boss Hogg had died. I remember hearing about it during my senior year in college. But his being acknowledged was fantastic. I never once imagined Rosco as both boss and sheriff of Hazzard, but that made it even more enjoyable. I feel that Catherine Bach still looks great as Daisy Duke. Okay, sure she didn't have the same physique she did in the series, but you have to understand. She recently had a baby prior to filming this movie and she was in her 40's at the time as opposed to being in her 20s/'30's during the series. Not many people have that same physique when they get older. She looked fantastic!! Tom Wopat and John Schneider had no trouble returning to the roles of Bo and Luke Duke. Now Bo being a NASCAR driver, I could believe, I felt that Luke being a chief fireman was a bit odd. Daisy had a good catch up story of being in a failed marriage and she put herself through college and graduate school studying ecology. Great to see Enos back and now he's a tough competent cop from L.A. but still maintains his honest,shy, boyish charm. I loved that he and Daisy courted and was looking forward to their marriage and the end of the movie, only to be greatly disappointed that the wedding was called off because Daisy's idiot ex husband shows up by accident.

James Best is Funnier than ever as Rosco P. Coltrane, now the head honcho of Hazzard County and his scenes with Stella Stevens as Mama Max were absolute jewels to watch. One priceless scene was the emotional scene when he talks to the portrait of the late Boss Hogg.

I loved the fact that Cooter also served in Congress just like Ben Jones did in real life. And it was great to see Rick Hurst return as Cletus, especially since the series never revealed where he vanished to when he departed during the fifth season.

The only thing I didn't like about the movie was Bubba and Bertha Jo. Now I know that these movies need supportive characters, but surely they could have come up with better. Bubba and Betha Jo got on my nerves and the fact that they married instead of Daisy and Enos made me despise them even more. But it is still a terrific reunion movie and especially to see Bo and Luke racing around in the General Lee just like the old days. It is especially a great chance to see Denver Pyle one more time as Uncle Jesse since sadly, he would pass away on Christmas of that same year. The Dukes of Hazzard Reunion is a movie I will gladly give two thumbs up.

I am a huge fan of the TV show, and as this movie was so similar, I enjoyed almost every minute of it. It was great to see Luke and Bo back and looking great - still the same old boys! Daisy was wonderful -a strong woman and still a lovely one. Enos came back! YAY! He and Daisy finally hooked up! YAY! Roscoe was himself too! Uncle Jesse was great as the head of the family - he will be missed. As is Boss - the pseudo-villainy of the man was missing from this, but Roscoe followed in his footsteps well.

Warning: HERE BE SPOILERS!!! What I didn't like was that Daisy seemed to be flaky at the end. I never got that out of the TV show, and I really didn't think that she would break Enos' heart like that; just saying that she can't go through with the wedding because she saw her ex. She ought to know Enos is not like her ex. He was wonderful as the still loyal man.

And my only question is - when are Bo and Luke going to get hitched? Some lucky girl out there is waiting to be a Mrs. Duke.