The Dukes of Hazzard: Unrated DVD Review:

Usually when a film is released on DVD and it claims to be unrated the additions are so small that it hardly makes a difference. This is because it usually is done with R-rated films, and what is taken out is quite often just for time and doesn’t have a lot of implication on the film. Occasionally it is a few seconds which was a bit too much for the rating board. The odd thing about The Dukes of Hazzard having an unrated version is the fact that the film was rated PG-13. While they were filming it still must have been somewhat uncertain whether or not they were trying to get a PG-13 or an R rating. Either that or they just always planned on having extra footage for the unrated DVD.

When this television series based film was released in theaters it received horrible reviews. It was reamed so bad that my expectations were considerably low when I watched it. That really is the only way to enter a film like this anyways. It is a series of pointless scenes of action and sex, but that being known it may entertain you if you have no intention of thinking anything worthwhile during the duration of the film.

The Dukes are a family of moonshiners in Hazzard County, hence the title. Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott play the two Duke brothers with Jessica Simpson as Daisy, their sister, and Willie Nelson as the father of the clan. The idea of moonshine in this day and age is quite ridiculous, but again we choose not to think while watching the film. When the town mogul played by Burt Reynolds decides to try and take over the town, it is up to the Dukes to save the day with the help of General Lee, the famous muscle car which fuels many car chases in this film.

The unrated version actually contains enough material to make this film rated R, but it was never rated with the extra material so it remains unrated. Within the film there are a number of situations which are different than you may have seen in theaters. The most noticeable are the scenes with nudity and language, but there are also a few which are more subtle as well.

The special features are also a little different on the unrated version. There are a number of features which are also on the rated version, and a few which are specific to the unrated DVD. There are two sets of deleted scenes, one of them features the ones rated PG-13 and the other has unrated scenes, which are basically variations on the few scenes which were already changed in the unrated version of the film. There are also two gag reels, also split into Pg-13 and unrated. This is mostly because of language and nudity again. There are also a number of small featurettes, mostly just for fun and not long at all. There is a behind the scenes featurette which is mostly entertaining because of the dynamic personalities of the two leading actors. They are the kind of actors who are funny naturally and don’t need to act much to convey that onscreen, so behind the scenes is naturally entertaining. There is also a short feature on the scene in which the car is launched into the air, another one specifically about General Lee, and the last one is about the costumes Jessica Simpson wore in the film. It is specifically focused on how short her shorts are. The special features also contain Jessica Simpson’s music video which stirred up controversy upon its release and a theatrical trailer.



Ryan Izay