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106 MINUTES | BOSTON COMMON + FENWAY + FRESH POND + CIRCLE/CHESTNUT HILL + SUBURBS I never saw The Dukes of Hazzard in the ’80s, so I asked someone who did whether it was as stupid as this movie. Yes, I was told, only shorter. That’s the difference between then and now: what once barely sufficed for a dumb hour sit-com is now plenty for a feature movie. Also, celebrity reality TV seems to have influenced director Jay Chandrasekhar in his casting: Willie Nelson, Lynda Carter, and Jessica Simpson as members of the Duke clan and Burt Reynolds as Boss Hogg should team up again for a session of The Surreal Life. Mostly, though, the film consists of car chases and shots of the "The General Lee" flying off ramps while the filmmakers try to get the most out of redneck humor (there’s a scene in blackface) without offending anyone important. Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville exude a feral charm, but the most memorable part is the ending, which suggests that while we’re distracted by NASCAR, Big Brother, and crummy movies like this, the sharpies are out there stealing the farm.
BY PETER KEOUGH
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