The Dukes of Hazzard! Where to begin? Well, firstly, this is yet another damn retread. Furthermore, it's based on source material that wasn't really that captivating to begin with. Don't get me wrong. "Duke" had it's moments and clearly it still has a cult following, particularly in the south, but let's face it - it was a pretty silly show.

So it comes as no surprise that this big screen adaptation is just kinda big and dumb. Which might have been fine, had it not also been clumsy, underdeveloped, and painfully unfunny. And what's most surprising is that this film was directed by Jay Chandrasekhar of Broken Lizard (or in this case, Broken Hazzard) fame. And those of us who enjoy the works of Broken Lizard, know that these guys have the ability to make dumb work, pretty damn well. Here sadly, dumb is just dumb.

In this big screen adaptation of the popular TV series, Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville are southern cousins Bo and Luke Duke. Along with the assistance of their sweet as pie, sex pot of a sister Daisy (a dopey Jessica Simpson) and a revved up Dodge Charger known as the General Lee, these good ole boys take on their villainous adversary Boss Hogg (a horribly miscast Burt Reynolds). Casting that flies in the face of the flying-car classic Smoky and the Bandit?

Dukes of Hazzard doesn't have much of screenplay. I suppose not having a screenplay doesn't always hurt a movie, particularly where comedies are concerned (see Anchorman for example), but in this case, it does hurt. I think the problem really lies in Scott and Knoxville. Scott can be annoying (Road Trip) but he can also be funny given the right material (American Wedding). Here, he's neither. He's just sort of there. The same can be said of Johnny Knoxville. In the end, these guys didn't feel like the same Luke and Bo we grew up with in the late 70's and early 80's. No, these guys just feel like a couple of - dare I say it - JACKASSES! Anchorman worked because it featured players who excel at improvisational comedy. That cast was genuinely funny and managed to feed off of each other's energy. The two leads in "Dukes" scramble to come up with funny things to say, and more often than not, they fail miserably.

Jessica Simpson is merely a sex object here, and while the same might be said of Catherine Bach (her TV counterpart), there was more of an innocence to her. In this updating, it's clear that Simpson is showing skin to get more asses in the seats. This isn't really so much a performance as it is a wet T-shirt contest. Having said that, Ms. Simpson is an attractive young woman, but this role doesn't showcase anything beyond that. The rest of the cast is made up of familiar faces (Willie - let the pot gags begin - Nelson , Lynda - Wonder Woman - Carter etc.) and each are given precious little to do.

So why am I giving this movie a C- when it appears I don't have a single good thing to say about it? For three reasons really. Firstly, "Dukes" features a hilarious homage to Broken Lizard's Super Troopers. For those of you who have seen that juvenile, but very funny movie, you'll know the scene I'm referring to when it occurs. Secondly, I was completely won over by the General Lee. The stuff this vehicle does is outlandish and insane (i.e. remaining airborne for what feels like an eternity), but it's some of the most ingeniously over-the-top auto acrobatica I've seen in a movie since the Bluesmobile graced the silver screen in The Blues Brothers nearly twenty five years ago. And finally, I enjoyed the blooper reel during the end credits. In particular, there's an extremely funny cameo, one that rivals the numerous celebrity bit parts that are peppered throughout the film.

In the end, The Dukes of Hazard breaks the cardinal rule of comedy. It's not funny. I laughed five times, and in a ninety-five minute movie, that's just not getting it done.