2007, USA
Comedy, Crime, Drama, Music
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Extended version:
What to do when your hit singing career has been washed up for 40 years and your kid needs dental work? Stick it to The Man by robbing the dental lab of its gold, of course.
Robert Davi (Die Hard, The Goonies) stars in and acts as first-time writer and director for The Dukes, a story that follows the titular '60s doo-wop group through jokes and desperation. Davi began writing the script in the '70s during his first gig in Contract on Cherry Street, where he met Jay Black of the doo-wop group Jay and the Americans. The era of their meeting was during a recession when jobs became scarce for everyone and even Black was forced to try something new, and Davi felt the current economy reflected similar troubles as when he penned the script with friend James Andronica.
As former members and cousins Danny (Davi) and George (Chazz Palminteri of Bullets over Broadway) scramble for money to buy a restaurant of their own after sweating in their aunt's place, they devise nothing but bad ideas. Meanwhile, their lousy but faithful manager Lou (Peter Bogdanovich of "The Sopranos") arranges humiliating opportunities to cash in on old songs that more often than not fail to pay.
When Danny overhears a dentist discussing obtaining gold fillings on the cheap to pool in with other offices, he hears the ca-ching of a shady business opportunity. Utilizing the skills of a retired thief (Bruce Weitz of "Hill Street Blues") and the assistance of a friend stuck in a cast (played by Frank D'Amico, who was ill during the shoot and passed away in June) and another nicknamed "Murph" for his tendency to invoke Murphy's Law (Elya Baskin of 2010), the group prepares for a quick fix to their years of worries.
Ultimately, the jokes are light and the film is harmless. It feels like a congenial buddy project as the chemistry appears easy and comfortable over the 25-day production. The Duke boys may not fly over a ditch in a muscle car, but they will do their best to save the day as they pass over the hill.