While it may fall flat for some adults, Herbie Fully Loaded still has the charm and magic to capture the laughter of kids mostly thanks to the now CGI enhanced Love Bug #53.
The movie stars Lindsay Lohan, Michael Keaton and Matt Dillon, and resurrects the VW franchise - which hasn’t seen a big screen feature since 1980’s Herbie Goes Bananas. The first Love Bug movie was in 1969, and the little car has gotten a lot of mileage out of his trademark bad behavior and knack for spitting oil in the villain’s face.
This time the movie starts with Herbie falling from grace and winding up in a junkyard waiting to be demolished. We then cut to Maggie (played by Lohan) and her race car obsessed family.
Maggie's brother (played by the funny but underused Breckin Meyer) is a NASCAR driver, and her father (played by Keaton) runs the crew. As a college graduation present, Keaton takes his girl to get a new car at the junkyard, and Lohan is unable to escape the Love Bug’s magic – that and the fact Herbie crushes the car she wanted to buy.
Lohan quickly learns that there is more to Herbie than meets the eye. Before you know it, she is racing the bucket of bolts against NASCAR champion Trip Murphy in a street race, and dodging monster trucks at a demolition derby. This wild ride ends with Lohan and Herbie competing in a NASCAR race to save the family’s racing team - which is about to lose their sponsors.
All the actors do a good job in a fairly formulaic plot, and they all seemed to enjoy their roles. Dillon hams it up as the main villain, and takes the most punishment from Herbie. He does a good job in creating the bad guy that you just have to love, and seems to have fun in the role.
Keaton and Meyer are both underused in the movie, and seem to be in the film to provide a few laughs in between Herbie’s screen time. They don’t have any real development as characters, but we all know that the Love Bug is the real star of the show.
Meyer plays a racer who has a problem with actually finishing a race and tends to wreck his car while trying to qualify. He is funny in the role, but not in the movie enough to really keep the adults laughing.
Herbie pulls out all the magic on the track
Keaton plays the overprotective father in the movie that doesn’t believe his daughter can race. He is very much the straight man in the movie, and is used more as a plot device for Lohan to feel guilty about her racing.
Although the movie has a pretty big named cast, the bug is the main reason to watch the movie, and it has never looked better thanks to some fun CGI special effects. Herbie will give the kids plenty of laughs through effects that allow the car to smile and even race along a chain link fence. Herbie also has all the classic bits to keep old fans happy - mostly at the cost of Dillon who winds up constantly covered in oil or exhaust smoke.<!--page-->
Dillon has fun in the villain role
The movie also has a great soundtrack, filled with classic rock songs that the adults will enjoy, that helps keep the film moving along and even brings a few laughs – such as when Van Halen’s “Jump” is played during the demolition derby scene. The DVD also comes fully loaded with special features that Herbie fans will enjoy. The features include a blooper reel; deleted scenes and alternate title opening; A Day At The Races; a look at the making of the movie and the stunts involved; and a music video for Lindsay Lohan’s song “First.”
A Day At The Races is a feature that NASCAR fans will like and takes an inside look at the different things involved in racing – from pitting crews to how the racers get in their cars. It also shows what the stars of the movie had to learn to portray their characters on screen.
The blooper reel is pretty long, and shows the actors having fun on the set. There is more goofing around by the stars than actual bloopers. The making of features show how Herbie got a CGI face lift, and how they also used some traditional special effects in the movie.
Herbie gets Lohan’s attention
Although it may not be for everyone, Herbie Fully Loaded will catch the laughter of kids (my six year-old loved it) and is a film that the whole family can enjoy together. The plot is fairly predictable, but the little car still has the goods to make you laugh.
I would recommend the Herbie Fully Loaded to anyone wanting to watch a film that the whole family can enjoy or just wants to relax with a movie that is light and funny.
Herbie Fully Loaded is available for pre-order at Amazon for an Oct. 25th release. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Nov. 28th release. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
DanaOct 23rd, 2005 - 15:04:27
We watched with my two sons and the grandparents and we all loved the movie. Herbie steals the show from the actors, but that is what kids love.
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