I remember seeing several movies about Herbie the Love Bug when I was a child. It has been a long time since I last saw one of those movies and I don’t remember too much about them, but I do remember enjoying them. I’ve been seeing previews for a new Herbie movie, Herbie: Fully Loaded, for a few months. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see the movie, though I did have fond memories of the old movies. I ended up deciding to see the movie.
Maggie Peyton was the first member of her family to graduate college. Her grandfather had been a very successful race car driver. Her father Ray had also been a driver and her brother Ray Jr. was currently racing on the NASCAR circuit. Ray Jr. wasn’t a very good driver though. Maggie was going to be starting a new job in New York City as a producer for ESPN in a month. She was staying with her dad before her job started. Ray took her to a local junkyard to get a car for the time she was home. Maggie ended up with a Volkswagen bug named Herbie that wasn’t in the best condition.
Herbie had a colorful past that included winning many races. When Maggie drove Herbie for the first time, he took over and eventually got Maggie involved in a streetcar race with Trip Murphy, a NASCAR driver. Maggie seemed freaked out by the car at first, but she came to appreciate him. Kevin, one of her friends from high school, was a mechanic and he helped her fix Herbie up. Maggie ended up racing Herbie and she kept it from Ray because he didn’t want her racing. She had been involved in a bad wreck. Maggie and Herbie ended up facing Trip again.
Herbie: Fully Loaded was a light hearted, fun movie for families. There were a few more serious moments with Maggie and her dad. The movie also touched on the fact that there really aren’t women in racing, but overall I felt that the movie was meant to be fun and entertaining. It was silly at times, but I expected that and it didn’t bother me. The movie was about a car that was alive some way, so I think it would have been difficult for the movie not to be silly. Some people will probably think the movie was too silly, but children will probably really like it. I did think the movie was funny. The part at the beginning when Herbie first arrived at the junkyard was very humorous. The movie was predictable, but I still enjoyed it.
I think that Herbie: Fully Loaded is mainly aimed at kids. I did think it was entertaining, but some adults will probably feel differently. There were many kids in the theater when I saw the movie, and they all seemed to be very entertained. The adults and even the few teenagers that were there also seemed to enjoy the movie. Most of the family movies I have seen recently have been rated PG, but this one was rated G. There wasn’t anything offensive in the movie, so this would be a good movie for parents that don’t want their kids to see a movie with any swearing in it. It was hinted that Maggie and Kevin were interested in each other, but that aspect of the movie wasn’t really pursued. There was a kiss in the movie, but that was it. There weren’t any fights in the movie, though Herbie could do a few things to defend himself when he felt threatened. Those things did add humor as well, so I don’t think the movie was violent.
Herbie wasn’t a normal car. He seemed to be alive someway. There was no explanation in the movie for how or why Herbie was like that. I can’t remember if there was any explanation in any of the older Herbie movies or not. Herbie blinked his headlights like they were eyes. There were even some shots showing things from Herbie’s perspective. Herbie was able to drive himself, open the doors, his hood and trunk as well. Once Maggie started driving him, Herbie somehow seemed to pick up on things she wanted to do. Herbie was able to defend himself when he thought he was in danger. He also used some of his tricks at other times. Herbie did some rather extreme things a few times that a normal car couldn’t do. Special effects had to be used for some of the things that Herbie did. Some of the effects were obvious, but they worked for the movie. I remember that Herbie did some things in the previous movies, but I don’t remember if he was as obvious about what he was doing.
Maggie was probably the most developed character in Herbie: Fully Loaded. She just graduated college and would be starting a job in New York in a month. She did enjoy racing and want to be a driver, but her father never wanted that for her. Maggie didn’t always make the best decisions. Lindsay Lohan was good in the part of Maggie. This movie was made before she lost a lot of weight, so she looks different in it than she does now. Personally, I think she looked better in the movie. She looked to be a normal, healthy weight. Now she looks like a walking toothpick. Lohan has shown off her cleavage in some interviews and photos. That didn’t seem to happen in this movie. She did wear a few very short skirts, but her tops weren’t as low cut for the most part. Maggie was different from the part Lohan played in Freaky Friday.
Michael Keaton was fine as Ray, Maggie’s very over protective father. Not much else about his character was shared. Keaton had a larger part in White Noise. Breckin Meyer was really underused as Ray Jr. He only had a few scenes and he had several accidents. I think he had more to do in Kate and Leopold and Garfield. Matt Dillon was good as Trip, though he didn’t have many scenes either. Dillon can play villains very well. The character he played in A Kiss Before Dying was more evil than Trip was. Justin Long was fine as Kevin. He was one of Maggie’s friends from high school and he was very supportive of her. Long had a part in .Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story Cheryl Hines had a small part as Sally. She worked for one of the sponsors for the Peyton racing team. Hines really didn’t add anything to the movie.
CAST
Matt Dillon - Trip Murphy
Cheryl Hines - Sally
Michael Keaton - Ray Peyton
Lindsay Lohan - Maggie Peyton
Justin Long - Kevin
Breckin Meyer - Ray Peyton Jr.
Herbie: Fully Loaded was silly and predictable, but I thought it was entertaining. There isn’t anything offensive in the movie so it is a good choice for families. Children will probably find the movie funnier than adults. I ended up enjoying the movie and am glad I saw it. This isn't a movie that everyone will like though.
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