Singer/actress Lindsay Lohan makes her third appearance in a Disney remake/sequel, Matt Dillon takes on the part of a Disney bad guy (which means his bark is infinitely worse than his bite), Justin Long plays the love interest, and Michael Keaton slips into the role of caring, involved dad – a role Keaton's evolved into and seems well-suited for. But the real star of “Herbie Fully Loaded” is, as it should be, Herbie.
Lohan stars as Maggie Peyton, the only daughter in a family of NASCAR racers. Grandpa was a champ, dad was a NASCAR champ, and her brother’s trying to make it on the circuit. Maggie’s got motor oil running through her veins. She was born to drive and used to take on all comers in street races until an accident caused her dad, Ray Peyton Sr (Keaton), to put the kibosh on any thoughts of a career in racing.
When Maggie graduates from college, her dad decides it’s time she gets her own set of wheels as she heads off to a job at ESPN. Expecting a brand, spanking new car, instead Maggie joins Ray Sr. for a trip to the local junkyard to help pick out her graduation present. A series of pranks and attention-getting stunts by a certain Volkswagen Bug later, and Maggie’s driving off in Herbie, a clunker who appears to be on his last legs/tires.
Maggie soon discovers Herbie’s not your typical Bug. He’s got heart, personality, and a penchant for racing. After Herbie shows Maggie what he’s capable of by taking down big-time narcissistic NASCAR star Trip Murphy (Dillon) in an impromptu street race, Maggie’s joy for racing is rekindled and she goes against her dad’s wishes and competes again.
“Herbie Fully Loaded” is a sweet Disney movie with old school-looking stunts and a good moral story at its core. The actors understand the Bug’s the star, and under the direction of Angela Robinson (“D.E.B.S.”) Herbie comes to life, winking, squirting oil, and pulling off improbable racing feats that aren’t meant to look realistic. Never once taking itself seriously, “Herbie Fully Loaded” is one of the few real goofy movies released theatrically in the past few years that gets the point that audiences sometimes only want to relax and have a good time. It’s okay to make a movie that’s just simply supposed to be fun.
As cute as it is, there were a few things in “Herbie Fully Loaded” that didn’t work for me. First, Lohan’s playing a college graduate off to intern at ESPN. It would have been much more appropriate and easy to accept if she was a high school grad on her way to college. Setting her up as a college grad didn’t make sense and didn’t advance the plot enough to make it absolutely necessary to take that large leap of faith.
Secondly, the tone of the film was a little schizophrenic. “Herbie Fully Loaded” seemed to be a few different films competing against each other at times. And finally, the film all but grinds to a halt whenever Herbie’s missing from the frame. That’s not a put-down of the actors – Keaton, Lohan, Long, Dillon, and Breckin Meyer (as Lohan’s race car-driving brother) were terrific. It’s just that trying to pad the film out with a love story and other miscellaneous plotlines wasn’t necessary. Give us more Bug. That’s the ticket.
As for those Internet rumors about CGI and Lohan’s chest. It’s a silly thing to even have to address but because so much attention was given to it during the months building up to the movie’s release, it deserves a mention. The rumors were, as usual, way off base. A lot was made prior to the film’s release about Lohan’s physical attributes distracting from her performance, taking the attention away from Herbie, and not being appropriate for a kiddie movie. Lohan looks terrific (much better than with her newly dyed blonde hair) and her outfits don’t inordinately bring the focus to her chest. Some people will find the stupidest things to focus on…
Would I pay to see “Herbie Fully Loaded” again or buy the DVD? No, once is enough. But I’m not part of the audience Disney was targeting with “Herbie Fully Loaded.” The kids in the preview audience ate it up, laughing at all the right spots, and cheering on Herbie as if he were real.
Younger kids and Lindsay Lohan fans should fall hard for “Herbie Fully Loaded.” It’s a silly, fun, non-offensive, fluffball of a movie, perfect for summer matinee viewing.
GRADE: B-
"Herbie Fully Loaded" was directed by Angela Robinson and is rated G.
