Dir. Angela Robinson, 2005, US, 101 min
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Michael Keaton, Matt Dillon
At the beginning of Herbie Fully Loaded, the battered VW Beetle lies rusting at the bottom of Crazy Dave’s car yard. Explanation comes courtesy of some nifty flashbacks over the credits, which chart the Love Bug’s rise and fall using clips from the old Herbie films. For a while it seems Herbie is doomed for the crusher, but he is rescued at the eleventh hour by Maggie Peyton (Lohan), when her father, Ray Peyton Snr. (Keaton) offers to buy her a second hand car to celebrate her graduation. Maggie comes within a hair’s breadth of choosing another car, but she is destined to leave the lot with Herbie; the car with a mind of its own.
Maggie is more than a little surprised when the car practically drives itself out of the used car lot, and into an impromptu street race with NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) legend, Trip Murphy (Dillon). Herbie wins the race, leaving Murphy in the dust. Maggie decides to keep quiet about her surprise victory. The Peytons are a respected NASCAR dynasty, but Ray Peyton Snr. wants his daughter to stay away from the track. Her mother died some years ago, and Peyton Snr. is fiercely protective.
Murphy, determined to stay at the top, challenges the Peytons to a high-stakes desert competition. With the help of childhood friend Kevin (Justin Long) Maggie customises Herbie, turning him into the ultimate race-car. But their biggest challenge is yet to come. Maggie and Herbie will have to face Murphy at the fast and furious NASCAR racing championship. Does Herbie have what it takes to beat off the competition and help Maggie become the first female NASCAR champion?
Herbie Fully Loaded is a classic Disney summer movie: a solid, upbeat family film with a happy ending. The film manages to breathe new life into an old franchise without succumbing to a welter of computer-generated effects. It relies instead on a well-chosen cast and a solid script, along with some more traditional visual effects (the car was operated by up to four puppeteers) to deliver the goods. Apart from some rather obvious product placement – Herbie falls in love with a newer model – the film has a pleasing, old fashioned feel to it. Director Angela Robinson has delivered a dependable family outing; well made and inoffensive fare.
However, the film never really gathers momentum. Herbie Fully Loaded works hard to keep the audience engaged, but in an age when box office success has recently been dominated by ultra-slick family offerings like The Incredibles, it has a tough fight on its hands.
That said, the film is entertaining and well put together. Keaton makes for a likeable father, and Lohan is an engaging lead, but Dillon steals the limelight as the dastardly Trip Murphy. Herbie Fully Loaded is modern enough to appeal to children, and old fashioned enough to hold the attention of nostalgic parents. A more than capable refit of an old Disney vehicle.
Zeb Lamb
do you agree with this review? Click here to leave your comments
|
