Herbie: Fully Loaded
After suffering the embarrassment of Herbie Goes Bananas, The Love Bug is fueled up and back on track in Herbie: Fully Loaded. In the driver’s seat is Lindsay Lohan, Disney’s go-to girl when it comes to remakes (The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday). Lohan has a license to drive this franchise back into the hearts of kids everywhere.
You don’t have to be a kid to appreciate this genuinely sweet update of the little Volkswagen Beetle that could. Thirty-seven years after he took race car driver Dean Jones for the ride of his life, Herbie is headed for the junkyard. The opening credits provide a brief history of his exploits, like the drive-in movie that flashes before your windshield before you meet the great car crusher in the sky. Just moments from becoming a pancake, Herbie is rescued by perky college graduate Maggie Peyton (Lohan), whose family of racers has seen better times.
Once an aggressive street racer, an accident has left Maggie sidelined by her father Ray (Michael Keaton), once a famous racer who hopes to pass along the legacy to his son Ray Jr. (Breckin Meyer). Maggie reluctantly inherits Herbie as a graduation present, unaware of his past. With the help of her friend and mechanic Kevin (Justin Long), Maggie restores Herbie to his original luster, and before she can put the pedal to the metal, finds herself at Herbie’s mercy.
Like Herbie during a race, the script is all over the place. The confrontations and villains are obvious and predictable, yet director Angela Robinson manages to keep everything light and breezy. We’re not talking life or death here, just a film’s ability to entertain us for two hours.
Herbie: Fully Loaded is just the ticket. It’s silly and off-the-wall (especially during the races where Maggie engages Herbie in some of her skateboard maneuvers), but in a fun and non-insulting way. We’re not supposed to take any of this seriously, just go along for the ride. Lohan is a spunky leading lady, bringing just the right level of bemusement to Maggie. Her first encounter with Herbie is priceless. Michael Keaton is good as her worrisome widowed father, afraid to lose another woman in his life. His no-racing rule for Maggie leads to some funny cases of mistaken identity.
The rest of the cast is in tune with the franchise, cruising along with their tongues firmly in cheek. Matt Dillon is especially oily as Maggie’s racing nemesis, a driver stuck in first gear.
Herbie Back On Track
Herbie: Fully Loaded
Lindsay Lohan, Michael Keaton, Breckin Meyer, Matt Dillon, Justin Long, Cheryl Hines. Directed by Angela Robinson. Rated G. 100 Minutes.
Larsen Rating: $7.00
