Review of Herbie Fully Loaded (2005) by Dawdlingpoet — 28 Nov 2021

Just to explain, I've always been fond of the Herbies movies and also Disney movies in general, since I was a kid. Herbie Goes To Monty Carlo was my favourite of the Herbie movies and I like to indulge the kid in me once in a while so when I saw this modern Herbie movie was being shown on Freeview and I knew I hadn't seen it, I thought I might as well record it and watch it later.

Well, first off I thought that this very modern addition to the Herbie film franchise really didn't have the same feel to it that the older movies had. I have a feeling that the Herbie movies really worked as well as they did as they were movies of their time and now, it doesn't quite work as well. There was something just a bit 'off' about it... for one, unlike the other movies (from what I recall anyway), its not really all about one big, main championship race around a city or country. I'm not particularly keen on Lindsay Lohan either and I can't say I felt that sorry for, or interested in, her character either. Matt Dillon does quite well playing the smug, egotistical competitor Trip Murphy but of course, his character being what it is, your not keen on him either.

Justin Long, as Maggies friend Kevin, plays his part well, I can't really fault his performance, though generally I am left feeling that the characterisation wasn't as good as it could have been. I know this is, first and foremost, a kids movie but all the same, I'm sure I have watched more movies that felt a bit stronger in this way/category. However, all of this doesn't necessarily mean that the movie is rubbish and that its not worth bothering with at all. Slightly weak characterisation and Lohan put to one side (I don't even want to go into the short skirt I seem to remember spotting her wearing in one scene,geez for a kids movie that seemed so tacky!) and particularly if your not someone with high expectations or otherwise a pre-existing Herbie fan, then you may get some enjoyment from this. Of course it is predominantly a kids movie and im sure some children will quite enjoy this, the CGI present allows for Herbie to perform some stunts that weren't possible in the past, pre CGI days, so that could be seen as an advantage. It is pretty predictable, story wise and all but I imagine myself as a 7 or 8 year old watching this, with Herbie driving itself and the special effects and I imagine I would be adequately entertained and probably would enjoy this a fair bit and even want to watch it again a few times (we all know how kids love to watch films many times, at least the ones that grab their imagination).

The concept behind Herbie, which has also been used in slightly more adult shows such as Knight Rider (remember Kit, anyone?), is still quite imaginative and, probably more importantly, fun. Its a cute idea and im sure there are many adults that, if asked, would admit that they'd be pretty excited to get a hold of such a car.

Basically I think that kids should be pretty well entertained and enjoy this movie but it is a bit of a disappointment for us older (or should that be, kids at heart?!) fans of the more traditional Herbie movies. I guess I shouldn't mark the movie down for having perhaps too high expectations and again I doubt the movie was made primarily with older fans of the original Herbie movies in mind but its my review, so I think its about right that I stick with a 3 star rating.

If your looking for a movie to entertain the kids for an hour and a half or so, then yes, I suppose I would. I'm sure it would keep most kids attention, with CGI effects/special effects that aren't too bad (though I feel it does somewhat detract from the Herbie franchises original appeal but oh well, we can't live in the past, right?!) and that should appeal to them, its not an awful movie, just not as good as it possibly could have been. Its rather predictable and pretty cheesy but hey, its Disney and its for kids, so, in a way, what do you expect?

I'm not keen on Lindsay Lohan, in general or in this role really, I have this irksome feeling that she was picked for the role as Disney wanted to promote equality and show that women can be race car drivers too, that kind of thing, rather than having picked her specifically for being the best actress for the part... maybe thats a little harsh but I do feel a bit that way. For the kids this is a decent enough movie to keep them entertained, for fans of the older Herbie movies, I'd say that its not worth paying for this modern remake or addition to the franchise, it might only disappoint and so it depends on who the movie is for, whether I'd recommend it or not but I guess the target audience is for kids, thus I'd recommend it on that basis.