Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Lindsay Lohan in the movie 'Herbie Fully Loaded' - CONTRIBUTED
WITH HIS major days of stardom trailing in his own dust, Herbie, the most famous 'bug' in the world, has been sent to Crazy Dave's Scrap and Salvage to await his turn under the crusher.
In comes Lindsay Lohan, the reigning princess of the Disney remake. Already she has successfully pulled Freaky Friday and The Parent Trap from the has-been pile; now she turns her likeable face to a new tale about Herbie in Herbie Fully Loaded.
Directed by Angela Robinson, Herbie Fully Loaded also stars Matt Dillon (as Trip Murphy) and Michael Keaton (as Ray Peyton), who plays Lohan's father.
BELOVED 'BUG'
Lohan plays Maggie Peyton, a recent college graduate. Though she is headed for a career in sports journalism her real dream is to be a racer. Finding Herbie gives her the chance to chase this dream and ,at the same time, show up the unrelentingly cocky Trip Murphy.
Though B is a remake, Herbie himself is not. He still looks every part the beloved 1963 Volkswagon Bug. He is the first hint that not much new thought has gone into the movie. While it means that fans of the original can get a lot of what they are used to, it also means that this take on Herbie is not very refreshing.
Indeed, though they spend a lot of time working on him, at the end of the day the main difference is an impressive paint job and it is possible that a ripping episode of Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch would have been far more fun.
It is nice to see Herbie again, but the movie runs more on nostalgia than horsepower.
NOTHING NEW
Herbie is up to most of the tricks that we expect of him - nothing new. He gives a flap of the door here, a spray of oil there and, of course, the ability to smile and frown. At least the computer graphics are clearly souped-up, but the stunts are not.
The plot sticks very close to the Herbie formula, so there are no surprises to be had. Even the moral element, so intrinsic to Disney movies of the 1980s and before, is a part of the flick. Indeed, despite being very competent actors, all Dillon and Keaton can do for this movie is keep it from being completely hackneyed by delivering competent performances.
NO FEMININE IMPACT
One would think that a radical change has occurred, especially as Herbie's new driver is a young woman. There was room galore to dabble with the issue of women and racing and the like, even without any attempt to spur the very un-Disneyfied act of bra burning. However, despite the changes in the characters, it is almost as though they took out one of the old movies from the Disney vault, gave it a spit shine and sent it back out to the box office.
It seems that at the last minute, having realised that they were actually supposed to produce a real movie, there is an attempt to properly include the impact of Maggie's femininity on her dream to be a NASCAR racer.
Alas, with a wink and a honk, it is far too late. Herbie Fully Loaded has already become a rehash of any other Herbie movie.
It's cute, but it lacks heart and the entertainment meter is almost on 'E'. The little bug that could has run out of horsepower.
