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(More customer reviews)One of the first movies I saw when I first came to the US was Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo, at a drive-in when we were living in Livermore, CA. Since then, there has been a connection between the family, more through my brother, with that gutsy VW Bug with a mind and heart of its own, that blazed a trail through four movies. In fact, racing excerpts from those movies are shown in the opening sequences of Herbie-Fully Loaded, which has the famed racing Bug resurrected for the current generation.
Fully Loaded finds the famed Bug ready to be turned to scrap metal at Crazy Dave's scrapyard. He is rescued by Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan), whose family has racing in their blood, as her grandfather's a racing legend. Her father is as well, and is trying to groom his son Ray Jr. to succeed him, but a series of crashes at the race track as well as a dearth of sponsors, dwindling by the minute, makes that impossible. Maggie though, had her own racing days in high school, and finds her true calling other than going to New York behind the racing scenes.
She gains an enemy in macho NASCAR champion Trip Murphy, played by Matt Dillon, when the ever-sensitive Herbie takes offense to one of Murphy's insults to him and scrapes the star's car with his rearview mirror. This leads to a race where Herbie beats Murphy, to the delight and surprise of the local racing fans.
Maggie's reaction to Herbie, pop-eyes and screams, as the VW shows her what he's made of, is akin to what every kid might have if a car did its own thing. Gradually, she recognizes that Herbie has a soul, as does her school friend Kevin, who runs a garage, and takes a liking to the car. She does learn of Herbie's sensitivity, when the car, hurt at something she says during another race with Trip, deliberately loses. This is nothing new, as in The Love Bug, when Jim Douglas, agrees to give up Herbie for a Lancia, only to find an enraged and betrayed Herbie ramming the Lancia. Herbie fuels Maggie's desire to race again, but her father (Michael Keaton) isn't keen on his daughter suffering injuries or even getting killed on the track, and forbids it.
Unlike the other movies, Herbie's headlights move, lowering down when depressed, as does his front bumper. And yes, he still does squirt oil at anyone mean. The corporate sponsors and video game tie-ins (Trip's new game) make this up to date for this generation. And when Herbie sees one of the new Bugs, a bright yellow one, Maggie says, "Herbie, I think she's too young for you."
As if remembering what Herbie's main passion was, it was a good move to show this as a racing picture per The Love Bug and Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo, and as such, the racing scenes are the best part of the picture, as is a scene when Herbie takes on a monster truck driven by a nasty thug at a car crash derby, set to Van Halen's "Jump." The names of Ray Peyton and Ray Peyton Jr. have syllabic similarities to another racing family-think Al Unser and Al Unser Jr. And having Maggie at the wheel also brings into mind Shirley Muldowney.
It's also great having two 80's film stars, Michael Keaton and Matt Dillon back in prominent roles. And mark this as one of Lindsay Lohan's better films along with the Parent Trap.
I still say The Love Bug's the best movie in the Herbie series, but Fully Loaded takes Herbie back to his roots without too much radical updating, and is better than Herbie Goes Bananas, so as such, it qualifies. Those who grew up on Herbie will definitely enjoy it.
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Start your engines! Lindsay Lohan (MEAN GIRLS, FREAKY FRIDAY) does the driving when Herbie -- the fun-lovin', free-wheelin', '63 VW Beetle with a mind of its own -- returns better than ever in Disney's all-new, revved-up comedy adventure! Though a third-generation member of a NASCAR family, Maggie Peyton (Lohan) has always been forbidden from following her racing dreams by her overprotective father (Michael Keaton – FIRST DAUGHTER). But she has no idea her life is about to take a huge u-turn! After discovering the irresistible Herbie in a junkyard, they form a magical team that will save her family and rewrite the racing record books! With Breckin Meyer (ROAD TRIP), Matt Dillon (THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY), and an all-star cast along for the ride, you better believe ol’ Number 53 has some new tricks under his hood!
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