#herbiefullyloaded

Herbie: Fully Loaded is not a great film, but those looking for nice, clean fun for the kids won’t be disappointed.

Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan) is an aspiring racer celebrating her graduation from college. Her father (Michael Keyton) offers her an old Volkswagen Beetle as a gift, having no idea "Herbie" has a mind of its own.

The film has many problems. There are some bad jokes and an unnecessary love plot that could have easily been dropped (despite Lohan and Justin Long having decent chemistry). More than individual moments, there's not much about it that's remarkable or memorable. Nevertheless, I find myself giving it a mild recommendation. Why? Because the film has modest aspirations and it achieves them. This is a movie about a young woman who races around in a sentient car in order to defeat her rival, the professional jerk/racer Trip Murphy (Matt Dillon). There are nice moments where Maggie proves she’s just as capable as any male racer (they point out several times throughout that a woman has never been a NASCAR champion). Little girls - the target audience - will find a positive message there. I’d say even somewhat of a role model. Michael Keaton has some nice moments with Lohan, which could bring the whole family together on the couch while watching.

Matt Dillon as the villain is fun because he's such a jerk. You know he can’t be up to any good as soon as you see him with his racing gear - he’s got a whole bunch of Cheetos Cheetahs plastered all over his chest. It’s the only animal you can't trust, which is a funny, subtle little gag. There is also some joy in the bonding that happens between Maggie and Herbie, along with some decent racing.

Do I recommend Herbie: Fully Loaded? To a certain extent. It’s inoffensive, decently entertaining for what it is, and manages to stay afloat thanks to the charisma of its leads. It’s also predictable, and strictly for families, children, and young teenage girls. Every effort has been made to make the film inoffensive. They even digitally reduced miss Lohan’s cleavage to prevent the kids from feeling something Disney wouldn't want them to. It’s a rental, the kind of movie you go into with low expectations that manages to pleasantly surprise you once in a while and can enjoy with the rest of the family. (Full-screen version on DVD, September 25, 2015)