Herbie Fully Loaded (2005)

I have been hearing things about "Herbie: Fully Loaded" for at least the past 6 months. I saw the trailer and was not impressed at all; saw the dull poster which also didn't do anything for me. I also have to admit, I was very leery to see this film especially after such a lame trailer, dull poster and hearing about Lindsay Lohan's recent behavior and seeing how she looks like a poor, sickly child from Nigeria. But anyway, I went to see the movie anyway at a sneak preview nonetheless and despite all Lohan's bad publicity lately and the film's lousy marketing campaign, I was actually pretty impressed with the final product of "Herbie: Fully Loaded."

"Herbie: Fully Loaded" takes off right where the other movies left off. Herbie is now washed up and in the junk yard just about to be made into strap metal but just then Maggie (A healthy and attractive looking Linday Lohan) comes to the junk yard to get a car. Why a junk yard you may ask? Because her dad (Michael Keaton) is a NASCAR Coach and so he knows how to repair cars. So Maggie decides to buy Herbie and before you can say Love Bug, Maggie notices that Herbie has a mind of his own, not to mention has the power to be a race car. And so the cheesy but fun Herbie adventure begins.

I actually enjoyed this film which came as a huge shock to me. Like I said earlier this movie had some of the worst marketing and advertising that I have ever seen for a film. However, I am very grateful that the film didn't actually suck like the marketing on this film did. So anyway, having seen the earlier Herbie films I was actually very impressed with this one.

It was also good to see a healthy and attractive Lindsay Lohan again on screen. I have been seeing nothing but this anorectic, skinny, ugly girl on the cover of various magazines for the past month or so. I am really sad that Hollywood has gotten to her head because the girl has talent; she's just falling into the fame and fortune trap of Hollywood. But I don't want to get into my feelings on Lohan right now but just comment on how much I enjoyed her performance in the movie, and how it is probably my favorite role for her since Freaky Friday. Michael Keaton was also very good in his role as the father figure. He also plays one heck of a believable NASCAR Coach. Also I would like to mention Justin Long (Kevin in the film) who is one of Hollywood's new up and coming actors. I really dig this guy in his previous films like "Dodgeball", "Galaxy Quest" & "Jeepers Creepers", along with his role in this film. The guy plays very likable characters and I really liked him as the long lost friend in Herbie. Also Matt Dillon stars as NASCAR Driver Trip Murphy who plays the bad guy with no problem at all which isn't hard since Matt Dillon usually always plays the jerk or unlikable character.

The film's most enjoyable character is of course Herbie who as long as you can remember is a classic character can still be enjoyed. I liked how they updated Herbie a bit but didn't over do it. It was enjoyable to see the connection between Herbie and Maggie. Herbie of course is extremely far fetched like the whole racing in the NASCAR tournament but you cheer for him because he is the underdog. It's nice to see a simple family movie like this being released into theaters at a time where computer animation films like "Shrek", "The Incredibles", and "Madagascar" are kings. I know this movie doesn't compare to the first two films mentioned but I feel it's just as good as "Madagascar" or a lot of other family films released in the last few years. Like I said, it's a simple yet enjoyable film. It has nothing that would offend any children and is enjoyable for Herbie fans and as well as adults.

The film's most memorable scene for me was the scene where Herbie just got bought and comes out of the junk yard and Maggie is trying to drive him to the repair shop to meet up with Kevin (Justin Long) but she finds out that Herbie has a mind of his own and Herbie drives her. It becomes very enjoyable from this point to see how Herbie and Maggie share their emotions going through anger, sadness, and the feeling of being unwanted.

So in the end, "Herbie: Fully Loaded" is much better then the bad trailers lead it to be. It has a lot of heart, a decent story, and is as enjoyable as the previous Herbie Films. Herbie gets a little upgrade and they throw in some corny love bug jokes but hey they are harmless and can be taken with a grain of salt. Overall, I was happy to see Lindsay Lohan looking healthy and enjoying herself on screen along with an old fashioned family film that we rarely see anymore. I think if you're a fan of Herbie you should see this, if you have kids take them and enjoy, and finally if you have nothing to better to do and want to see a harmless, fun film check out "Herbie: Fully Loaded" because although it's pretty cheesy its also a fun and enjoyable time.

MovieManMenzel's final rating for "Herbie: Fully Loaded" is a 7 out of 10.