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Preview by: Jack Foley
AN ICONIC figure from the Sixties has been revived (or rather
revved up) for a new generation of young cinema-goers.
Herbie, the white VW Beetle, has been stripped down and souped
up for an all new adventure, featuring a top cast that includes
Lindsay Lohan, Michael Keaton, Matt Dillon and Justin Long.
The film came out in the middle of the blockbuster summer season
but sadly failed to ignite the box office, which was dominated
by the likes of Batman Begins and War of the Worlds.
Indeed, in its first week, the family comedy only pulled in a
little over $12 million at the US Box Office and debuted at number
four.
Herbie's history remains a proud one, however, given that it
was 1969 when America first discovered Herbie, AKA 'The Love Bug',
the incredible little car with the body of a Beetle and the heart
of a champion who came vividly to life in the runaway hit family
movie of that era.
The tale of the happy-go-lucky Volkswagen Bug with a pepped-up
personality and a need for speed, set against the groovy, love-is-in-the-air
backdrop of '60s San Francisco, became instantly popular with
audiences of all ages. The film went on to spawn three more spin-off
features and several television shows.
The producers of Herbie: Fully Loaded realised that many of those
who grew up with Herbie in the'60s, '70s and '80s now have kids
of their own, and that they too might be ready for a new adventure
involving the world's first thinking, feeling, match-making automobile
just for them.
The idea was to keep Herbie's retro-cool while bringing him roaring
into the 21st century… as a NASCAR racer.
Hence, Lindsay Lohan plays the young member of a family of racers
who is given the chance to prove her mettle on the track when
she reluctantly adopts Herbie (having saved the car from the scrap-heap).
Says producer, Robert Simonds: "There was little doubt in
our minds that if Herbie was coming out of retirement in 2005,
he'd want to head straight for the most exciting racing arena
in America today: NASCAR.
"We were especially grateful to have the cooperation and
participation of NASCAR as we began to develop the project.
"The result is that while this Herbie is as playful and
fun as ever, he has to truly rev it up to take on the world of
today's real race champs."
The film opens in UK cinemas on August 5.
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US reaction
Critics in America were divided over the merits of The Love Bug's
latest adventure, with some hailing it as a return to classic
Disney values, and others bemoaning its lack of charm.
The Los Angeles Times, for instance, hailed
it as 'that modern rarity, a genial, sweet-natured family film,
G-rated and proud of it, an old-fashioned Disney movie to the
core'.
While Entertainment Weekly felt it was 'as serviceable
an introduction as any to the notion of a sentient set of wheels'.
But the Washington Post wrote that 'this Herbie
is loaded all right. Unfortunately, it's with spare parts from
dozens of other equally mediocre underdog sports films'.
And Ebert & Roeper concluded: "I guess
that wacky little car might amuse small children, but the special
effects are surprisingly weak, the story is beyond clichéd
and the attempt to wedge the hot NASCAR scene into the movie is
just clumsy."
Variety warmed to the charms of the new-look
VW, however, stating that it was 'a perfectly silly movie for
a silly season that in recent years has forgotten how to be this
silly'.
And Detroit News gleefully declared: "This
isn't a movie for the ages, but it is a movie for young ages,
the kind of film you can unashamedly take your kids to and know
they're learning the magic of film."
But Newsday lamented that 'director, Angela
Robinson (D.E.B.S.), is saddled with a committee-written script
whose transmission sticks and even sputters at various intervals'.
And The Philadelphia Inquirer was disappointed
to report that 'this remake is about half of a very likable film.
But in movies (as in auto races) it isn't how you start, it's
how you finish. And Herbie should have kept something in the tank
for the late going'.
The Hollywood Reporter, meanwhile, predicted
that 'it will amuse kids, but this Bug is low on comic gas'.
And the San Francisco Chonicle rounds up this
overview by stating: "The comedy is pleasant for a while,
and it's a totally harmless movie for kids, but it runs mostly
on a high-octane mix of slapstick comedy and special effects -
with little for discriminating moviegoers to enjoy."
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