SCREEN IT! PARENTAL REVIEW: HERBIE: FULLY LOADED

"HERBIE: FULLY LOADED"
(2005) (Lindsay Lohan, Michael Keaton) (G)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
None	Minor	*Heavy	*Mild	None

Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Moderate	None	Moderate	None	Minor

Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Mild	None	Moderate	Moderate	Mild

QUICK TAKE:: Comedy: A college graduate buys a beat-up, 1973 Volkswagen Bug, unaware that it's a former racing champion with a mind of his own and who's going to get her back into the world of automotive racing.

PLOT:

Automotive racing is in recent college graduate Maggie Peyton's (LINDSAY LOHAN) blood. After all, her grandfather was a champion and her dad, Ray Peyton Sr. (MICHAEL KEATON), owns the racing team under which Maggie's brother, Ray Jr. (BRECKIN MEYER), competes in NASCAR events. Despite an earlier involvement in street racing, Maggie has accepted a job in New York as an associate producer at ESPN and doesn't see herself getting back into the sport, much to the relief of her dad.

As a graduation present, he takes her to the local junkyard where she can pick out any car, and for seventy-five bucks she ends up choosing an old, beat-up Volkswagen Bug. Unaware that the Beetle is a former racing champion from decades earlier with a personality of his own, Maggie takes "Herbie" out for a spin and quickly comes to learn just that.

After a pit stop at a local garage where they pick up Maggie's former high school friend Kevin (JUSTIN LONG), Herbie transports them to a local car show where racing champion Trip Murphy (MATT DILLON) and his entourage, including right-hand man Crash (JIMMI SIMPSON), have made a surprise visit. Herbie ends up getting Maggie into the old racing gear he's been carrying, and with Maggie now donning a helmet that conceals her identity, Herbie forces a street race against Trip and his souped-up car.

When Herbie and Maggie win, that causes the egotistical Trip to want a rematch. With his participation in a big NASCAR race coming up and Ray Sr.'s team losing sponsors and money, Maggie ends up going along for the ride as Herbie hopes to save the day by getting her back into the world of automotive racing.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: It's a good bet many younger kids will probably want to see it, as might anyone who's a fan of someone in the cast.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: G: For not containing material to warrant a higher rating.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: LINDSAY LOHAN plays a recent college graduate whose interest in auto racing is rekindled when she buys Herbie, unaware that he's a former racing champion. From that point on, and as she tries to accept that her new old car has a personality and will of his own, she lies to her dad as she gets back into racing but ends up saving his racing team with Herbie's help.
MICHAEL KEATON plays her dad who owns the faltering racing team and doesn't want her to get back into the sport for fear of losing her (since she looks so much like his late wife).
MATT DILLON plays an egotistical racing champion who becomes upset when Herbie and Maggie end up beating him in a street race. From that point on, he sets out to get revenge by sabotaging and/or defeating them.
BRECKIN MEYER plays Maggie's brother, a race car driver who hasn't inherited the family gift for racing.
JUSTIN LONG plays Maggie's high school friend and local, run-down garage owner who helps get Herbie back into racing shape.
JIMMI SIMPSON plays Trip's right-hand man who sets out to destroy Herbie in a demolition derby.; MICHAEL KEATON plays her dad who owns the faltering racing team and doesn't want her to get back into the sport for fear of losing her (since she looks so much like his late wife).
MATT DILLON plays an egotistical racing champion who becomes upset when Herbie and Maggie end up beating him in a street race. From that point on, he sets out to get revenge by sabotaging and/or defeating them.
BRECKIN MEYER plays Maggie's brother, a race car driver who hasn't inherited the family gift for racing.
JUSTIN LONG plays Maggie's high school friend and local, run-down garage owner who helps get Herbie back into racing shape.
JIMMI SIMPSON plays Trip's right-hand man who sets out to destroy Herbie in a demolition derby.; MATT DILLON plays an egotistical racing champion who becomes upset when Herbie and Maggie end up beating him in a street race. From that point on, he sets out to get revenge by sabotaging and/or defeating them.
BRECKIN MEYER plays Maggie's brother, a race car driver who hasn't inherited the family gift for racing.
JUSTIN LONG plays Maggie's high school friend and local, run-down garage owner who helps get Herbie back into racing shape.
JIMMI SIMPSON plays Trip's right-hand man who sets out to destroy Herbie in a demolition derby.; BRECKIN MEYER plays Maggie's brother, a race car driver who hasn't inherited the family gift for racing.
JUSTIN LONG plays Maggie's high school friend and local, run-down garage owner who helps get Herbie back into racing shape.
JIMMI SIMPSON plays Trip's right-hand man who sets out to destroy Herbie in a demolition derby.; JUSTIN LONG plays Maggie's high school friend and local, run-down garage owner who helps get Herbie back into racing shape.
JIMMI SIMPSON plays Trip's right-hand man who sets out to destroy Herbie in a demolition derby.; JIMMI SIMPSON plays Trip's right-hand man who sets out to destroy Herbie in a demolition derby.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a brief summary of the content found in this comedy that's been rated G. Despite that rating, there's some mild, sexually related content that might surprise some viewers. Beyond the star occasionally wearing some tight, short and/or revealing attire (and a guy trying to catch sight of her changing clothes in a mirror reflection), there's a possible erection reference joke (the male VW Bug's antenna springs into an erect position upon sighting a female car) and some possible innuendo.

Various religious-based and other colorful phrases are uttered, and other potentially imitative behavior is present, while various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes (mostly played for comedy). Some moments of potential peril might be unsettling or suspenseful to some younger viewers (but probably not to older ones), and a scene from another movie briefly shows a human skeleton coming after a woman.

Some slapstick style material is present (including a car "beating up" some mean people), while a few car race crashes are present. Several comments are made about a mother being dead for a number of years, a father and his young adult daughter have some tense family moments (over lying and his refusal to allow her to race), and a brief line of crude dialogue is present.

If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: None.

BLOOD/GORE: Spotting Herbie, a junkyard owner says that he's blown bigger things out of his nose, and that are prettier too.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Most of the following is played for light and/or exaggerated comedy.
Ray has a bad attitude (from frustration) after crashing his car during a practice run.
Some of Maggie's former male acquaintances (her age) spot her and state that she looks good, with one then asking, "What happened?"
Trip, who has an enormous ego, tells Crash that when the women give him (Crash) their phone number (for Trip), he should get their photos to, as he doesn't want a repeat of a past event that he comments on by saying that he does enough charity work as it is.
Herbie purposefully extends his side-view mirror so that it scratches the side of Trip's car.
Trip and Maggie participate in an illegal street race.
Maggie lies to her dad about not being the driver who beat Trip in the street race and about not racing anymore in general.
Trip gets Maggie to take his race car out for a spin so that he can try to sabotage Herbie.
Various racecar drivers box-in Maggie and Herbie on the track, and then take turns banging into the car.
Trip purposefully slams into Herbie (and pushes his side against the wall) during the final laps of the big race.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: While some/all of the following may be unsettling or suspenseful for very young kids, it's unlikely it will have the same effect on older ones.
Some kids may be worried when we see cars being smashed and crushed in a junkyard, with Herbie being next. A forklift then picks him up and starts to take him over to the crusher, but he ends up falling onto another car that Maggie originally wanted as her gift.
Maggie screams as Herbie takes off with her inside, but it's all played for adventurous fun on the part of the film (although he nearly runs over Kevin in his shop).
We briefly see footage from a drive-in movie (showing the comedy "Scary Movie 2") that shows a life-sized skeleton pursuing a scared woman (and Herbie looks scared watching it).
Maggie's friend doesn't pay attention while driving and drifts into another lane, with Maggie grabbing the wheel just in time to avoid a collision.
Some kids may worry about Herbie when Crash leaves him as a sitting duck in a demolition derby (with the intent of having him be destroyed). Hoping to save him, Maggie runs across the dirt field through the various vehicles. We then see a "monster truck" (a huge one) coming up behind her and then launching into the air over her. Herbie quickly goes to the rescue and gets her out of the way just in time. That big truck chases them around the dirt field until Herbie gets behind and then lands down on the truck, causing it to come apart.
Various racecar drivers box-in Maggie and Herbie on the track, and then take turns banging into the car.
With a makeshift repair, we hear that Herbie might not make it through the race (as in he'll "die"), but he races off anyway. During the last laps, other cars bump him, thus loosening the repair and presumably threatening his life (but he's okay in the end).
Trip purposefully slams into Herbie (and pushes his side against the wall) during the final laps of the big race.
A car flips over during the race and Herbie is racing straight toward it, but then zips up along the underside of the big curved fence and avoids any contact.

GUNS/WEAPONS: None.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Phrases: "What the heck happened to you?" "I bet you took first place in the Ugly-anapolis 500," "Consider yourself crushed," "Loser," "I've been carjacked by my own car," "You crazy little car," "Cuckoo," "Busted my butt," "Oh jeez," "I'm going to exterminate this bug," "You want a piece of me?" "Idiot," "Freaking out," "Get a grip," "It's a chick," "Monster trucks rock," "I'm gonna wipe this bug off my windshield," "(I was a) Jerk," "I'm sorry dude," "This girl's really starting to tick me off," "You're going down bug" and "This isn't the end, bug."
All of the various driving stunts and other related action might be enticing for some kids to try to imitate.
Maggie rides her skateboard to her college graduation and gets there just in time to receive her diploma.
The way Maggie dresses (short skirts, midriff and cleavage revealing tops, etc.) might be enticing for some young girls to imitate.
A bald fan gets Trip to sign his head.
Trip and Maggie participate in an illegal street race.
We see various shirtless guys at a race with "Herbie" spelled out letter by letter on their chests.
Some miscellaneous women wear midriff-revealing tops.
We briefly see a guy with a lot of tattoos.
We briefly see a guy with a pierced chin area and/or lower lip.
Apparently trying to psyche himself up (and maybe the crowd before a demolition derby), Crash does some exaggerated screaming.

JUMP SCENES: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): A moderate amount of suspenseful music (most of it comedy-based) plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None.

PROFANITY: At least 8 uses of "Oh my God," 2 of "God" and 1 use of "Swear to God."

SEX/NUDITY: Maggie shows a little cleavage and wears a very short skirt.
Some of Maggie's former male acquaintances (her age) spot her and state that she looks good, with one then asking, "What happened?"
Trip tells Crash that when the women give him (Crash) their phone number (for Trip), he should get their photos to, as he doesn't want a repeat of a past event that he comments on by saying that he does enough charity work as it is (potentially sexual in nature, but that's never made clear).
After Herbie spits some oil onto Maggie's shirt, she changes into a racing outfit in the backseat, telling Kevin not to look. He promises, but then tries to get a sneak peek via the side-view mirror, but Herbie stops him from seeing anything by repeatedly moving the mirror.
When Herbie spots a new VW Bug, some sexy-style music plays on the soundtrack (nothing explicit, just the tone is that way).
Herbie shakes and causes Maggie to land on top of Kevin while they're rebuilding him (both are clothed and nothing happens).
Kevin tries putting his arm around Maggie at a drive-in movie, but she moves his hand back to his side of the car.
Maggie wears various tight tops that accentuate her ample bosom.
Sally shows a little cleavage.
We see Herbie's POV of checking out a new VW Bug (a female), with his gaze starting at her rear end. We then see Herbie's antenna suddenly spring up in an erect line (what some will see as excitement like hair raising up on one's arm, while others will see it as an erection reference/joke). Maggie then tells Herbie (about the other car), "She's too young for you."
We see Maggie in a short skirt and a top that shows some cleavage.
Maggie shows a little cleavage.
Trip comments that Maggie said (about his race car, but possibly some innuendo as well) "it was the best ride of her life."
There's a brief, but somewhat passionate kiss between Maggie and Kevin at the end of the film.

SMOKING: None.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: There are a few references to Maggie's mom not being there, including Ray Sr. stating that it's been 10 years and later saying he doesn't want to lose Maggie like he lost his wife (meaning she's dead).
Ray Sr. is upset with Maggie about her lying to him.
Maggie is mad that her dad won't let her take Ray's place in the race. She asks if it's because she's a girl, with him replying that she looks just like her mom and he can't lose her twice (with Maggie saying she might look the same, but is different on the inside).

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Automotive racing.
There are a few references to Maggie's mom not being there, including Ray Sr. stating that it's been 10 years and later saying he doesn't want to lose Maggie like he lost his wife (meaning she's dead) and thus refuses to allow her to race.
Trip and Maggie participate in an illegal street race.
The notion that cars have personalities.
The comment that it only takes one person to blaze a trail.
The comment that no woman has one the Nextel Race.
What "pinks" are (pink slips -- Trip and Maggie race for the other's).
Demolition derbies.

VIOLENCE: Most of the following is played in a light comedy and/or slapstick fashion.
Herbie blows exhaust onto and then sends a hubcap flying into a mean junkyard owner's head. Later, when that man tries to pull Herbie off a tow truck, the man falls to the ground and is then dragged behind Herbie who drives off until he gets a flat and goes no further.
Herbie slams on the brakes and Kevin slams into the inside of the windshield (played as slapstick).
Herbie purposefully extends his side-view mirror so that it scratches the side of Trip's car.
Herbie uses his door to knock Maggie inside (causing the racing helmet there to pop on her head).
During a street race, Trip purposefully bumps Herbie and spins the car around.
We see a cameraman's POV of Trip pushing the camera aside while mad at losing a race to Herbie.
Maggie playfully whacks Kevin.
Herbie opens his door to whack Kevin on his back/butt.
Herbie twice drops his engine hood (in the back of the car) down onto Trip who's trying to sabotage him, and then shoots oil out into his face. In response, Trip whacks Herbie several times with a tire iron (we don't see any damage), followed by Herbie hitting Trip in the face with his trunk lid (in the front of the car), sending Trip falling backwards to the ground.
Various cars purposefully crash into Herbie in a demolition derby.
Herbie ejects Crash through the top of the car and into the stands (he lands on some people who are unhurt).
Ray crashes into the track wall during a qualifying lap. We then see him in the hospital (he's okay, but he walks into a doorjamb, causing the nurse/doctor to state his depth perception is off in one eye -- although we later learn that might have been faked).
Various racecar drivers box-in Maggie and Herbie on the track, and then take turns banging into the car.
Trip purposefully slams into Herbie (and pushes his side against the wall) during the final laps of the big race.

Reviewed June 18, 2005 / Posted June 22, 2005

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