Herbie: Fully Loaded is a 2005 film by Walt Disney Pictures starring Lindsay Lohan alongside Michael Keaton, Matt Dillon, Breckin Meyer and Justin Long. The movie features many NASCAR drivers, including Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, and more. It is the first theatrical Herbie film since Herbie Goes Bananas in 1980. It was also one of the very last movies to be released to the home video market in the VHS videotape format, which would eventually be entirely phased out and replaced with DVD.[citation needed]
Plot
The story revolves around recent college graduate Maggie Peyton (Lohan), a former street racer and member of the Peyton racing clan. Maggie's new sportscasting job is put on hold when she buys Herbie, a run-down Volkswagen Beetle, and revives Herbie's faded racing career by winning several races, both on the street and on the race track.
After buying Herbie from a junkyard, Maggie learns that Herbie has a mind of his own when he takes her against her will to the garage where her old friend and mechanic Kevin works. Kevin (Long) persuades Maggie to take Herbie to a car show to buy parts for Herbie, but when they arrive, Herbie tricks Maggie into disguising herself in an old racing suit, including a helmet labeled "Maxx", and challenging NASCAR champion Trip Murphy (Dillon) to an impromptu race, which Herbie wins by a hair.
This delights Kevin, who tries to talk Maggie into racing again, but worries Maggie's father Ray Peyton Sr. (Keaton), who has forbidden her from racing since she was in a serious accident years back. It also infuriates Murphy, who becomes obsessed with Herbie and his elusive driver "Maxx." Murphy organizes a local street-racing competition to lure Herbie back for a rematch, which Maggie and Kevin enter. Herbie easily defeats the other cars and qualifies for the final match with Murphy, who talks Maggie into racing for pink slips without Kevin's knowledge. Jealous over Maggie's desire to win Murphy's stock car, Herbie intentionally loses the race. This marks the low point of the film, as Maggie is publicly embarrassed by her failure, Herbie is towed away, and Ray Sr. arrives to scold Maggie for lying to him about not racing.
However, Maggie's college friend Charisma was impressed by Maggie's driving and encourages her to race professionally. Maggie decides to follow Charisma's advice, and tries to buy Herbie back from Murphy, but Murphy has entered Herbie in a demolition derby. Desperate to save Herbie from destruction, Maggie goes to the derby, runs onto the field while the derby is in progress, pleads with Herbie to help her, and ultimately wins the derby, including a one-on-one battle with a huge monster truck.
Meanwhile, the financially troubled Peyton racing team may have to forfeit the upcoming Nextel Cup stock-car race because of two crashes by the team's driver, Ray Peyton Jr. (Meyer). Ray Sr. initially refuses to let Maggie drive for the team, but finally relents, allowing Kevin, Maggie, and the Team Peyton crew to rebuild and refit Herbie for the race. At the race track, Maggie and Herbie have a heart-to-heart conversation, and, after Murphy ominously warns Maggie that she may be in danger, the race begins.
Herbie starts the race slowly, but eventually catches up to the other cars and starts passing them. Meanwhile, as Maggie and Herbie make their first pit stop, Ray Sr., who has been watching the race at home, decides to join the crowd in person. On the race track, Herbie is soon boxed in by some other cars and threatened with damage. Maggie starts to lose her confidence, but regains it when Ray Sr., now at the track, encourages her over the team radio with his full support. With the help of Herbie and her father, Maggie escapes the trap by driving directly over the car in front of her, but Herbie immediately begins to lose oil pressure. This requires another pit stop and a new part for Herbie's oil system. The part is hurriedly extracted from the yellow New Beetle, which Herbie has been eyeing amorously throughout the film, owned by Sally, one of Team Peyton's few remaining sponsors. However, the jury-rigged oil system is not strong enough to withstand a shock, and Murphy is intent on preventing Herbie from winning.
With Maggie, Herbie, and Ray Sr. now all working together, Maggie and Herbie soon catch up to Murphy. The climax of the race occurs when Maggie tries to pass Murphy and Murphy pushes Herbie into the track wall. Murphy is caught off guard and crashes when Maggie slams on the brakes, and Herbie passes Murphy's car, now upside down on the track, by climbing onto the fence above the wall. After doing a midair roll and landing back on the track, Maggie and Herbie win the race. While Maggie is congratulated by her father and brother, Murphy is driven away in an ambulance, raging furiously about Herbie. The film ends with a photograph of Herbie's victory and a scene in which Ray Sr. warns Herbie and Sally's New Beetle not to stay out too long on their date.
Cast
Box office
| US Domestic Gross: |
$66,023,816 |
| + Other International Takings: |
$78,110,000 |
|
| Gross Worldwide Takings: |
$144,133,816 |
Awards
At the 2006 Kids' Choice Awards, Lindsay Lohan won Favorite Female Actress for her role in Herbie: Fully Loaded, and the film was also nominated for Favorite Movie, but lost to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Marketing
The movie was reported to include heavy uses of product placements. For example, Maggie Peyton was a ESPN (owned by Disney) journalist turned NASCAR driver. A huge billboard for Mid America Motorworks (an aftermarket parts supplier for classic Volkswagens and other vehicles) is seen in the background of the scene where Murphy attempts to sabotage Herbie. In addition, Volkswagen provided a Volkswagen Touareg and a Volkswagen New Beetle for use in certain scenes.[1]
References to other Herbie films/Trivia
- Maggie buys Herbie from the junkyard for $75. This is the same amount Jim Douglas offers Thorndyke for "cheap, honest transportation" in the original film.
- The sign at the car show at the beginning of the movie says "El Dorado." This is the name of the final big race in the first film.
- Herbie's race-winning move echoes the moves he made in Herbie Rides Again of going up the side of a cliff, as well as a similar move executed at the end of Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, wherein he won by overtaking his rival on the roof of the Monte Carlo F1 circuit.
- The last name "Peyton" was the first name of the director of the The Love Bug (1997 film).
- Kevin wears patches that also appeared on Wheelie's overalls in "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo".
- The famous "Herbie music" is heard when Maggie takes Herbie driving for the first time and is remixed during the end credits.
- Although the character never appears in the film, it is implied that Jim Douglas wrote the note that Maggie finds in the glove compartment. Thi is because the letter is similar to Douglas' dialogue in the The Love Bug.
- The film was originally scheduled for release on June 24, which was the release date for Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo.
- This film contradicts one of the edicts presented in the 1997 TV movie: in 1997, when Herbie is being rebuilt, Jim Douglas insists that all of Herbie's original parts must be fixed and used, instead of replacing them with vintage parts from ordinary VW Bugs. Not to do so would cause Herbie to lose his "vital essence." In this film, Herbie is rebuilt both into a street racer and later into a NASCAR racer, with new parts, but with no loss of his personality. It could be considered that the 1997 film is not canon, and does not play a part in The Love Bug/Herbie franchise.
- In this film, Herbie falls in love again: Previously he fell in love in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo.
Soundtrack
References
External links
