Herbie Fully Loaded wants to be a family comedy about a talking car, a racing movie, and a romance between a mechanic and a college graduate. It manages to be none of those things well, mostly because it cannot decide which one it wants to be. The result is a film that spends its runtime trying to balance three genres and failing to land any of them.
The premise is simple enough. Maggie Peyton, played by Lindsay Lohan, inherits a Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie after her family loses several races. Herbie has a mind of its own, and it takes Maggie on a wild ride from the junkyard to the racetrack. Along the way, she meets Trip Murphy, a NASCAR driver played by Matt Dillon, who wants to stop Herbie from winning. The film follows Maggie as she learns to trust Herbie, challenges Trip to a race, and eventually enters a local competition to settle the score once and all.
Trailer, via YouTube Movies.
The Car That Should Carry The Film
Herbie is the star of the show, and the film knows it. The writers, Robert Ben Garant, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Mark Perez, build the story around the idea that a car can think for itself. That is a strong foundation for a comedy, and for a while, it works. Herbie’s antics, from squirting oil on Maggie’s shirt to tricking her into a race, are the funniest moments in the film.
But the problem is that the writers cannot sustain the joke. Once the film introduces Trip Murphy and the racing plot, Herbie’s personality gets pushed to the background. The car that should drive the story becomes a prop in a drama about rivalry and revenge. By the time the final race arrives, Herbie is barely doing anything except sitting there while Maggie and Trip fight.
Lohan And Dillon Struggle With A Thin Script
Lindsay Lohan plays Maggie as a college graduate who is the youngest member of a racing family. She is supposed to be smart, funny, and determined. Instead, she comes across as a character who reacts to events rather than causes them. Her best scenes involve Herbie, where she can play confused and amused. When the film shifts to the racing plot, her performance flattens out.
Matt Dillon plays Trip Murphy as a NASCAR driver who is obsessed with defeating Herbie. His character is meant to be a foil to Maggie, but the script gives him little to do beyond wanting to win. Dillon is a capable actor, and he does what he can with the material, but the writing does not let him dig deep. The chemistry between Maggie and Kevin, played by Justin Long, is better developed, but even that relationship feels thin next to the film’s other obligations.
The Racing Plot That Runs On Empty
The middle of the film is where the movie falls apart. Trip organizes a local racing competition to lure Herbie back for a rematch. Herbie easily defeats the other cars and qualifies for the final match with Trip. The film tries to build tension around the race, but the setup is weak. We do not care about the other racers, and we do not understand why Trip is so invested in beating Herbie.
The Climax That Cheats Its Own Setup
The climax is worse. When Trip talks Maggie into racing for pink slips, Herbie becomes jealous over Maggie’s desire to win Trip’s stock car and intentionally loses the race. This twist is meant to be clever, but it reads as a cheat. The film has spent an hour setting up a fair contest, and then it throws away the rules at the last second. The audience is left feeling cheated, not thrilled.
Cameos That Don’t Add Up
The film is full of cameo appearances from real NASCAR drivers. Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Dale Jarrett all show up as themselves. There are also smaller cameos from UNH announcer Allen Bestwick, 1973 NASCAR champion Benny Parsons, and ESPN broadcaster Stuart Scott. The idea is that these cameos add authenticity to the world of the film.
They do not. The cameos are placed randomly throughout the movie, often without any context. They feel like a checklist of names rather than a story element. The film also includes cars driven by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Casey Mears, Kasey Kahne, Jeremy Mayfield, Mark Martin, Ward Burton, Carl Edwards, Jimmy Spencer, Mike Bliss, Scott Wimmer, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray, Rusty Wallace, Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, and Elliott Sadler. That is a lot of names, and most of them are shown for a few seconds before disappearing off screen.
“Start your engines…”
That tagline is the closest the film comes to a mission statement. It is a call to action, but the film never quite answers it. The races are supposed to be the center of the story, but they are poorly staged and underwritten. The film spends more time on Maggie’s romance with Kevin than on the actual racing.
What Works In The First Half
The film is not a complete failure. The first half, where Maggie discovers Herbie and learns to trust him, is genuinely funny. Herbie’s antics are a joy to watch, and the writers know how to use them to create moments of surprise and humor. The chemistry between Maggie and Kevin is also a bright spot, even though the romance is underdeveloped.
The film also benefits from a talented supporting cast. Breckin Meyer plays Ray Peyton Jr., Maggie’s older brother, with a charm that grounds the family dynamics. Cheryl Hines plays Sally, and Thomas Lennon plays Larry Murphy, Trip’s brother. Jimmi Simpson plays Crash, Trip’s tech assistant. Jill Ritchie plays Charisma, and Jeremy Roberts plays Dave “Crazy Dave.” All of these actors bring energy to their roles, but the script does not give them much to work with.
The Final Verdict
Herbie Fully Loaded is a mess, but it is a mess with some good ingredients. The car is charming, the first half is funny, and the supporting cast is talented. But the film’s refusal to commit to a single genre is its downfall. It wants to be a comedy, a racing movie, and a romance, and it ends up being none of them.
The film premiered at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on May 10, 2005, and was released in theaters on June 22. It was distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution and grossed over $144 million worldwide. Those numbers suggest the film found an audience, but they do not change the quality of the product.
Here is a quick rundown of the film’s strengths and weaknesses:
- Herbie’s personality is the strongest element of the story.
- The first half of the film is genuinely funny.
- The supporting cast brings energy to their roles.
- The racing plot is poorly developed and underwritten.
- The cameo appearances feel like a checklist of names.
- The final race cheats the rules it spent an hour establishing.
Herbie Fully Loaded is a flawed film with a good heart. It is worth watching for the early jokes and the charm of the titular character, but it is not worth recommending to anyone looking for a coherent story. The film is a disappointment, and its reputation has not aged well.
The film’s failure is not a matter of taste. It is a matter of execution. The writers had a good idea, but they could not follow through on it. The result is a film that leaves the audience wanting more of Herbie and less of everything else.
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