Herald rating: * * *
Old-fashioned Disney vehicle - literally. Maggie (Lindsey Lohan) has grown up in a famous family of US car-racing drivers and wants to be the next generation. Except that her one-time superstar, supercar dad (Michael Keaton) doesn't believe that driving racing cars is any sort of
a job for a girl. So she is pushed into sports journalism.
When Dad says his little girl can pick her graduation present, she finds Herbie in a junkyard. Yep, Herbie, the once-famous, long-lost, lovable, li'l V-Dub Beetle racer from those Disney movies in the 60s (oops, Lohan was not born then ... 70s ... ummm ... ) yeah, well, y'know, like back from really ancient history, the sequels in the 1980s.
To succeed, our heroine will have to face down some serious cliches: her brother (Breckin Meyer), who is the apple of Dad's eye but isn't a good driver compared with his sister; the loudmouth hotshot star driver (Matt Dillon), the klutzy, geeky mechanic (Justin Long) who's in love with Herbie and its driver.
No, look, I'm being mean here. This really is one of those family movies that you haven't seen since the heyday of Disney. The DVD spends a lot of time with the movie's young director, Angela Robinson who follows the formula to the letter.
Behind-the-scenes features show how much fun they had on set, though that doesn't necessarily translate to the finished movie. Robinson also heads an energetic commentary, three short features on US stock car racing, stunts, and re-making a Disney legend. Lohan gets a music video and prime spots in the blooper reel and deleted scenes.
* Available for DVD and video rental from today
