The latest in a long line of cinematic adventures starring Herbie, the beige, '63 VW Beetle that sports the No. 53, and yes, has a mind of its own, Herbie: Fully Loaded begins with our hero having fallen on hard times, languishing in a junkyard. Herbie is spared from the scrap heap by Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan), who is looking for a new car. Turns out Maggie's granddad was a NASCAR champ, her brother is a journeyman racer, and her father (a gently grizzled Michael Keaton) is the team owner trying to keep sponsors onboard. Dad doesn't want Maggie to race, but it's clear she's got her granddad's lineage.
Loyal and mischievous, the Love Bug is sensitive, has the hots for one of those new-fangled Beetles, and loves to race. The only thing standing in their way is Trip Murphy (Matt Dillon), a NASCAR champion who Maggie and Herbie best in a street race and who's determined to settle the score. The film has some fun with Herbie racing for its life in a demolition derby against a monster truck, and a big race featuring the Bug and a track full of stock cars is entertaining.
You might expect Lohan to slum this role, given her bad-girl/crazy-girl reputation, but she displays her usual charm, and old pros such as Dillon and Keaton are game, also. With Disney's animated films floundering, Herbie is the kind of straightforward entertainment it can still do well. Funny without being too hip, sweet without being too sentimental, it would be a nice niche for the studio to find its way back to.