Herbie Fully Loaded

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details about Herbie Fully Loaded's classification and consumer advice lines
• a review of Herbie Fully Loaded completed by Young Media Australia (YMA) on 23 June 05.

Overall comments and recommendations

Herbie: Fully Loaded is a return to the screen of the former Love Bug. It is an entertaining, if fairly predictable family movie, with slapstick humour aimed at older children. As such, it has limited appeal to adults, and younger children will probably find it boring.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) and the associated consumer advice lines.

YMA review

This review of the movie Herbie Fully Loaded contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• use of violence
• material that may scare children
• product placement
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie's message

A synopsis of the story

Herbie is a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle that was formerly a champion-racing car. After his racing career went downhill, Herbie ended up on the scrap heap in Crazy Dave's car yard. About to be crushed into scrap metal, Herbie's ‘life' is saved by Maggie Peyton (Lindsay Lohan). Maggie, granddaughter of former champion racing driver Jack Peyton and the youngest daughter in a family of racing car drivers, aspires to become the first female racing champion.

Maggie reluctantly selects Herbie as a graduation present from her father (Michael Keaton), but when she takes Herbie for her first drive, she soon realises this is no ordinary car. With a mind of his own, Herbie drives to the Hot Rod Motor Show where, after intentionally scratching champion driver Trip Murphy's (Matt Dillon) car, he is challenged to a street race in which he defeats the champion. A humiliated Trip seeks revenge on Herbie and asks for a rematch, with a grand prize of $10,000 on offer. As Maggie's father does not like her racing and won't let her do it, she goes behind his back and disguises herself to enter the race.

Use of violence

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie, all of which is set in a comic context:

• Herbie tries to escape the car yard and drives off, dragging the car yard owner on the ground behind him
• One of Herbie's hubcaps flies off and hits the car yard owner in the head.
• The mechanic trips on his roller-board, falls on his back and hits his head on his toolbox.
• While Trip Murphy is poking around Herbie's engine, Herbie shuts his boot on Trip's head.
• Trip hits Herbie with a crowbar, so Herbie opens his bonnet and knocks Trip on his back.
• Demolition derby cars batter Herbie.

Material that may scare children

Under eight

Children under eight are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations, the death of a parent or child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

Younger children in this age bracket may be concerned by the crane or the Monster Truck threatening to crush Herbie. They may also be bored by some of the movie's content.

Over the age of eight

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Children in this age group would not be scared by this movie.

Product placement

The following products were displayed or used in this movie:

• Pepsi
• Goodyear
• Cheetos
• Valvoline.

Sexual references

The only sexual reference is that one of the racing cars is sponsored by Viagra, which appears on the screen for a few moments.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is no nudity or sexual activity in this movie.

Use of substances

There is no use of substances.

Coarse language

There is occasional use of ‘oh my God'.

The movie's message

This movie's purpose is simply to entertain, and as such, has no take home message. Values parents may wish to encourage include loyalty, honesty and friendship.