1974, Walt Disney Productions
Live action
Rating: G
Approx. 89 mins.
THE STORY:
Amiable, naive Willoughby Whitfield (Ken Berry), fresh out of law school, appears at the office of his uncle Alonzo (Keenan Wynn) in hopes of a job. What Willoughby doesn't realize is that Alonzo Hawk is one of the most greedy, ruthless real estate developers in the world. Kind-hearted Willoughby is exactly the person Alonzo needs to help his bulldozing plans by forcing an elderly woman (Helen Hayes) out of her house. What he doesn't count on is her spirited, protective granddaughter, Nicole (Stephanie Powers), and her (literally) self-possessed car, Herbie.
Between the three of them, the women and car manage to convert Willoughby to their way of thinking. Nicole also manages to convince Willoughby of her charms and he is soon smitten. Rather than giving up, Uncle Alonzo takes matters into his own hands, but gets more than he bargained for when he tries to steal Herbie. In the end, Alonzo learns that there is no beating a car with a mind of its own, and the good guys live happily ever after.
Between the three of them, the women and car manage to convert Willoughby to their way of thinking. Nicole also manages to convince Willoughby of her charms and he is soon smitten. Rather than giving up, Uncle Alonzo takes matters into his own hands, but gets more than he bargained for when he tries to steal Herbie. In the end, Alonzo learns that there is no beating a car with a mind of its own, and the good guys live happily ever after.
QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:
- none
VIOLENCE:
- the female lead character expresses displeasure by punching
TEACHING POINTS:
- do what you think is right even if it's scary
THE UPSHOT:
I much preferred this to the first movie in the series (although I did miss Buddy Hackett)-- it just seemed less mean-spirited and more kid-appropriate. It's very old school-- not very sophisticated, plenty of slapstick, simple story line, dated special effects. But therein lies some charm.
My biggest criticism would have to be that Herbie was kind of secondary and definitely underused.
Once the retro nostalgia had worn off, the adults in the room could take it or leave it. Particularly since the last movie we watched was a bit complex and taxing, the 5 year-old in the room really responded to the easiness of watching Herbie et al. Nothing to infer, nothing to note for future reference, nothing based on background knowledge a youngster doesn't have. It's like visual muzak.
My biggest criticism would have to be that Herbie was kind of secondary and definitely underused.
Once the retro nostalgia had worn off, the adults in the room could take it or leave it. Particularly since the last movie we watched was a bit complex and taxing, the 5 year-old in the room really responded to the easiness of watching Herbie et al. Nothing to infer, nothing to note for future reference, nothing based on background knowledge a youngster doesn't have. It's like visual muzak.
3/5
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