The Love Bug (1968)

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Well - I know one thing for certain - Whatever it was (and it was never explained) that "possessed" Herbie (the VW Love Bug) - I'd say that this bewitched, little vehicle was clearly of an unsound mind.Not only did "Herbie" have a peculiar attitude towards being irrationally destructive - But he also threw perplexing temper tantrums and had strong suicidal tendencies, as well.With disturbing qualities such as these - Had "Herbie" actually been a real person - You can bet that he'd be under the close observation of a very concerned psychiatrist.I think it's interesting to note that the VW logo was never featured in this live-action cartoon at all. And that's because Disney Productions had not been given the OK from the Volkswagen auto-maker to use their name in any way.And - As a final note - This "Disney-cute" Comedy/Romance (from 1968) was completed on a $5 million budget. It went on to gross 10x that amount at the box-office.

Robert Stevenson directed this appealing comedy that stars Dean Jones as unemployed race car driver Jim Douglas, who comes into possession of a Volkswagen Beetle named Herbie that somehow has a life of its own, and as soon as Jim realizes this, with the help of his friend Tennessee Steinmetz(played by Buddy Hackett) Herbie goes to work winning races for him, and helping him meet an attractive lady(played by Michele Lee) He must compete against his chief rival Peter Thorndyke(played by David Tomlinson) to win the big climatic race. Amusing and delightful film can be enjoyed equally by adults and children alike. First in a series of such films with Herbie.

This really is the close-to-perfect live-action Disney flick. No real false notes, nothing socially significant (up until you count up all the bucks the various Herbies have raked in), fun, breezy performances, and a 12 year old who sat there in our living room, laughing out loud, 40 years after the movie came out.Good job, Herbie! What makes The Love Bug work is its package of journeymen performances, off-the-wall special effects, and a thorough feeling of niceness oozing from the good guys, even when they fall off their respective nice wagons. TLB is sweet without being campy, childlike without childishness.It's a hard act to follow--the sequels have run the gamut from dull to downright stupid (unless you tuned into Lindsay Lohan's version to enjoy seeing her squeezed into coveralls), but the strength of The Love Bug is in watching your spouse and kid laughing without embarrassment.The Love Bug is delightful. Don't be embarrassed by enjoying it!

i first saw this film in 1989 when i was 8. i enjoyed it immensely and having taped it off TV i would watch it on a regular basis. Now, most things that i liked as a child i can't stand now but i do still like this. i liked it as a child and i still like it now at 25. probably one of the few things that have stood the test of time with me, i usually go off things very quickly. this is quite superior to most of Disney's other films in that it is good for adults as well as children, in fact this was probably the only Disney film i liked as a kid (bedknobs and broomsticks is an exception) i usually preferred Disney's cartoons as opposed to their films i have to give this a 7 out of 10 far better than it's three sequels, although Herbie goes to Monte Carlo is nearly as good