Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977)

Memorable, crazy movie

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Nearly ten years after the original Love Bug races, Jim Douglas (Dean Jones) is back in the game! This time he has a new mechanic/sidekick, Wheeley Applegate (Don Knotts). Together, they have entered the Paris to Monte Carlo race and harbor high hopes of winning. Unexpectedly, as Jim goes through the first practice sessions, Herbie begins to act bizarre. Before long, the reason is clear; The Love Bug is in love! This time its a sweet blue racer driven by a WOMAN, Diane (Julie Sommars). Soon, there is a mild collision, as Herbie is trying to snuggle with the blue auto. Diane is furious at Jim and believes he, like all of the others, doesn't respect her as a capable driver. Jim stammers apologies and sure likes the looks of Diane. Meanwhile, a respected professional is planning to steal a huge diamond that he has sworn to protect, by installing a new security system. However, his two minions bungle the theft and end up putting the beautiful rock into Herbie's gas tank. Now, not only is the VW acting strangely, he is being followed by those who want to recover the jewel. With all of this turmoil and a large field of racers, will Herbie stand a chance of winning? Come on, he's proved he is a winner, right? This darling movie, the third in the Love Bug series, is still fresh and funny despite being made long ago. Jones is terrific as the handsome driver while Knotts shines in the shotgun role. Sommars, who some may remember from the television show The Governor and JJ, is pretty and entertaining as the woman determined to show she can play with the boys. All of the other cast members, perhaps European but unknown to American audiences, are very comedic, too. Then, too, the scenery in Paris and the French countryside is wonderful, as are the costumes, script, and zesty direction. Are you a fan of this series? You will love it but so will most folks who sit down for an evening view.

When you think about Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo raises some interesting philosophical questions. Such as how is the sex of a car determined? Are here certain part variations as there are with animals or is the sex determined by the owner?You won't get the answer to these questions, but with Dean Jones as racing driver Jim Douglas back at the steering wheel you will get a reasonably fun movie from the Disney Studio. This is the third Herbie film from the Magic Kingdom and it lives up to the standard created by the first one.Jones after giving the car over to the tender care of Helen Hayes in the second film is back at the wheel, this time with Don Knotts instead of Buddy Hackett as his mechanic. Though I like Knotts very much as a performer, something was definitely missing without Buddy Hackett in the film. You'd have to have seen the first to appreciate it, but Hackett was the first to discover the true essence of Herbie, the Volkwagen with a soul.Dean and Don have several problems to overcome. The first is a pair of inept jewel thieves who nearly get themselves caught even with all the museum layout and security systems information. To avoid capture Bernard Fox and Roy Kinnear dump one very large diamond into Herbie's gas tank before the Grand Prix race from Paris to Monte Carlo. The second is an officious German driver who apparently well remembers that Volkswagen's were not vehicles of sport from the Third Reich. Eric Braeden is one of those Germans you just love to hate.The final problem is Herbie who takes one look at the lines on the car Julie Sommars is driving and guess what, her car has a soul as well. I guess you needed a handsome, devilish may car, rogue like Herbie to bring it out. He also of course brings Julie and Dean together, though I do have to wonder what happened with Michele Lee from the original film.Nice location scenery of France, the countryside and the metropolitan areas of Paris and Monte Carlo definitely help one enjoy this film even if you're not a devoted fan of the soulful Herbie.

Even Disney are guilty of the cash cow disease, after the roaring success of The Love Bug in 1968, the house of mouse cashed in with Herbie Rides Again, Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo, and Herbie Goes Bananas. Neither sequel capturing the charm and inoffensive appeal of The Love Bug back in 68, in this one we find race driver Jim Douglas and his sidekick Wheely Applegate, entering Herbie in the Monte Carlo Rally. Naturally things outside of the race start to take over priorities, they get mixed up in a diamond robbery and Herbie falls in love with another car!. The car stunts are of course pleasant and easy on the eye, and it would be churlish of me to really vent venom on such a friendly piece of fluff, it's just that the film goes nowhere fast and personally now i can see it for the coin motivated piece of work it is. Still you get to see Herbie take a bath, foil the baddies and of course dance for the lady in his life, so something there for everyone i think....................4/10.

Although the movie is quite old, the special effects are obvious and the cgi non-existent, this is one of the best family-movies ever. The story is simple, two thieves have hidden a diamond in a race-car which is now competing in the Trans-France Race, but it isn't your usual VW. And who is this mysterious Mister X?The scenes where Herbie and the Lancia meet are unforgettable, the two thieves are pretty much the comic relief, the love interest Diane has some pretty sharp edges, and the racing against the German and the French guy adds another point of tension to it.The low rate for this movie surprised me. I thought it was a very good movie, with action, nice characters, humour, and some good fun. 8/10