by Sun Meilan

Created on: May 07, 2008

When Maggie Peyton graduates from college, her father, Ray, decides to buy her a car to celebrate. Maggie is delighted, but gets a little more than she bargains for when she ends up with an ancient Volkswagen Bug called Herbie which seems to have a mind of its own. Going to a car race with her friend Kevin, Maggie is initially embarrassed at the state of her car, but she soon begins to fall for its curves when it races against a celebrated racer, Trip Murphy, and comes off the winner. The taste of success suits both Maggie and Herbie and they are soon eager for more. The only problem is that Maggie was injured in a car race a few months before and whose father is reluctant to let her near another race. Can Maggie drive Herbie to the dizzy heights they both desire? Or will Herbie be relegated back to the scrap yard?

I can honestly say that I have never seen a Herbie film before, even though I was a child when some of the films were released, and never thought I would ever want to. However, I like to think that I am broad-minded enough to give anything a go...and I was with a nine year old at the time I watched this (that's my excuse anyway!) And I was pleasantly surprised. This was never going to be a film that I want to come back to again and again, but for a family film, it is light-hearted and entertaining and perfect for watching when you want something frivolous and comforting.

I've read a lot about Lindsay Lohan in the press; most of it about her bad behaviour rather than her acting and I had allowed myself to be convinced that she is a silly little girl with nothing much to recommend her. I don't really care about her behaviour off-screen. On screen, I thought she was pretty good. The role of Maggie isn't exactly a complicated one, but she looks and sounds appealing and I found myself quite happy to sit back, relax, and watch her. In this format, at least, she is a good role model for her teenage fans.

I've seen Justin Long act once before, in Die Hard 4, and enjoyed his performance. I liked him here too. Again, it isn't exactly a difficult role to pull off, but I found his slight geekiness appealing and much more convincing than some of the teen idols these days. Michael Keaton and Matt Dillon also appear, as Maggie's father and Trip Murphy respectively. Keaton gives a solid performance as a likable, over-protective father. I loved Matt Dillon as Trip. I saw him recently playing a down and out in Factotum - this is much more suited to his style and I enjoyed

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