The Love Bug (1968)

The Love Bug (1968)

4/10

Starring

Dean Jones

Michele Lee

David Tomlinson

Buddy Hackett

 

Directed by Robert Stevenson

 

You know how some movies age well with time? Then there are some movies that are just timeless—no matter when you see it, it will always be a classic. The Love Bug is neither of these movies. I recall seeing this movie when I was much younger, and I was captured by the idea of an anthropomorphic car just wanting to be the one and only in his driver’s eye. I guess the ease of satisfaction that came from the bad guy getting oil splashed on his face and sprayed on his shoes was enough to make young me smile. Now, watching it, I dozed off twice and had to start watching the movie again from the beginning twice.

It’s not that the story is bad; it’s just boring. The antics of the car were mild and easy to enjoy, but the races were too annoying, and the gimmicks on the racetrack made me lose more interest in finding this movie exciting.

Then there’s the needless betting, and the back-and-forth of who will end up owning the car was also tiresome.

The Love Bug was the first in a series of movies that followed the adventures of Herbie. Herbie is the anthropomorphic Volkswagen Beetle car. He does not talk but has a mind of his own and does everything he can to make sure his new owner gets ahead—not only in the races but in life.

The movie doesn’t mention the origin of Herbie; all we know is that it’s a unique car with the above-listed features. Herbie is a race car and can take on any race car and win.

The movie’s protagonist is Jim, who came across Herbie when he went by a car showroom and was struck by the beauty of another car. His interest also peaked when he met the showroom lady Carole, his love interest. The showroom owner Peter (portrayed by the magnificent David Tomlinson [Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks]) is the antagonist in this movie. When Jim was admiring the car he couldn’t afford, Herbie bumped into him as he was leaving. We see Peter being mean to Herbie’s existence and asking for it to be thrown in the back. Herbie sneaks out and follows Jim home. The police were called, and they traced Herbie’s whereabouts to Jim. Jim was forced to buy Herbie to avoid the charges of theft. At first, Jim struggled to control Herbie and tried to give him back. But when he finally decided to work on the car, he discovered that it was a race car. From there, Jim and Herbie started winning races. Peter now wanted Herbie back and started pulling every possible trick to get Herbie back in his shop to discover what could make a Beetle beat race cars.

Disney made many more movies after this 1968 one, and I guess they milked the hell out of this franchise before they laid it to rest.