I feel a certain closeness with Herbie. Perhaps because when I was a kid my mother and father took me to see one of the original films based on this lovable VW bug. Or maybe because kids just naturally like cars with human-like behavior. In either case, with the new version out, I decided I'd repay my parent's kindness and take them out to see a show they'd taken me to all those years ago.

For better or worse, all that I recall from the Herbie films of yesteryear is that endearing car and that I liked them. So I won't compare. Yet even with all that "good feeling" going in, this year's Herbie didn't let me down. My parents and I had fun! We laughed, we jumped, we routed for Herbie and Maggie (Lindsay Lohan). They both performed marvelously.

In fact, all involved acted well. It was good to see Michael Keaton back on the big screen (Maggie's dad). The casting is strong. The script is surprisingly funny. Not that it's fantastic, but it goes even further than it needs for a kid-flick. We laughed often and many times, it was the good writing, not just the sight gags. Very well directed and edited to a sweet clipping pace. Never a dull moment. This is just good clean family fun!

Lastly, and perhaps adding just a bit more fun for me personally, the film was shot in my backyard. Well, not in the back of my house, but in my neighborhood. I've got to admit, I got quite a kick out of seeing ol' Herbie swerving down my town's main street as they filmed him/it last year.

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