As Novas Aventuras do Fusca

Robert Stevenson returned to direct this sequel to "The Love Bug" that sees Helen Hayes star as Grandma Steinmetz, who has temporary custody of Herbie in her firehouse home, who comes in handy when crooked businessman Alonzo Hawk(played once again by Keenan Wynn from the previous two flubber films) wants to buy her out, but after she refuses, uses nefarious means to force her out. Ken Berry and Stefanie Powers costar as friends who wind up helping her fight Hawk. Hayes is amusing, though it's a pity that none of the previous three leads returned, and this film is just a bit too silly for its own good, especially the finale.

In the first movie, Herbie was a real personality and he could be jealous, angry, depressed or suicidal and even intoxicated. The viewer saw that there was a special bond between car and owner. But in this sequel, again set in San Francisco, the bond is with Helen Hayes and Herbie instead of the man. Stephanie Powers as the love interest is too violent and aggressive, and her character played against the wimpy Ken Berry comes across as downright harsh--there is no chemistry between them (unlike Dean Jones and Michelle Lee in the original film). In various scenes, she is seen assaulting Berry.In one scene they are having lunch at Fisherman's Wharf and she stands up and smacks him in the face with a lobster ("He's YOUR uncle?!") Is this really supposed to be funny?

But in this uninspired sequel, the real star is Helen Hayes--not the car and certainly not with Ken Berry, who merely becomes a supporting character in this. Helen Hayes, as an old lady battling a developer, is seen in various life-threatening situations in the movie. In various surreal scenes, Haye's character is knitting while riding Herbie,impervious to the danger around her as Herbie scales a skyscraper or rides atop the Golden Gate Bridge. She is sickeningly sacharrin sweet but she plays her scenes well.

The climax of this movie is weak, and it is really a collection of surreal scenes involving Herbie and Helen Hayes. There is no romance and no racing, both of which were key elements which made the original such a success. This movie was made in the transitional period, between the really great Disney classics like "Mary Poppins" and the excellent productions that Disney puts out today. The movie and plot are very predictable as is the inevitable outcome. Naturally, there's no way that the outcome is realistic as city zoning laws forbid houses in a district of skyscrapers.

"The Love Bug" runs this entry a very close second, but the energy of "Herbie Rides Again" makes it perfect for kids. There are many great scenes and sequences that appeal to the younger set, and the normally 'bo-ring' opening credits are spiced up with stock footage of buildings being demolished. That immediately made me pay attention when I was a little whipper-snapper!

Disney should have stopped this series at this point. The next film, "Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo," was pedestrian, and only saving grace was that it, A) features Don Knotts, and B) is 1,000 times better than "Herbie Goes Bananas," the only good thing about which is the whacky title.

Helen Hayes is the single-minded "Mrs. Steinmetz". She is determined not to be forced from her alleged "firetrap" home by the mall-building millionaire "Hawk" (Keenan Wynn). Luckily she has "Nicole" (Stefanie Powers) to help out - and she proves especially useful when "Hawk" sends his gullible nephew "Willoughby" (Ken Berry) to try and charm the old woman from her home. Now she is the aunt of "Tennessee" (from "Love Bug" - 1969) and happens to be the new owner of "Herbie" and it's clear that our honourable VW is unwavering is a desire to help the old girl too. Battle lines are drawn and soon the wrecking balls are at the ready, the cleaning foam hoses are primed and we get ninety minutes of rather predictable slap-stick capers. It's not that this is a bad film, indeed both Hayes and the megalomanic Wynn are both quite good, it's just that there's nowhere near enough of our magical car, and what we do get is all just a bit routine. Berry is a relatively charm free foil for what limited humour there is and the story is all just a bit too thin and procedural. It comes across as a sequel for the sake of it, rather than because anyone involved had any passion for the project, and though perfectly watchable it is equally perfectly forgettable.

The thing that brought this film down the most was that the only original character was the VW. I much preferred Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo for two main reasons. Firstly the main character (Jim Douglas) was there and secondly because the plot was more about the car. This film felt more like a regular comedy that happened to involve Herbie. I would've rather the film to be more about the car rather than just involving him (as the original and Monte Carlo were). Funny moments saved the film from total lameness, as did the amusing 1974 special effects (was there really as many special effects people involved as were listed in the credits to get these results?). Not all the charm of the lovable car was lost on the plot that didn't involve him as he still played his part when the chips were down. In terms of acting, Herbie was obviously the best performance followed (albeit by a large margin) by Keenan Wynn as the baddie. I think he actually did a better job as the baddie than David Tomlinson did in the original 1968 film The Love Bug.