 The Love Bug (1969) Right? Not really. My memory rose-tinted this one to the point of complete denial. Or maybe I'm remembering one of the later Herbie movies, such as Herbie Goes Bananas or Herbie in Swaziland. In any case, there's barely anything remotely funny about The Love Bug – in fact, the bulk of it is dire and depressing, from the charmless leading man (Dean Jones, who bears a strong resemblance to Lou Christie) to the deeply unpleasant villain (David Tomlinson, sort of a bargain-basement Vincent Price minus the charisma). Even Buddy Hackett manages to suck all enjoyment out of the atmosphere … you keep expecting some googly-eyed kookiness, but he just keeps offering some kind of variation on David Carradine's "Kung Fu" schtick, not particularly aiming for laughs. Then there's the car. It's never explained why Herbie is so emotional, nor does anyone think to question it, nor do they seem at all startled by the fact that the car drives itself. I think I may have been confusing Herbie with that sputtering Hanna-Barbera Dune Buggy character, but in The Love Bug, what we have is an extremely clingy car who at one point actually attempts suicide! Now, I know I've written scads of fake reviews for this site that purport many ridiculous things that clearly do not happen in the movie described. And re-reading this review, I can only say that it looks like I'm making shit up just for the hell of it. But I'm serious: Herbie tries to throw himself off the Golden Gate Bridge, and has to be coaxed down by Dean Jones! I'm baffled. This movie is so much more tedious than I recall it being … so much character development, so little music, and almost no slapstick. What little amusement I was able to derive came from the misguided anti-Hippie jokes and even more misguided Asian characters, who all speak like fortune cookies. Michele Lee, later of "Knots Landing," is a Disneyfied Diana Rigg, and manages to inject a little foxiness and flirty smarm. But mostly, The Love Bug is about as fun to watch as the videotape of my grandmother's funeral. Actually, less so, because at least that tape has the scene where my mother inadvertently farts during her eulogy.
Review by Burglar B. Flunked |