The Love Bug

1997 "Herbie's Back In A Brand-New Movie!"
5.3| 1h28m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 29 November 1997 Released
Producted By: Walt Disney Television
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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The inimitable VW Beetle is losing all his races and destined for the scrap heap until mechanic Hank takes him over and gives him a new lease of life. Soon, Herbie is winning again, to the fury of his previous owner, who builds a menacing black bug to challenge Herbie to the ultimate race.

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Director

Peyton Reed

Production Companies

Walt Disney Television

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The Love Bug Audience Reviews

Steinesongo Too many fans seem to be blown away
AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Sanjeev Waters A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
wickedgood I have seen every "Herbie" movie that is out there, and i have to say that this particular movie was my favorite. It's a fun film for all ages, having the child like appeal Herbie, who drives right into your heart. It also has fan favorite actors such as Bruce Campbell (Of Evil Dead fame, it was he who actually drew me to this movie.)And John Hannah (The Mummy) I think this movie deserved a theatrical release,for it did well enough for Disney for them to call back Bruce Campbell for another adventure. As TV movies and straight to video/DVD releases go this one is probably the best overall. Herbie is a fun character to watch and this one blows Lindsey Lohan's of the track. Puns intended.
bob the moo Herbie is passed onto a new owner, failed race driver and mechanic Hank Cooper. Hank finds the car to be able to do great things but doesn't believe his firend's ascertains that the car is alive. However when businessman Simon Moore III sees the car he traces down the man who invented Herbie and gets him to repeat the process – but adds bits and pieces of his own doing. The end result is a VW Beetle that is violent where Herbie is peaceful and vengeful where Herbie is loving. After a potentially fatal interaction with the car, Hank and Herbie team up to beat the car and Moore.A few years ago I caught five minutes of this on TV and thought `cool, they remade The Love Bug' and wished I'd watched it. A few days ago I saw it coming back on so I gave it a watch and wondered why I bothered! It's not that the film is bad, it's just that it is all rather pointless. The plot lacks the charm of the original Herbie movies and has a nasty streak with the creation of an `evil Herbie' in place of just a fast car. The gentle feel of wonder is lost in this TVM and the film falters because of it.The effects are poor even when you put them against the original Love Bug, here any computer altered visuals are crude and obvious and really make the film feel cheap. The cast all try hard to recreate the magic but none of them manage to do it – not even a cameo by original star Dean Jones can get anything close to the original. Campbell is a cult star and I do like to see him in anything, but he could have done with being a bit more tongue in cheek here to add a bit of fun to the mix. Hannah is terribly miscast as the `baddie', he has no character, no lines and nothing to work with – was he in it for the money or for the chance to be in a Herbie film?Overall this is a real letdown. Disney try to get something going from the old Herbie stable but fail to do anything new or worthwhile. The film lacks any of the original's magic or wonder and just puts along. The original wasn't a classic but it shines when viewed next to this film. Small children and Herbie completeists should seek it out but the rest of us will be happy with the original.
hershiser2 And you thought Herbie movies died way back in the day! Boy were you wrong! In fact, Herbie is not dead, just out-of-style. There was no need to even attempt to make this film. The only reason I bought it (yes, I bought it) was for Bruce Campbell, but even his great cheesy one-liners could not save this film. In fact, the few one-liners he has aren't even in his cheesy style, making this movie quite a disappointment.
Herbie-18 Disney, in making this movie, made lots of mistakes. First of all, the script was not at all like previous Herbie films. There was swearing and other bad words there. in addition, the "story" how Herbie was created was all lies. Everyone knows that Jim Douglas' friend Tennesee Steinmetz first named Herbie, and that all VWs had this peculiar quality (shown in Herbie Rides Again). This "Stumphel" thing was totally off. Also, Herbie himself was done wrong! Color, stripe color, sunroof color, interior, 53s, and other things too numerous. The only positive thing was Dean Jones, who was by far the best actor in that movie! I wish Disney would make another quality movie!