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year: 1980 cast: Charles Martin Smith, Elyssa Davalos rating: ***1/2 |
The
first two Herbie films, THE LOVE BUG and HERBIE GOES TO MONTE CARLO,
center on the little car involved in big races; the ultimate underdog
stories wherein Herbie is the focal point.
In the third installment,
HERBIE RIDES AGAIN, the cute lil' V-dub's merely used as a vehicle for a
plot centering on humans. This sequel does the same thing but in a much
more entertaining story with better characters, including wily geek Charles
Martin-Smith and his buddy Stephen W. Burns as heirs to
the love bug, picking Herbie up in South America and then being chased
around by mobsters.
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Elyssa Davalos, Stephan Burns and Charles Martin Smith |
The good guys meet a pickpocket orphan who becomes
Herbie's best pal, and along the way journey on a cruise ship and even
take part in a bullfight. Burns falls in love with freespirited socialite Cloris Leachman's
daughter, the beautiful Elyssa Davalos, while Martin
insists they run a con job, giving a little edge to the romance.
HERBIE GOES BANANAS is an enjoyable romp from beginning to end, with many different locations
and sticky situations for the characters (including Harvey Korman's cranky ship captain joining Leachman) and our titular bug to sneak
out of. Villains John Vernon, Alex Rocco and Richard Jaeckel are both seedy
and spooky for a Disney film, but they're no match for Herbie, who,
though taking back seat a lot of the time, winds up stealing the show.
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Elyssa Davalos in HERBIE GOES BANANAS |
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Those wistful eyes behind the usual obstructing glasses... |
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Ah yes, the inevitable lifting of the lenses, thus revealing... |
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That "ugly duckling" is a now a gorgeous swan... |
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Oh and how she uses this new look... |
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John Vernon and Richard Jaeckel as the villains... |
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Charles Martin Smith and Stephen Burns are the good guys |
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Herbie, manned by an endearing orphan, fights a bull |
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Herbie Goes Bananas with complete Mexican Rug Title |
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