Story
Herbie is back! After a 12-year break from racing, Herbie, the charming little Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own, and owner Jim (Dean Jones) are back in the running. Together with mechanic Wheelie Applegate (Don Knotts), they travel to Europe for a spectacular comeback, believing the notorious Trans-France Race, from Paris to Monte Carlo, would be the perfect kick-start to Jim and Herbie's racing career.
But things get complicated when thieves, Max (Bernard Fox) and Quincey (Roy Kinnear), steal a precious diamond from a museum in Paris, and hide the jewel in Herbie's fuel tank to avoid getting caught. All sorts of funny disturbances happen during their repeated attempts to get the diamond back. In addition, Herbie falls head-over-heels in love with Giselle, a Lancia Scorpion who, like Herbie, also turns out to have its own mind. Unfortunately, Giselle's driver, Diane Darcy (Julie Sommars), isn't convinced at first and accuses Jim of trying to stop her from winning.
Will Jim and Herbie manage to overcome all those obstacles and beat their opponents, and, will there be a happy ending for the love bugs Herbie and Giselle?
Themes
Car racing; action; adventure; humour; love story; Disney classic
Violence
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo has some violence. For example:
- If Herbie does not get his way, he takes over, leaving the drivers getting thrown around in the car and out of control.
- A race opponent pushes Herbie off the track, not considering the potential danger that it might put the drivers in.
- The thieves pull out a pistol on a few occasions, threatening to shoot if they don't get what they are asking for.
- Jim, Wheelie, and the thieves get into a fight, during which Jim punches one of them.
Sexual references
There are no sexual references in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
There’s no substance use in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo.
Nudity and sexual activity
There’s no nudity and sexual activity in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo.
Product placement
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo has some product placement. For example, Volkswagen Beetle and Lancia Scorpion.
Coarse language
There’s no coarse language in Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo is a 1977 Disney classic and the third movie in the Herbie series. Just like the previous movies it has a strong-willed and quirky little car with a mind of its own; a couple of determined, yet incompetent, villains; some slapstick humour; and exciting racing scenes. And once again these elements come together to provide fun for the whole family, while also delivering a number of positive messages.
These are some of the main messages from Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo:
- There is no such thing as a perfect crime.
- Love will find a way, regardless of the obstacles.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children are teamwork, friendship, doing the right thing, never giving up, and understanding that winning is not necessarily the most important thing.
Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo could also give you a chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequences of things like:
- being a bad sport
- committing crimes and being dishonest.