Herbie: Fully Loaded

After an eight-year rest, Disney jumpstarts their affable Volkswagen franchise with Lindsay Lohan behind the wheel and Buddy Hackett nowhere to be seen. Lohan plays a recent college grad who discovers the famed Bug in a junkyard, and becomes a race-car celebrity due to absolutely no talent of her own (the possessed car does all the driving). Matt Dillon is on hand as a popular race-car driver who gets beaten by the Bug and can’t live with himself. Michael Keaton, squinting like crazy, plays Lohan’s dad, and his career’s downward spiral continues. The race scenes are mildly exciting, but the movie hits a wall when it resorts to sentimental pap. That said, Lohan does a reputable job conversing and emoting with a car. Kids will probably eat this stuff up, especially those of them into the whole NASCAR scene, but most adults will wince. There’s lots of classic rock on the soundtrack, so don’t be surprised if your offspring starts clamoring for Boston albums.