Vincent McEveety took over directing duties on this third "Herbie" film that sees Dean Jones return as Jim Douglas, who has regained possession of Herbie, and has entered a Paris to Monte Carlo road race with help from his friend Wheely Applegate(played by Don Knotts). Trouble starts when jewel thieves hide a stolen jewel in Herbie's gas tank(located in a spot never seen before or since!) Herbie has also fallen in love with a light-blue Lancia car also in the race, which is a distraction Jim didn't need... Nice to see Dean Jones return, though the unexplained absence of both Buddy Hackett and Michele Lee is annoying. Really no better or worse than the previous film, with equally silly plot elements.

In the last few years of Ron Miller's (son-in-law of Walt Disney cum Producer) reign he churned out live-action crap on a stick often starring the very boring Dean Jones, whose entire career was based on that kind of light, empty-headed fare. Other horrible films from that same period include Pete's Dragon, the Last Flight of Noah's Ark, Unidentified Flying Oddball and the dreaded Condorman. I'll not mention Tron because I thought it ambitious and Miller was only the executive Producer on it, so he had little to do with the actual production. However he was in full force when this god-awful piece of human junk was expelled from the bowels of creativity. Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. Second sequel to much- loved Love Bug tale finds Herbie in love with another car who has a brain and heart too. There's a race, some lame bad guys, a diamond and Barney Fife. Shot in France, the film actually is nicely photographed and the countryside is lovely. But one gets the idea the film was made so all involved could have a three month vacation in France. The rest of film is a wreck. Prat falls, bumbling thieves, wicked German racing competitors and a pretty bouncing feminist all fall under the category of stock supply. The biggest insult of the film: trying to further develop Herbie's lover personality via shakes, beeps, flashing lights and movements indicative of a horny seventeen year old, Disney's writers do an injustice to our cute little VW. Then again I would think it'd be tough for anyone to top Helen Hayes driving Herbie around a skyscraper ledge in the second outing.

It has been twelve years since Jim Douglas last won a race; in fact, it has been twelve years since he last drove a race but he has selected the prodigious France-Monte Carlo race to make their come back. Being greeted with laughter is a problem they can overcome but when Herbie falls in love with a rival car it means that he is distracted and more interesting in impressing her than giving his all. Mind you, even if they manage to get over that problem Jim and Wheely don't even know about the stolen diamond in their fuel tank or the international thieves chasing them to get it back.Herbie films have never been about high production standards, character or plot and this entry in the series is no exception. The plot mixes one thread about a jewel robbery and another about romance. The former is the more enjoyable strand but it doesn't do enough to get the most out of it because it focuses more on the romance side of things. In regards Herbie, this at least provides some scenes that kids will find funny with the two cars, however it also brings tiresome bits between Douglas and Diane Darcy that aren't fun at all. It all does what you expect it to in all regards and there isn't anything special here but most of it is amusing and inoffensive enough for adults to watch while also being broad, visual and silly enough to keep children content.Dean Jones is happy to mug along as usual and he does it well enough to fit the mood of the film; likewise Knotts pulls faces and gurns as much as he possibly can. Sommars is really rather annoying and has as little character as her character's ugly and charisma-lacking car. Herbie is amusing as ever and the film does well to draw a character out of the car without resorting to the cheap effects used by the modern entry.Overall this is not a great film but it is an enjoyable kids movie and should be viewed as such. It is delivered with consistent good humour even if it has no surprises or laughs to really speak of. Adults might get bored of it easily but are unlikely to be annoyed by it, while children should be amused and distracted by the inoffensive antics.

'Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo' is a fun movie, and that is all it is meant to be. Some have said that it is not nearly as good as 'The Love Bug,' but let's face it: none of the Herbie films are about great brilliance. They are all about having fun and getting a laugh. The kids and I really enjoyed it.It is great to see Dean Jones again, and he plays Jim Douglas as someone who knows, understands, and even loves Herbie. My only criticism of this film is that it lacks Buddy Hackett. Still, Don Knotts is a wonderful replacement.On a four-star rating system, I give this one ***. Come to think of it, that is about what I would rate 'The Love Bug.' The DVD of 'Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo' does not feature any extras, but there are plenty on the 'Love Bug' set, certainly enough to cover both films. Funny stuff, and loads of fun!