Herbie Goes Bananas

Herbie Goes Bananas (1980) starring  Stephen W. Burns,   Charles Martin Smith,  Cloris Leachman, Harvey Korman

 Herbie Goes Bananas  is the fourth Love Bug movie from Disney, and is the most kid-centered Herbie movie thus far.   There’s no trace of the original cast from  The Love Bug, with a new owner for Herbie, who wants to follow in his uncle’s footsteps and become a famous race car driver.  

This takes them towards a road race in Brazil, where they run into  Harvey Korman  as the funny, scene-stealing Captain Blythe, who is trying to escape from the protagonist’s Aunt Louise (played to great humor by Cloris Leachman) — the comic interactions between Harvey Korman and Cloris Leachman are the highlights of the film.   Otherwise, it’s strictly a kid’s movie, with the Love Bug getting mixed up with a pick-pocket and a counterfeiting ring — typical 1970’s Disney kids plot.

Editorial review of  Herbie Goes Bananas, courtesy of Amazon.com

This fourth Love Bug movie is a wooden story about Herbie’s funny adventures heading toward a race in Brazil. Charles Martin Smith and Steven W. Burns try hard to bring some life into this project, but it just doesn’t happen. There is one good laugh in the whole thing, in a scene where Herbie becomes a matador. Otherwise, even the picturesque, south-of-the-border stuff doesn’t help. —Tom Keogh

Product Description of  Herbie Goes Bananas

Set in exotic locations in Central America, the internationally renowned Herbie, everyone’s favorite love bug, demonstrates his special brand of car-isma and high-octane humor in this action-packed, stunt-filled comedy outing. The fun begins when Herbie sets sail for Rio de Janeiro’s Grande Premio racing competition with his two new owners. En route, they get sidetracked by a smuggling syndicate, pestered by a pint-sized pickpocket, and bullied by a raging bull. Laughter shifts into high gear in this zany Disney comedy!