Film

Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo

Name: Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Family, Action, Adventure
Released: 1977
Cast: Dean Jones, Don Knotts, Julie Sommars, Jacques Marin, Roy Kinnear

Comedy
Car-chase action
Light-hearted

A 1977 family comedy where a sentient Beetle enters the Monte Carlo Rally while unwittingly carrying stolen diamonds. It's cheerful, absurd, and utterly charming—think Herbie with a heist subplot. Made for kids who love talking cars and adults who don't mind being delighted by something silly and earnest.

TMDb rating

3.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like a gentle caper where the comedy comes from a stubborn car's personality, and you enjoy chases played more for giggles than for thrills.

Skip it if you want sharp, grown-up wit or a plot that tightens as it goes; the story is loose, the jokes are broad, and the romance is a light sideline.

What it asks of you: Roughly an hour and three-quarters of light, episodic set pieces you can follow without concentrating; it moves quickly and asks for little beyond a willingness to laugh at a car.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Love Bug1968

The original Herbie film establishes the character's personality and charm. It's warmer and more grounded than the sequels, with genuine wit alongside the anthropomorphic car gimmick. Dean Jones and the Beetle have real chemistry.

But The 1968 sensibility and pacing feel slow if you're used to modern action comedies. Some of the romantic subplot drags.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang1968

Another flying car adventure with that same '60s family-film magic: whimsical, colorful, and utterly confident in its strangeness. Dick Van Dyke carries it with infectious enthusiasm, and the set design is genuinely inventive.

But It's long, it meanders, and there are scenes that now feel creepy rather than charming. The songs are not universally beloved.

The Pink Panther1963

Peter Sellers as an incompetent inspector pursuing a jewel heist across European locations. It's fast, smart, and hilarious, with the same light touch and international glamour that Herbie aspires to. Sellers alone is worth the ticket.

But The humor is often subtle and depends on timing. Some viewers find Sellers' comedy mannered rather than funny. There's no car protagonist.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Italian Job1969

Both are heists dressed up as joyrides, with vehicles as co-stars and a Continental setting. Both believe whimsy and theft can live in the same film.

A heist caper with the same European glamour and sense of fun. It's got the gold, the gadgets, the Mini Coopers doing impossible things, and that '60s cool that makes spectacle feel effortless. Michael Caine makes it look easy.

But The gender politics are uncomfortable (women are scenery), and the ending is a cheat that some find unsatisfying. It's less interested in character than momentum.

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World1963

A sprawling comedy about a cross-country race to find hidden treasure, packed with slapstick and an enormous ensemble cast. The energy is infectious, the stunts are real, and the chaos is genuinely funny rather than mean-spirited.

But At nearly three hours, it's exhausting. The plot is thin, and some of the humor hasn't aged well. It relies on you enjoying anarchy for anarchy's sake.

Singin' in the Rain1952

A film that knows how to be joyful without apology. The production design, dancing, and pure infectious happiness make it feel like a masterpiece of entertainment. It moves like a dream and never overstays a joke.

But If musicals aren't your thing, this won't convert you. The plot is tissue-thin and the romantic elements feel dated.

Paddington2014

A modern family film that captures the same spirit of lovable oddness and warmth. It's genuinely funny for adults, visually delightful, and carries real heart alongside the comedy. Paul King's direction is assured and inventive.

But It's relentlessly wholesome, which some find cloying. The villain's motivation is thin, and if cynicism is your default, this will feel saccharine.

The Great Race1965

Blake Edwards' epic slapstick comedy spans continents and centuries, following a race against time. Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis are committed to the absurdity, the stunts are spectacular, and it's structured like a perfect toy.

But At over three hours, it's self-indulgent. The pacing can feel glacial, and the humor sometimes tips into forced whimsy. The gender politics are dated.

Herbie Rides Again1974

The second Herbie film is faster and more confident than the original, with Don Knotts at peak comic energy. It's pure nonsense but executed with such charm and visual invention that you stop asking questions.

But The plot barely exists and the romance is generic. If you need stakes to care, this offers none. It's entirely dependent on accepting the car's personality as enough.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory1971

Gene Wilder in a film that's genuinely strange and wonderful—colorful, unsettling, and sincere all at once. It respects the oddness of the source material and refuses to condescend to children.

But The film is deliberately dreamlike and surreal, which some find indulgent. It's also rather grim beneath the sweetness if you pay attention. Roald Dahl's darkness is there.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory poster

The Phantom Tollbooth1970

Both feature a vehicle journey as the framework for adventure, and both build their worlds around playful rule-breaking and kindness. Both suggest that the oddness of things—and characters—is what makes them worth loving.

An animated adventure where a boy drives through a magical tollbooth into a kingdom of words and numbers. It's visually inventive, genuinely weird, and more interested in ideas than plot. It respects intelligence while maintaining wonder.

But The animation is cheap and the film is slow. Some of the wordplay is groan-inducing, and children today won't connect with its references. It's decidedly weird in a way that doesn't always charm.