Ernest starred in nine films. That's an impressive accomplishment for a character that wasn't intended to be a movie star. For this article, I'll be ranking all of the feature-length Ernest films. Specials will be excluded. Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam will also be excluded, because Ernest has a minimal amount of screentime in the film. Something to note is that I think that all of the Ernest films are enjoyable. Jim Varney was a comedic genius that was always a delight to watch. He and his Ernest character are important parts of the history of comedy.
9. Ernest Goes to Africa (1997)
This Ernest film has Ernest and a woman that he has a crush on getting involved in a wild adventure in Africa. As always, Jim Varney's Ernest is very funny. The film has a really clever, hilarious ending. However, the adventure and the other characters aren't as entertaining. The Ernest films are mostly family-friendly fun that can be enjoyed sa pamamagitan ng kids. However, this film might require a talk with the kids about historical context of what was considered okay back then as opposed to what's accepted now. The way that some of the characters in Africa are portrayed can come across as stereotypical. However, the most cringe-inducing and uncomfortable moment from any of the Ernest comes from a scene where Ernest pretends to be an Indian servant to trick the bad guys. Ernest is too innocent to ever intentionally offended anybody, but that scene runs the risk of being offensive.
8. Ernest Goes to School (1994)
This film has Ernest having to go back to pass a big test in order to keep his janitor job. Ernest doesn't do well at school, so a couple of scientists use him to test out an experiment that can make him smarter. The experiment makes Ernest smarter than he's ever previously been, but it also makes him act like a self-obsessed snob. This film has a lot of great jokes about Ernest's lack of intelligence. There's a joke about the Batman villain the ibong dagat that was absolutely hilarious. What holds this film back is that there are portions of the film without Ernest being his true self. The scenes with the smarter, ruder Ernest aren't as sweet and enjoyable as the scenes with the regular Ernest.
7. Ernest in the Army (1998)
This film has Ernest causing hijinks in the army. This film has a fair number of funny scenes. A slapstick scene involving kendi had me cracking up with laughter. There's also a good amount of puso from Ernest's friendships with a fellow member of the army and a boy that has no family. sa pamamagitan ng the time that this film was being made, Jim Varney was dealing with pain that came from his smoking addiction. It's sad to hear Jim Varney's voice getting weaker and to see Jim Varney not being able to be as physically active as he was in nakaraan films. However, he still worked hard and gave a strong performance to finish off his time playing his most iconic role.
6. Slam Dunk Ernest (1994)
In this film, Ernest wants to sumali a basketbol team, but he's very bad at playing basketball. The Archangel of Basketball, who is played sa pamamagitan ng basketbol player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, gives Ernest a pair of shoes that magically turn him into a great player. The plot of the film is pretty wild, but that helps make it very memorable. Ernest is very sympathetic in the film. Despite being awful at playing basketball, he desperately wants to do a good job and befriend his teammates. The film has a positive message about being yourself.
5. Ernest Goes to Jail (1990)
This film has Ernest switching places with a wanted criminal that happens to look similar to him. The criminal, Felix Nash, was also played sa pamamagitan ng Jim Varney, so this film gave Jim Varney a chance to ipakita off his range. Stories about becoming wrongly imprisoned have become a common, overdone trope. However, Ernest manages to make this familiar story feel fresh with his enjoyable brand of wacky humor. The fact that it takes Ernest a long time to even realize that he's in prison is really funny. Also, Ernest is such a positive, optimistic character that he manages to help redeem a fellow prisoner. This film is also notable for Ernest getting powers that make him the comedy equivalent of Magneto from X-Men.
4. Ernest Rides Again (1993)
This film is a buddy comedy between Ernest and a professor that has come across an important discovery. The professor is a shy person that doesn't think too highly of himself, but Ernest helps motivate him to pursue his dreams. This film does a good job of ipinapakita off the positive impact that Ernest leaves on people. The film is a sweet tale of friendship and following your passions. It also has a lot of strong comedy, particularly when Ernest gets stuck in a cannon.
3. Ernest Saves pasko (1988)
The Grinch is known for trying to steal Christmas, but Ernest is far too lovable of a guy to do such a thing. In fact, in this film, he's trying to do the opposite. After meeting Santa Claus, Ernest gets involved in a plan to save Christmas. The time has come for Santa Claus to pass his mantle down to somebody else, so he works hard to get the right person for the job. Douglas Seale, who played Santa Claus, gave a very genuine, sentimental performance that helped make this film feel like an emotional pasko tale in addition to being an Ernest comedy. This film is also notable for getting Ernest's legendary bestie, Vern, involved in the plot at one point.
2. Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
In this film, Ernest accidentally unleashes an evil troll that one of his relatives had previously defeated. It's up to Ernest and a group of kids to save the city from the troll. This film is a very fun Halloween adventure. It's notable for having Eartha Kitt as a major character in the film. Having the always great Jim Varney share scenes with former Catwoman actress Eartha Kitt is a real treat. This is one of the madami creative Ernest films. The way that Ernest ends up saving the araw is as odd and wacky as it is touching and sweet.
1. Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)
This film arguably does the best job of ipinapakita off Ernest's lovable, inspirational way of acting. In the film, Ernest becomes a counselor for a group of misbehaving kids. The kids give Ernest a hard time sa pamamagitan ng pulling several harsh pranks on him. However, Ernest refuses to give up on helping them. Seeing Ernest work so hard to help kids that are lacking guidance and direction is very touching and uplifting. Ernest is clumsy and makes lots of mistakes, but he's so well-intentioned and sweet that he manages to bring out the best in the kids. John Vernon, who later went on to voice Rupert Thorne in Batman: The Animated Series and Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, did a very good job as the film's villain. This film has a song that's sung sa pamamagitan ng Jim Varney's Ernest. I expected a song that was sung sa pamamagitan ng Ernest to be silly, but his song in the film actually pulls on the heartstrings. It's a genuinely emotional song that helps give the film a lot of credibility and heart.
9. Ernest Goes to Africa (1997)
This Ernest film has Ernest and a woman that he has a crush on getting involved in a wild adventure in Africa. As always, Jim Varney's Ernest is very funny. The film has a really clever, hilarious ending. However, the adventure and the other characters aren't as entertaining. The Ernest films are mostly family-friendly fun that can be enjoyed sa pamamagitan ng kids. However, this film might require a talk with the kids about historical context of what was considered okay back then as opposed to what's accepted now. The way that some of the characters in Africa are portrayed can come across as stereotypical. However, the most cringe-inducing and uncomfortable moment from any of the Ernest comes from a scene where Ernest pretends to be an Indian servant to trick the bad guys. Ernest is too innocent to ever intentionally offended anybody, but that scene runs the risk of being offensive.
8. Ernest Goes to School (1994)
This film has Ernest having to go back to pass a big test in order to keep his janitor job. Ernest doesn't do well at school, so a couple of scientists use him to test out an experiment that can make him smarter. The experiment makes Ernest smarter than he's ever previously been, but it also makes him act like a self-obsessed snob. This film has a lot of great jokes about Ernest's lack of intelligence. There's a joke about the Batman villain the ibong dagat that was absolutely hilarious. What holds this film back is that there are portions of the film without Ernest being his true self. The scenes with the smarter, ruder Ernest aren't as sweet and enjoyable as the scenes with the regular Ernest.
7. Ernest in the Army (1998)
This film has Ernest causing hijinks in the army. This film has a fair number of funny scenes. A slapstick scene involving kendi had me cracking up with laughter. There's also a good amount of puso from Ernest's friendships with a fellow member of the army and a boy that has no family. sa pamamagitan ng the time that this film was being made, Jim Varney was dealing with pain that came from his smoking addiction. It's sad to hear Jim Varney's voice getting weaker and to see Jim Varney not being able to be as physically active as he was in nakaraan films. However, he still worked hard and gave a strong performance to finish off his time playing his most iconic role.
6. Slam Dunk Ernest (1994)
In this film, Ernest wants to sumali a basketbol team, but he's very bad at playing basketball. The Archangel of Basketball, who is played sa pamamagitan ng basketbol player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, gives Ernest a pair of shoes that magically turn him into a great player. The plot of the film is pretty wild, but that helps make it very memorable. Ernest is very sympathetic in the film. Despite being awful at playing basketball, he desperately wants to do a good job and befriend his teammates. The film has a positive message about being yourself.
5. Ernest Goes to Jail (1990)
This film has Ernest switching places with a wanted criminal that happens to look similar to him. The criminal, Felix Nash, was also played sa pamamagitan ng Jim Varney, so this film gave Jim Varney a chance to ipakita off his range. Stories about becoming wrongly imprisoned have become a common, overdone trope. However, Ernest manages to make this familiar story feel fresh with his enjoyable brand of wacky humor. The fact that it takes Ernest a long time to even realize that he's in prison is really funny. Also, Ernest is such a positive, optimistic character that he manages to help redeem a fellow prisoner. This film is also notable for Ernest getting powers that make him the comedy equivalent of Magneto from X-Men.
4. Ernest Rides Again (1993)
This film is a buddy comedy between Ernest and a professor that has come across an important discovery. The professor is a shy person that doesn't think too highly of himself, but Ernest helps motivate him to pursue his dreams. This film does a good job of ipinapakita off the positive impact that Ernest leaves on people. The film is a sweet tale of friendship and following your passions. It also has a lot of strong comedy, particularly when Ernest gets stuck in a cannon.
3. Ernest Saves pasko (1988)
The Grinch is known for trying to steal Christmas, but Ernest is far too lovable of a guy to do such a thing. In fact, in this film, he's trying to do the opposite. After meeting Santa Claus, Ernest gets involved in a plan to save Christmas. The time has come for Santa Claus to pass his mantle down to somebody else, so he works hard to get the right person for the job. Douglas Seale, who played Santa Claus, gave a very genuine, sentimental performance that helped make this film feel like an emotional pasko tale in addition to being an Ernest comedy. This film is also notable for getting Ernest's legendary bestie, Vern, involved in the plot at one point.
2. Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
In this film, Ernest accidentally unleashes an evil troll that one of his relatives had previously defeated. It's up to Ernest and a group of kids to save the city from the troll. This film is a very fun Halloween adventure. It's notable for having Eartha Kitt as a major character in the film. Having the always great Jim Varney share scenes with former Catwoman actress Eartha Kitt is a real treat. This is one of the madami creative Ernest films. The way that Ernest ends up saving the araw is as odd and wacky as it is touching and sweet.
1. Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)
This film arguably does the best job of ipinapakita off Ernest's lovable, inspirational way of acting. In the film, Ernest becomes a counselor for a group of misbehaving kids. The kids give Ernest a hard time sa pamamagitan ng pulling several harsh pranks on him. However, Ernest refuses to give up on helping them. Seeing Ernest work so hard to help kids that are lacking guidance and direction is very touching and uplifting. Ernest is clumsy and makes lots of mistakes, but he's so well-intentioned and sweet that he manages to bring out the best in the kids. John Vernon, who later went on to voice Rupert Thorne in Batman: The Animated Series and Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, did a very good job as the film's villain. This film has a song that's sung sa pamamagitan ng Jim Varney's Ernest. I expected a song that was sung sa pamamagitan ng Ernest to be silly, but his song in the film actually pulls on the heartstrings. It's a genuinely emotional song that helps give the film a lot of credibility and heart.
