Delayed Reaction: Ernest Saves Christmas

The Pitch: Ernest Saves Christmas.

How I Came Into It: Ernest P. Worrell. That was a thing, for a long time. Crazy, right? He started by appearing in regional commercials and managed to expand that into nine movies (five released in theaters). That's amazing. There must be other cases of this happening, but I can't think of any. I remember loving Ernest Goes to Jail as a kid. Ok, "love" is a strong word. Rather, I was fascinated by it. Something about Ernest, when I was a kid, I couldn't look away. I never sought his movies out, so there's still a couple I had yet to see. This was a great opportunity to see how Jim Varney's shtick holds up.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Well, this was exactly how I remembered the character. KnowhutImean? He's still rubber-faced and wacky. Still tormenting poor Vern. Still hard to look away from. Ernest fits perfectly in a world where Santa Claus is real.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: Whatever it is about Varney's performance that is so special also doesn't translate past adolescence, I'm afraid. It's a big and oafish performance. I can see the appeal to the right age bracket. I am oddly curious to go back and watch some of the commercials that made him famous. Maybe I'm not as over Ernest as I thought.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend