With the 'Ernest' film series, there are people who get much entertainment out of them and finds a lot of appeal in Ernest. There are also people who dislike, or even outright hate, the films and find the character annoying.
For me, while they are not great films, the 'Ernest' films are mostly silly harmless fun that don't try to be any more than they need to be. They're mostly uneven but entertaining in a guilty pleasure sort of way, and Ernest is the sort of the character one can relate to easily. The sort of character that is a well-intended serial bungler with a strong heart but always finding himself messing up. 'Ernest Goes to Jail' is the third of the series, after 'Goes to Camp' and 'Saves Christmas' (both uneven but fun too), and is one of the better ones too.
'Ernest Goes to Jail' may not be great. It does look cheap and does betray low-budget. Some of the slapstick once again gets a bit childish and overdone. It's not hard to figure what goes on next in the story, such is its predictability. Lastly, the ending is overblown and insultingly dumb, Ernest films are not known for their logic but this ending throws it out the window and urinates on it.
Varney however is immensely likable and a lot of fun as Ernest, while also excelling surprisingly well on villain duty and as Auntie Nelda. The supporting cast are much better than the one in 'Ernest Goes to Camp' (though not on the same page as Douglas Seale in 'Saves Christmas'), with a scene stealing Gailard Sartain and Randall "Tex" Cobb charming in a good guy role.
The music is an energetic nostalgic delight, and most of the gags and dialogue while admittedly silly are a range of making one amused to having one in hysterics, all done harmlessly and with no signs of distaste. Good too that the sentimentality was quite a bit less here. Despite being predictable, the story in 'Goes to Jail' feels like there actually is one at least and it goes at a zippy pace, the best paced of the series so far at this point.
In summary, guilty pleasure fun. 7/10 Bethany Cox
For me, while they are not great films, the 'Ernest' films are mostly silly harmless fun that don't try to be any more than they need to be. They're mostly uneven but entertaining in a guilty pleasure sort of way, and Ernest is the sort of the character one can relate to easily. The sort of character that is a well-intended serial bungler with a strong heart but always finding himself messing up. 'Ernest Goes to Jail' is the third of the series, after 'Goes to Camp' and 'Saves Christmas' (both uneven but fun too), and is one of the better ones too.
'Ernest Goes to Jail' may not be great. It does look cheap and does betray low-budget. Some of the slapstick once again gets a bit childish and overdone. It's not hard to figure what goes on next in the story, such is its predictability. Lastly, the ending is overblown and insultingly dumb, Ernest films are not known for their logic but this ending throws it out the window and urinates on it.
Varney however is immensely likable and a lot of fun as Ernest, while also excelling surprisingly well on villain duty and as Auntie Nelda. The supporting cast are much better than the one in 'Ernest Goes to Camp' (though not on the same page as Douglas Seale in 'Saves Christmas'), with a scene stealing Gailard Sartain and Randall "Tex" Cobb charming in a good guy role.
The music is an energetic nostalgic delight, and most of the gags and dialogue while admittedly silly are a range of making one amused to having one in hysterics, all done harmlessly and with no signs of distaste. Good too that the sentimentality was quite a bit less here. Despite being predictable, the story in 'Goes to Jail' feels like there actually is one at least and it goes at a zippy pace, the best paced of the series so far at this point.
In summary, guilty pleasure fun. 7/10 Bethany Cox