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Ernest Goes to Jail

Play trailer Poster for Ernest Goes to Jail PG 1990 1h 21m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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11% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 49% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Dim-witted Ernest (Jim Varney) is a janitor at a bank who gets called for jury duty. It turns out that the murder defendant, Felix Nash (also Varney), is a dead ringer for Ernest. Nash's lawyer (Jeffrey Buckner Ford) arranges a switch, and Ernest finds himself on death row while Nash goes to work at the bank, scheming up a way to rob it. Ernest then sets in motion a plan to escape jail, foil Nash's plot, snag the bank clerk job he covets and rescue his favorite teller, Charlotte (Barbara Bush).
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Ernest Goes to Jail

Critics Reviews

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Ryan Murphy Miami Herald 08/17/2021
1/4
The arrival of any film featuring the character of Ernest P. Worrell is a perfect occasion to brush up one's Dorothy Parker chestnuts and scream what' is perhaps her most famous phrase: "What fresh hell is this?" Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 07/12/2005
2/5
Luke Y. Thompson New Times 06/24/2004
5/5
Jim Varney at the peak of his comedic powers, playing two instantly distinctive roles. If you only ever see one Ernest movie, make it this one. Go to Full Review Greg Maki Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) 01/05/2004
1/5
Frank Ochieng TheWorldJournal.com 05/31/2003
2/5
Here's one fictitious Ernest sequel that fits my sentiments exactly: "Ernest Gets on my Last Nerve". "Nuff said... Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Bryan S Nov 3 Jim Varney and his Ernest P. Worrell character are pure gold in this outrageous, funny, charming in a way only Ernest can be, family friendly adventure. Highly recommend along with any of the other Ernest movies. See more Julian S. @akajulianscott Jul 2 A screwball kids’ classic that perfectly showcases Varney’s versatility. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jun 20 Unfunny in 1 hour and 21 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $25,000,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more John T. H 05/12/2024 this is the best one! know what I mean? See more Mark B 02/14/2024 This movie is an absolute classic one of the best Ernest movies out there. This film really shows off Jim varney's acting chops. The fact that he plays two of the main characters is amazing. See more daniel m 10/09/2022 I hate giving this movie two stars because I loved it as a child, but as an adult it didn't age well and I didn't enjoy it at all. Ernest was annoying and not really funny. Even though I loved it when I was younger, it didn't bring back that much nostalgia. See more Read all reviews
Ernest Goes to Jail

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Cast & Crew

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John R. Cherry III

Director

Jim Varney

Ernest P. Worrell

Gailard Sartain

Chuck

Bill Byrge

Bobby

Barbara Tyson

Charlotte Sparrow

Barry Scott

Rubin Bartlett

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Ernest Goes to Jail

Ernest Goes to Jail (1990) Ernest Goes to Jail (1990) Ernest Goes to Jail (1990) Ernest Goes to Jail (1990) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Dim-witted Ernest (Jim Varney) is a janitor at a bank who gets called for jury duty. It turns out that the murder defendant, Felix Nash (also Varney), is a dead ringer for Ernest. Nash's lawyer (Jeffrey Buckner Ford) arranges a switch, and Ernest finds himself on death row while Nash goes to work at the bank, scheming up a way to rob it. Ernest then sets in motion a plan to escape jail, foil Nash's plot, snag the bank clerk job he covets and rescue his favorite teller, Charlotte (Barbara Bush).
Director
John R. Cherry III
Producer
Stacy Williams
Screenwriter
Charlie Cohen
Production Co
Touchstone Pictures
Rating
PG
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 6, 1990, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$25.0M
Runtime
1h 21m
Sound Mix
Surround
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