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Ernest Goes to Jail

Play trailer Poster for Ernest Goes to Jail PG Released Apr 6, 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

View All (9) Critics Reviews
Nell Minow Movie Mom Rated: 2/5 Mar 7, 2003 Full Review Ryan Murphy Miami Herald 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?" Rated: 1/4 Aug 17, 2021 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Jul 12, 2005 Full Review Luke Y. Thompson New Times 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. Rated: 5/5 Jun 24, 2004 Full Review Greg Maki Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) Rated: 1/5 Jan 5, 2004 Full Review Frank Ochieng TheWorldJournal.com Here's one fictitious Ernest sequel that fits my sentiments exactly: "Ernest Gets on my Last Nerve". "Nuff said... Rated: 2/5 May 31, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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John T. H this is the best one! know what I mean? Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/12/24 Full Review Mark B 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. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/14/24 Full Review enderman p This movie was funny and very creative Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/01/23 Full Review Jackie S I enjoyed this a lot, very entertaining, I recommended Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/05/23 Full Review daniel m 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. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Timmy S Awesome!!! It's a crime this movie got snubbed at the 1991 Oscars: Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/17/22 Full Review Read all reviews
Ernest Goes to Jail

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Cast & Crew

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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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