Ernest Goes to School

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Brian K I am a huge fan of Ernest P. Worrell and his first few movies. Ernest Saves Christmas is literally the best Christmas movie ever. That being said, Ernest Goes to School is so bad it's unbelievable. Ernest just becomes an asshole and it's not fun to watch. His redemption doesn't feel earned. It ruins his character. On top of all of that, none of the jokes land. Terrible movie. Please do not watch. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review christopher c. m It's possible that this was a cash grab of "Billy Madison" that got finished before the big budget movie did, like "Carnosaur" and "Jurassic Park". I like the Ernest movies, and they always had a cartoon feel to them. But this one was borderline "Looney Tunes". But the story is weak and Ernest screws up even more than usual. Also what is with Axwell? Why is he so obsessed with closing the school, considering he has little screen time. To the point he breaks the law to make sure Ernest fails, but why? Some jokes work but when they fall flat, they REALLY fall hard. Except for Ernest there was no likable characters. It's not bad but for an Ernest movie I expected better. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Ernest movies have a tendency to over over-the-top, but this one may take the cake. Ernest gets his brains cooked by his scientist buddies to make him a genius. Which he uses to not only graduate but save the school. Ridiculous, but fun. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/30/20 Full Review steve d Ernest is always a lot of fun. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member This Ernest movie was the worst one of them all. Jim Varney and the rest of the cast did a poor job in this movie. The plot to the movie was ridiculous and pathetic. Whoever directed this movie tried too hard. This movie wasn't really funny at all. I definitely wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. It's a complete waste of time. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review dustin d Ernest Goes to School is a juvenile slapstick comedy. The slapstick works at times, such as in the opening scene with Ernest battling a leaky faucet, but falls flat at others, such as when he struggles to turn off a vacuum cleaner with a broken switch. The same is true for the jokes. There are a few good one liners, like, "As Dr. Frankenstein said, a brain is a terrible thing to waste," but those are few and far between. Will Sasso is underused as a jock/school bully. The plot involves Ernest P. Worrell, the school custodian, returning to high school due to a new regulation requiring ALL school employees to have a diploma, or the school will be shut down. Overall, the movie is like a toned-down version of Strangers with Candy, with rotten teachers and peers, and the middle-aged student befriending the nerdy kids out of necessity. The movie starts out somewhat promising. Ernest has been out of school for so long he struggles to get the hang of things again. This is something of an archetypal dream (psychoanalysts report this is a common recurring dream). You wonder quickly though how this borderline idiot will graduate high school in four weeks. Luckily, a couple high school science teachers with their sights on the Nobel Prize have invented a plot device to zap knowledge into Ernest's head, but the catch is it wears off in under an hour, so he has to get a zap between every class. Soon, Ernest has distinguished himself as a genius. Jim Varney does a good job switching between "characters." He begins to see himself as exceptional and has the accompanying arrogant attitude. Pride is highest just before the fall. The fall comes predictably at the end of the second act, exactly 2/3 of the way through the movie, when the bullies trash the machine. I thought this was a good lesson for kids (I was obviously watching this with my 7-year-old daughter). If you cheat or take short cuts, you will fail in a situation where you can't cheat or have to use real effort. The final act is a let down. Once Ernest passes the high school exam without help (I didn't realize there was one huge exam to graduate high school--I thought it was based on your work throughout your senior year), and he has to singlehandedly win the big football match to save the school, it is OK to use the (repaired) machine to cheat, as long as he doesn't become a jerk again. So what was the message? It is OK to cheat if you don't rub your success in other people's faces? Was it fair to the other team who presumably worked hard to get to the championship that Ernest won though a performance enhancing treatment? He can't succeed on his own, so he is never really truly himself. Unfortunately, he never learns the importance of being Ernest. This movie is best left for little kids. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Ernest Goes to School

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