Ernest Saves Christmas

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Ernest Saves Christmas

PG

Released Nov 11, 1988

1h 26m

Kids & Family

Holiday

Comedy

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36%

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14 Reviews

43%

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25,000+ Ratings

Santa Claus (Douglas Seale) is looking for his successor, and hapless taxi driver Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) is just the man to help him out. Traveling to Florida to pass his mantle on to children's show host Joe Carruthers (Oliver Clark), Santa gets into unexpected trouble, and it's up to Ernest, along with a teen girl named Harmony (Noelle Parker), to assist Saint Nick with his important mission, or the future of Christmas could be in jeopardy.

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Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

Only marginally insufferable, the Ernest movie is...a big-screen example of the TV-sitcom tendency to go broad and sappy with a token Yuletide show each December.

Nov 29, 2018

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Steve Crum

Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers

Typical yet frequently goofy fun Ernest flick.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 25, 2006

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Oct 16, 2005

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Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Rated: 2/5

May 19, 2005

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Luke Y. Thompson

New Times

A Christmas classic. Jim Varney is sorely missed in my heart.

Rated: 5/5

May 22, 2004

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Greg Maki

Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

Rated: 2/5

Jan 6, 2004

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Koi P

Silly laughs with nostalgic heart.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/10/24

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Heather C

Jim Varney’s absolute best movie. This movie deserves so much more recognition and love. It’s truly family friendly, it has an independent film feel I suspect because of its smaller budget, and because of that it feels so sincere. Every actor gives their all. The writing is superb. So many funny parts, along with Christmas spirit. Give it a try with an open heart, you’ll be surprised.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/10/24

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Dale R

Ernest gets caught up in Santa’s quest to find his replacement. Ernest’s brand of humor is not my cup of tea and aimed at a younger demographic than I am. The way this movie is filmed, edited and written makes it feel more like a series of vignettes than an actual movie. Like a series of commercials that the Ernest character originated in. There is enough heart to this film to make it watchable. If you enjoy the Ernest character or just need to entertain the littles for a bit this movie will work.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

07/07/24

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Teddy B

For all its cheesy faults and shortcomings, 'Ernest Saves Christmas' has its heart in the right place.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/20/24

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Christy T

Grew up watching Ernest movies, since he was a Kentuckian too, as well as an amazing archer; and this one is a wholesome, family friendly must watch during the holidays. No different than A Christmas Story or Home Alone. Yes, it's cheesy, yes it's campy, yes it's silly; but that's the charm of any of his movies. My grandkids love this one as much as any of the other "Christmas classics", and they are 100% family friendly.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/25/23

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David S

It's goofy, silly and really has some wonderful moments. I try to watch it every Christmas. Jim Varney was gone too soon.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/18/23

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John R. Cherry III

Director

Jim Varney

Ernest P. Worrel

Douglas Seale

Santa Claus, aka 'Seth Applegate'

Oliver Clark

Joe Curruthers

Noelle Parker

Harmony Star, aka 'Pamela Trenton'

Robert Lesser

Martin 'Marty' Brock, Joe's agent

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Synopsis

Santa Claus (Douglas Seale) is looking for his successor, and hapless taxi driver Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) is just the man to help him out. Traveling to Florida to pass his mantle on to children's show host Joe Carruthers (Oliver Clark), Santa gets into unexpected trouble, and it's up to Ernest, along with a teen girl named Harmony (Noelle Parker), to assist Saint Nick with his important mission, or the future of Christmas could be in jeopardy.

Director: John R. Cherry III
Producer: Doug Claybourne, Stacy Williams
Screenwriter: B. Kline, Ed Turner
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Holiday, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 11, 1988, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $28.1M
Runtime: 1h 26m
Sound Mix: Surround

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