Ernest Saves Christmas

Play trailer

Ernest Saves Christmas

PG

Released Nov 11, 1988

1h 26m

Kids & Family

Holiday

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

36%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

43%

Popcornmeter

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

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

Full Review

Steve Crum

Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers

Typical yet frequently goofy fun Ernest flick.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 25, 2006

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Oct 16, 2005

Full Review

Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Rated: 2/5

May 19, 2005

Full Review

Luke Y. Thompson

New Times

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

Rated: 5/5

May 22, 2004

Full Review

Greg Maki

Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

Rated: 2/5

Jan 6, 2004

Full Review

Read all reviews

Audience Member

My of the childhood favorites of Jim. A very special Christmas movie with comedy, hopes and anything is possible.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/20/24

Full Review

Julian S

Much like Chevy Chase’s VACATION series shines as a holiday staple, ERNEST SAVES CHRISTMAS perfects the festive formula with Jim Varney’s infectious energy and a generous dose of clever humor for all ages.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/06/24

Full Review

Micah P

A Christmas Classic!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/02/24

Full Review

Koi P

Silly laughs with nostalgic heart.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/10/24

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Ernest Scared Stupid

22%

51%

Ernest Scared Stupid

Watchlist

3 Ninjas

35%

53%

3 Ninjas

Watchlist

Home Alone

66%

80%

Home Alone

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Home Alone

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

35%

62%

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

A Christmas Story

89%

89%

A Christmas Story

Watchlist

TRAILER

for A Christmas Story

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

18 Rotten Christmas Movies We Love

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now