Awesome Movie

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Not the best Ernest movie but still a nice one. It is a typical Ernest movie where he plays the idiot and the other characters support the effort. When things go wrong in America he ends up in Africa with the women of his dreams. She of course does not appreciate it but has no other option but to go along with Ernest. The scenes with the African(?) natives is fairly funny and the fact that Ernest wins their support and help is of course necessary for the plot, otherwise the bad guys would win. The bald, fat guy who is one of the main bad guys does his job well and of course gets his come-uppence by the end of the movie.

While this movie does have a bit of a darker feel, it is still a good one. I know it has been said that every other actor-besides Varney-were C movie actors. Well, maybe, maybe not. I think it's because Varney has a way of stealing a scene or a show and overshadowing every one. My favorite character-besides Ernest-came out. Good old bitter, Auntie Nelda. She's always fun to watch. Hey, You the Hindu cracked me up and was the first time I've seen that character. But what really took the cake was Varney dressed up as a Harem Girl and dancing to the beat of his own drum. But, 'she' catches the eye of the prince and, not knowing that the Harem Girl is really a man-Varney, the prince kisses 'her'. I laughed so hard especially when the camera got a close up of Varney doing his 'Eewwwww' face. I have to say, Varney doesn't look bad in a blond wig and false lashes. It also got me to wondering, since Varney and Robin Williams were friends, did Varney's character, Auntie Nelda inspire Robin's character, "Mrs. Doubtfire"? Coincidence? They do resemble one another quite well. I do wish that 'Ernest the Pirate' was finished. I would've loved to add that to my large 'Jim Varney' collection. I'm happy about my array of Ernest movies and sad as well because I know there will be no more and I have to be satisfied with all the Ernest movies and Jim Varney movies I have. And no, I will NOT resort to watching the 'New Ernest'. That would be an insult to the 'Real Ernest'. It's like a slap in the face to Varney. I recommend watching this movie but I will say this: it isn't for small children. Teenagers are OK. No, there's no bad language or crude, sexual content. But there is the deal with the rhino named Dorothy who takes the heads off the goons, which you don't see but it's implied. And there is an implication of cannibalism. So, no not for the younger crowd. It is rated PG, so adults have to decide if their kids can watch it. I love it! I'm a sucker for anything Ernest.

I saw this film when it came out in '97. I was in third grade at the time and was attracted to a new Ernest adventure. Even at age nine, I found it an unfunny, complete waste of time. I wasn't a hard kid to please- nine year olds usually aren't, but it was a bad sign when lovable and hilarious Jim Varney as Ernest P. Whorrol couldn't get much of a reaction of me. Last Thanksgiving, I was looking through the TV guide and found that "Ernest Goes to Africa" was on USA at two in the morning. It was a lonely, secluded slot and I decided to give it some company. Then fifteen, I just wanted a smile and an hour and half of entertainment. My judgement hadn't changed in five years and I constantly flipped channels, but for whatever reason this one had me coming back. You see, there is some kind of odd magic about this film that drew me in for some reason. Maybe it's Varney's presence...maybe its the wonder of generic, late night USA, but whatever it is, I would actually recommend watching "Ernest Goes to Africa". The story is predictably trite. Owing oh so much to `Raiders of the Lost Ark' the plot involves the theft of priceless jewels, the Eyes of Agolie, being stolen from a worshipping tribe by ruthless archaeologist Mr. Thompson. They inadvertently end up at a flea market where Ernest finds them and makes a yo-yo out of them. (Quick criticism, these jewels look completely like plastic…it seems like director John Cherry III didn't even try). With Ernest's beloved Rene, a waitress who is `sick of hometown ordinary ‘shmoes', he is kidnapped out of suspicion and ends up fleeing Thompson and his goons in a series of scenes that become more and more unwatchable in a downward spiral. There are some honestly terrible scenes that will no doubt repel you. It starts off on the wrong foot with a desperate opener where Varney tries and tries with his large amount of comedic skill to bring out laughs with his reactions to different African artifacts, but the scene fatally doesn't work. Jim is brilliant at Ernest, but in this unrelated beginning he feels like some goofy friend trying to bring out a laugh when your in a mood incapable of letting you smile. The film has even more to complain about. It is shot on a pretty cheap-looking video that may turn you off right off the bat. It seems every actor present besides Varney is either a bad one, or just an irritating one- especially Linda Kash as Rene. The traditional Ernest gags like the cranky granny have finally become tried thanks to Cherry's dull direction this time. He has a noticeable boundary between live-action cartoon and adventure film, and it is painful when frequently crossed. This is by any definition an uneven film due to this boundary. OK enough smushing this film; that is too easy of a task. Liking it is a hard one, but I challenge you to attempt it. This film has a great asset: how much fun it is to hate it. If you don't feel the compelling magic I felt to watch it, then I recommend it for this pleasurable bashing, even if you are not a cynic. The bottom line here, `Ernest Goes to Africa' starts of catastrophic, flattens even more in the middle and has an unpredictably unsatisfying ending, but if this comedic adventure isn't somehow an escape from boring old life, then I don't know what is. I recommend renting this bad film, staying up late, and letting it take you out of your head for an hour and a half.

Fate puts a pair of priceless items in Ernest's hands and he gets kidnapped and taken to Africa because of it. This was my first Ernest film so I can't compare it to his others, but I thought it was fairly amusing. Good stuff if you like slapstick humor and plain old clowning around.