Ernest geht zum Militär

After watching Ernest Goes to Africa, I never felt another Ernest movie would come out. What a visceral surprise to see this movie on the video shelves. Moronic and only occasionally funny, I was surprised they didn't do an Ernest in Space or something like that. Jim Varney should have stepped in and said something before this movie was made. I mean, if he was that hard up for money, why couldn't he ask the loyal Ernest fans of the world to help him. A sad pitiful chapter in the life of Ernest P. Worrel.

Some say they hate this installment of the Ernest line, but let's face it...they only say that because Varney's now gone, and it's the least painful way to say, "Goodbye," to Ernest.

This isn't the best, but it's far from the worst of the line. Varney gives it his all, as he always did, and turns out a quality Ernest film for all the fans to cherish.

As unlikely as Ernest P. Worrell would be in the Army, is how funny this film really is. This is quite entertaining, and makes for an excellent addition to any Ernest collection.

It rates a 6.2/10 from...

the Fiend :.

"Ernest in the Army" should have been hilarious, but sadly, it doesn't feel like a movie about him, just an army movie that happens to have Ernest in it. It's okay, not a major letdown, but you'd think a comedy about a bumbling idiot in the Army, especially when it's Ernest P. Worrell, would be a laugh riot. That is not the case. Sure, it has some predictably funny moments, but they are few and far between. Even the army itself (as depicted in this film) just feels very ordinary. The dramatic subplot involving the black street kid is unnecessary and feels tacked-on.

** out of ****

In this Ernest film, Ernest has a job picking up golf balls, it's a crappy occupation (still, beats scrubbing toilets) but Ernest loves every minute of it, thanks to his vivid imagination that keeps him in his own little world where he pretends the golf balls are mines and he's a war hero of some kind. His buddy Ben tells him that if he joins the army (the reserves to be precise), he'll become "Army People" and therefore be able to drive big trucks, cars and other such vehicles without ever having to leave the base and go into actual combat. Ernest hesitates but eventually agrees and he is finally able to display his…ahem…impressive driving. Things take an unexpected turn for our pal when his group of reserves are to be sent to a small country, Karifistan, that's about to be invaded by an evil, golf-loving dictator. So Ernest soon finds himself in a foreign land having the biggest, most challenging adventure of his life. The film starts off with a narrator telling the tale of the legend of the "Great American Warrior" who will come and save the people of Karifistan. It's instantly obvious the "Hero" in question is none other than Ernest himself who, by the end of the film, conveniently saves everyone, gets rid of the bad guys and even gets the girl…well, sort of. Ernest in the Army may not be as funny as, say, Ernest Goes to Camp but it's certainly quite fun to watch. The highlights include an accident involving some out-of-control gummy bears, Ernest's original pancake recipe and his struggle with an electric fence. The rubber-faced Jim Varney is as good as ever, expect plenty of Jim Carrey-esquire facial madness and stupidly funny one-liners. Of course, the film itself is low budget, contains mediocre acting, writing and directing (even though there are some surprisingly OK moments) but when Ernest is on the screen you can't help but smile and who cares if a film is good or not as long as it's funny? Overall, "connoisseurs" of Jim Varney's works will find lots to enjoy here (I did), others will probably cringe a lot and let out a couple of tight farts, know what I mean? Ehehehe...

As usual, Ernest's movies don't ever come close to winning an Oscar, but it's just sweet and innocent comedy. Your children should really love this movie...and all the rest of his movies.