The movies will be picked at random, and for now, to make it easier on us, we will choose movies that are currently on Disney+.
So without further ado, here is the first movie in the Talking Disney Podcast Movie Night series - “Ernest Saves Christmas."
“Ernest Saves Christmas” was released on November 11, 1988. A Touchstone Pictures production in cooperation with Silver Screen Partners III and Emshell Producers Group and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Production.
Spoiler Warning - There may be spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t seen the film, check it out first. If you have seen it or don’t care about spoilers, then, by all means, click “Read more >>”.
“Ernest Saves Christmas” follows the bumbling yet good-hearted Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) as he inadvertently becomes the key to saving Christmas. The story begins in Orlando, Florida, where Santa Claus (Douglas Seale) arrives under the alias “Seth Applegate” to find his replacement, Joe Carruthers (Oliver Clark), a kind but disillusioned children’s TV host. Santa, nearing the end of his 150-year tenure, must pass on his magic sack—and thus his role—before Christmas Eve, or the holiday’s magic will fade. However, his plans hit a snag when he’s detained at the airport for lacking ID, and his sack is impounded.
Enter Ernest, a taxi driver with a knack for chaos, who picks up Santa as a fare. After a wild ride, Santa explains his mission, but Ernest’s skepticism and clumsiness lead to Santa getting arrested and the sack being lost in a mix-up. Meanwhile, a runaway teen named Harmony Starr (Noelle Parker) crosses paths with Ernest and gets tangled in the mess, initially swiping the sack for herself. As Christmas Eve looms, Ernest teams up with Harmony to retrieve the sack from a shady film producer’s warehouse, where it’s been mistaken for a prop.
With time running out, Ernest and Harmony track down Joe, who’s reluctant to abandon his fading career for a role he doesn’t fully believe in. Santa, freed from jail, joins them at a Christmas party, but his weakening magic falters without the sack. In a frantic finale, Ernest dons a Santa-like outfit, hijacks a sleigh from a movie set, and races to deliver the sack to Joe at the airport. With help from a pair of ex-con elves and some holiday magic, Joe accepts his destiny just as the clock strikes midnight, transforming into the new Santa and taking off in the sleigh—powered by reindeer summoned by Ernest’s wild whistle.
The day is saved, Harmony finds a sense of purpose, and Ernest, ever the lovable goof, basks in his accidental heroism, ensuring Christmas endures in this lighthearted, slapstick-filled adventure.
“Ernest Saves Christmas” was the first major production to be filmed almost entirely at the new Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida. Although not a blockbuster, the movie was fairly successful at the box office. It finished its opening weekend #2 behind ‘Child’s Play’. The movie made $28,202,109 on a budget of $6,500,000 (estimated) and was the highest-grossing of of all the Ernest movies released in theaters. Added to Disney+ on November 26, 2021.
Cast and Crew
Director: John Cherry
Screenplay: B. Kline and Ed Turner
Original Story: Ed Turner.
Cast: Jim Varney, Douglas Seale, Oliver Clark, Noelle Parker
Producer(s): Stacy Williams and Doug Clayborne.
Composer: Mark Snow
Cinematographer: Peter Stein
Editor: Sharyn L. Ross
Film Technical Specifications
Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Live-Action | MPAA Rating: PG | Runtime: 1 hour and 31 minutes (91 minutes) | Sound Mix: Dolby | Color: Color (Metrocolor) | Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1.
Box Office
Budget: $6,500,000
Opening Weekend (U.S. & Canada): $5,710,734
Gross (U.S. & Canada): $28,202,109
Gross (Worldwide): $28,202,109
Jason's Thoughts
This film may not come up in the Top Christmas movies of all time conversation, but is certainly a fun one to watch around the holidays or when you need some laughs. Jim Varney’s way of overacting and the faces he makes are too funny! This movie has the typical Varney “stupid” (stupid good, not stupid bad) comedy that made Ernest P. Worrell a household name in the late 1980s and 1990s. Besides Varney's performance, I loved the performance of Gailard Sartain (Chuck) and Bill Byrge (Bobby) who appeared with Varney in other similar movies. “Ernest Saves Christmas” gets a score of 70.00 (out of 100) from me.
James’ Thoughts
When Jason mentioned that he was going to start posting a different movie review to the blog each week, I wanted to try and be available to share my thoughts also! I may not be able to contribute to all of them, but this gives me a great opportunity to watch movies I may have missed (or fallen asleep during) in the past. As I wondered what the first movie to be reviewed would be, “Ernest Saves Christmas” definitely wasn’t one I thought about. I’ve always liked Jim Varney and his character of Ernest, but I haven’t seen a single one of his movies before now. I’m more familiar with the characters from different commercials in the 80’s. Although I can’t name a single commercial he was in, I remember this character showing up all over the place. I think anyone alive in the 80’s has heard of Ernest and his “KnoWhutIMean, Vern?” saying. So, I was interested in seeing how this movie was. I think Jim does a great job with this character and I laughed often while watching - mostly regarding him and his actions. I do think it’s a pretty cheesy movie, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I feel like as I was watching this, I kept trying to find fault with it, but it really isn’t a bad movie. Although I didn’t care for some of the characters and the way they were written, this is a fun movie and worth watching. It may not be a movie I seek out to watch each year, but I wouldn’t mind watching it again in the future. After finishing this, I felt like maybe I should look up some of the other Ernest movies, but as I look at reviews online, it seems that “Ernest Saves Christmas” is regarded as the best out of the movies he made. On a scale of 0-100, I would give this movie a rating of 75. It’s not at the top of the list, but it’s definitely nowhere near the bottom. Overall, I enjoyed the movie and wouldn’t mind seeing it again one day. If you haven’t had a chance to watch it yourself, give it a chance!
“Ernest Saves Christmas” Fun Fact
Jim Varney and Douglas Seale both starred in Disney animated movies. Seale played Krebbs in The Rescuers Down Under (1990) and the Sultan in Aladdin (1992) and Varney played Slinky Dog in Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999) and Cookie in Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001).
Have you seen “Ernest Saves Christmas?” What are your thoughts on the movie? Share in the comments below, we’d love to hear them!
Enter Ernest, a taxi driver with a knack for chaos, who picks up Santa as a fare. After a wild ride, Santa explains his mission, but Ernest’s skepticism and clumsiness lead to Santa getting arrested and the sack being lost in a mix-up. Meanwhile, a runaway teen named Harmony Starr (Noelle Parker) crosses paths with Ernest and gets tangled in the mess, initially swiping the sack for herself. As Christmas Eve looms, Ernest teams up with Harmony to retrieve the sack from a shady film producer’s warehouse, where it’s been mistaken for a prop.
With time running out, Ernest and Harmony track down Joe, who’s reluctant to abandon his fading career for a role he doesn’t fully believe in. Santa, freed from jail, joins them at a Christmas party, but his weakening magic falters without the sack. In a frantic finale, Ernest dons a Santa-like outfit, hijacks a sleigh from a movie set, and races to deliver the sack to Joe at the airport. With help from a pair of ex-con elves and some holiday magic, Joe accepts his destiny just as the clock strikes midnight, transforming into the new Santa and taking off in the sleigh—powered by reindeer summoned by Ernest’s wild whistle.
The day is saved, Harmony finds a sense of purpose, and Ernest, ever the lovable goof, basks in his accidental heroism, ensuring Christmas endures in this lighthearted, slapstick-filled adventure.
“Ernest Saves Christmas” was the first major production to be filmed almost entirely at the new Disney-MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida. Although not a blockbuster, the movie was fairly successful at the box office. It finished its opening weekend #2 behind ‘Child’s Play’. The movie made $28,202,109 on a budget of $6,500,000 (estimated) and was the highest-grossing of of all the Ernest movies released in theaters. Added to Disney+ on November 26, 2021.
Cast and Crew
Director: John Cherry
Screenplay: B. Kline and Ed Turner
Original Story: Ed Turner.
Cast: Jim Varney, Douglas Seale, Oliver Clark, Noelle Parker
Producer(s): Stacy Williams and Doug Clayborne.
Composer: Mark Snow
Cinematographer: Peter Stein
Editor: Sharyn L. Ross
Film Technical Specifications
Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Live-Action | MPAA Rating: PG | Runtime: 1 hour and 31 minutes (91 minutes) | Sound Mix: Dolby | Color: Color (Metrocolor) | Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1.
Box Office
Budget: $6,500,000
Opening Weekend (U.S. & Canada): $5,710,734
Gross (U.S. & Canada): $28,202,109
Gross (Worldwide): $28,202,109
Jason's Thoughts
This film may not come up in the Top Christmas movies of all time conversation, but is certainly a fun one to watch around the holidays or when you need some laughs. Jim Varney’s way of overacting and the faces he makes are too funny! This movie has the typical Varney “stupid” (stupid good, not stupid bad) comedy that made Ernest P. Worrell a household name in the late 1980s and 1990s. Besides Varney's performance, I loved the performance of Gailard Sartain (Chuck) and Bill Byrge (Bobby) who appeared with Varney in other similar movies. “Ernest Saves Christmas” gets a score of 70.00 (out of 100) from me.
James’ Thoughts
When Jason mentioned that he was going to start posting a different movie review to the blog each week, I wanted to try and be available to share my thoughts also! I may not be able to contribute to all of them, but this gives me a great opportunity to watch movies I may have missed (or fallen asleep during) in the past. As I wondered what the first movie to be reviewed would be, “Ernest Saves Christmas” definitely wasn’t one I thought about. I’ve always liked Jim Varney and his character of Ernest, but I haven’t seen a single one of his movies before now. I’m more familiar with the characters from different commercials in the 80’s. Although I can’t name a single commercial he was in, I remember this character showing up all over the place. I think anyone alive in the 80’s has heard of Ernest and his “KnoWhutIMean, Vern?” saying. So, I was interested in seeing how this movie was. I think Jim does a great job with this character and I laughed often while watching - mostly regarding him and his actions. I do think it’s a pretty cheesy movie, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I feel like as I was watching this, I kept trying to find fault with it, but it really isn’t a bad movie. Although I didn’t care for some of the characters and the way they were written, this is a fun movie and worth watching. It may not be a movie I seek out to watch each year, but I wouldn’t mind watching it again in the future. After finishing this, I felt like maybe I should look up some of the other Ernest movies, but as I look at reviews online, it seems that “Ernest Saves Christmas” is regarded as the best out of the movies he made. On a scale of 0-100, I would give this movie a rating of 75. It’s not at the top of the list, but it’s definitely nowhere near the bottom. Overall, I enjoyed the movie and wouldn’t mind seeing it again one day. If you haven’t had a chance to watch it yourself, give it a chance!
“Ernest Saves Christmas” Fun Fact
Jim Varney and Douglas Seale both starred in Disney animated movies. Seale played Krebbs in The Rescuers Down Under (1990) and the Sultan in Aladdin (1992) and Varney played Slinky Dog in Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999) and Cookie in Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001).
Have you seen “Ernest Saves Christmas?” What are your thoughts on the movie? Share in the comments below, we’d love to hear them!
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