Ernest Goes to School Review

Ernest Goes to School


Release Date: 14th December 1994 - USA
(Direct to Video)


Production Companies
Emshell Producers
Pacific Motion Pictures Corporation
Ernest Partners Ltd

Genre: Comedy 

Rating: PG

Runtime: 89 minutes


Plot Summary

Ernest P. Worrell, a high

school dropout who works

for the school district, is

threatened with losing his

job because the district

has introduced a new

policy requiring all

employees to hold a high

school diploma or 

equivalent. Ernest enters

the classroom, but the

good-natured simpleton

has difficulty processing

information - until

teachers Gerta and Bobby

conduct scientific

experiments on him that

transform him into a genius.

Ernest not only becomes

incredibly smart but also

an egomaniac. However,

his newfound intelligence

could cause him to lose

all his friends if he's not

careful. 


Cast
Jim Varney - Ernest P. Worrell

Linda Kash - Gerta

Bill Byrge - Bobby
Jason Michas - Donald
Sarah Chalk - Maisy
Gaber Khouth - Rodney
Corrine Koslo - Miss Flugal
Russell Porter - Brad
Will Sasso - Russell
Duncan Fraser - Coach Decker
French Tickner - Principal Procter
Kevin McNulty - Axwell

Ron Robinson - Coach Carson

Judith Maxie - Ms. Nichols

Fran Gebhard - Miss Cosgrove

Clint Bailie - Frog Kid

William Samples - Mr. Peyton

Betty Linde - Miss Boyd

David Keith - Squint Westwood

Lorena Gale - History Teacher

Michael Roberds - Server 

Bruce Arntson - Chick Hansen

Crew

Writer/Director - Coke Sams

Writer/Music - Bruce Arntson
Executive Producer - John R. Cherry III

Producer - Stacy Williams

Co-Producer - Tom Rove

Production Designer - Chris August
Art Director - Helen Jarvi

Set Decorator - Mary Lou-Storey

Property Master - Dan Sissons 

Costume Designer - Martha Wynne Snetsinger

Director of Photography - David Geddes

Camera Operators - Peter McLennan

and Joel Ransom

Steadicam Operator - Stephen S. Campnelli 

First Assistant Director - Patrice Leung
Stunt Coordinator - Jacob Rupp

Special Effects Coordinator - Gary Paller

Film Editor - Christopher Ellis

Supervising Sound Editor - Douglas Murray

Supervising Re-Recording Mixer - Mark Berger

Sound/Re-Recording/Scoring Mixer - Rick Schirmer 

Re-Recording Mixer/Foley Mixer - Michael Semanick

Foley Artists - Jennifer Myers and Margie O'Malley

Music - Kirby Shelstad


Review
Honestly, some of the goody humour and cartoonish gags reside in another obscure Ernest instalment of ERNEST GOES TO SCHOOL. It is not what I experienced growing up with the goofball Southerner portrayed and created by the late actor Jim Varney. From what I've heard, it was the first of the direct-to-video releases after the unsuccessful wide theatrical release of Ernest Rides Again. However, it did receive a limited theatrical run in Cincinnati, Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky. I recognised how pitiful this sixth instalment has become. As a result, a few scenes were subpar.

However, once again, Jim Varney does another sensational performance as Ernest. Unfortunately, Varney's acting is not enough to save the movie when his character undergoes a brief transformation into an intelligent version. It does not make it funny, but it's only temporary. Thankfully, he returns to his bumbling comic self. It was the first movie for actor Will Sasso, in which he plays one of the two bullies who torment Ernest. However, Sasso's performance is nothing noteworthy.

ERNEST GOES TO SCHOOL isn't any better with the added weirdness. For all you hardcore Ernest fans out there, this film is the weakest of the series, and it really isn't the beginning of the series' downfall, or so it seems. Know what I mean?

Star rating: (4/10) Below Average

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