ERNEST GOES TO JAIL. Directed by John Cherry; written by Charlie Cohen; produced by Stacy Williams. Starring Jim Varney. Rated PG.
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Some people probably feel like Ernest should be locked up. But I'll confess, I think he's pretty funny. This latest effort isn't as good all around as the last one (Ernest Saves Christmas). But it's plenty good enough for the series' fans, even if it might not win any new converts.
Ernest Goes to Jail tries something different; it lets Varney play an extended non-Ernest character (in contrast to the many "cameo" alternate roles he often plays). Here he's Felix Nash, arch-criminal, as well as fumble-fingered Ernest, bank janitor.
Nash isn't exactly a comic character, either, although he's just as much of a caricature as Varney's usual creations. Still, it's interesting to see Varney rein in his manic style a bit and remain worth watching.
Make sure you're not late if you decide to see Ernest Goes to Jail, since one of the funniest bits occurs near the beginning as Ernest demolishes the bank while trying to vacuum it.
There's a lot of funny stuff scattered throughout the rest of the picture, too. But a darker, more sinister mood than we're used to seeing with Ernest also intrudes now and then. To his credit, though, Varney can take the edge off such subjects as incarceration, execution and corruption better than almost anybody.
Some viewers might want to skip this latest Ernest installment, though, and hope the next is more along the sunny lines of Ernest Saves Christmas.
April 18, 1990