Ernest Goes to Camp / Ernest Goes to Jail Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Ernest Goes to Camp / Ernest Goes to Jail Blu-ray Movie Review

Ernest goes to Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 3, 2011

When the world needed a laugh at its own expense in the late 1980s and through the mid-1990s, Jim Varney was the man. The late comedian entertained filmgoers by playing his signature Ernest P. Worrell character in a broad selection of Comedies that saw him heading off to Africa, saving Christmas, earning a diploma, and in the case of two of his most popular movies, going to camp and serving time in jail. Varney was a master of physical exaggerated comedy and delivering trademark lines and expressions, all the while donning his simpleton denim vest, blue jeans, gray T-shirt, and worn ball cap. Ernest movies are all about making people laugh, but his movies have been unfairly panned. They're meant to be "fun" and "diversionary" movies, nothing more, nothing less, and there's nothing wrong with that. They are about a real guy taking care of real-life situations, bumbling along the way yes but all in good taste, good humor, and good heart. Ernest Goes to Camp and Ernest Goes to Jail, arriving on Blu-ray for the first time, are signature Ernest films that feature Varney at the very top of his game and in two of his three best movies. Camp is the better of the two and, subjectively speaking, the best Ernest film of them all, a film that's not only funny but also meaningful, delivering good messages on the importance of coming together, learning from mistakes, owning up to accidents and misdeeds, redemption, second chances, teamwork, and the balance between good fun and serious living. Jail is more generic, but it stars Varney playing not only his signature Ernest, but a slick lookalike villain who gives the actor a chance to show that does indeed have a little more range and is not simply a one-trick pony.

No, this Blu-ray doesn't stink that bad!

Ernest Goes to Camp Score: 4/5

What they wanted was a hero, all I needed was a friend.

Kamp Kikakee has been built on old Indian ground where warriors tested the mettle of their young Braves and taught them the ways of the forest. Kikakee is also home to bumbling maintenance man Ernest P. Worrell (Varney), a dedicated handyman who aspires to become a camp counselor. He's put in the hours and mastered all the necessary skills, but he has yet to earn the promotion he deserves. As camp gets underway for the summer, Ernest is sent to pick up a group of castoff young boys who have been chosen to attend the camp in hopes that it will turn their lives around; known as the "second chance" campers, they cause mayhem at every turn, going so far as to inadvertently break a counselor's leg while pulling a prank. Down a counselor, the camp's staff has no choice but to hire on Ernest to carry out counselor duties. Ernest oversees the troublesome second-chancers and manages to form a bond with them while doing what nobody else has been capable of achieving: mold them into responsible and upright campers. Meanwhile, mining giant Krader Industries has its eye on a rare mineral that's concentrated right in the middle of Kikakee. The only two surviving members of the old Indian tribe that once called it home -- Chief St. Cloud (Iron Eyes Cody) and his granddaughter and camp nurse (Victoria Racimo) -- refuse to sell the land. Old man Krater (John Vernon) isn't about to let a few nobodies stand in its way, though. Can Ernest and his band of misfit rejects save the camp and prove their worth as Kikakee's finest?

Ernest Goes to Camp is actually a very good movie; it might not feature the absolute best script ever written or the finest Oscar-caliber acting, but there's one thing it has in abundance: heart. The story is the very definition of family-friendly simplistic and there are no real structural surprises from beginning to end, but everything about the movie is so sweet, so innocent, and yes, so very funny that one can't help but fall in love with it with every viewing. The laughs come regularly, but the movie finds a tenderness beyond the humor thanks to solid character construction that allows the final showdown between what passes as "good" and "evil" in the movie to matter in a context that works beyond just wanting to see the good guys win. In Ernest Goes to Camp, the characters -- from Ernest on down -- are so well developed, even through the prism of nearly incessant humor, that the audience will truly feel like the second chance boys, Ernest, and the fate of Kikakee itself all really matter. Of course, Jim Varney ties it all together. He's not only funny and a master of physical humor, but he so effortlessly makes Ernest into a real, viable, even lovable character that the audience is with him at every turn, whether laughing at the lighthearted goofiness or feeling the sorrow when he performs Gee I'm Glad It's Raining, a seriously good little tune that, along with some steady filmmaking by regular Ernest director John R. Cherry III, gives the movie not just a balance but a sense of realism and purpose, a reason to get up, fight for, and enjoy that proverbial rainbow after the storm.

Ernest Goes to Jail Score: 3/5

A sad commentary on our disintegrating society.

Ernest (Varney), still sporting his denim vest, gray T-shirt, and brown ball cap, is working as a janitor at a small bank. He does a good job, but his bumbling antics result in at least one fiasco every night. When Ernest receives a summons to appear as a juror in a murder case brought against a man already serving a prison term, he's ecstatic at the opportunity to carry out his civic duties. Unfortunately, the defendant in the case recognizes Ernest as a dead ringer for his boss, the imprisoned crime lord Nash (also played by Jim Varney). The defendant and Nash scheme together, getting the court to allow the jury to take a field trip to the prison where Nash manages to switch places with Ernest. Now on the inside, Ernest must toughen up -- or just be himself -- if he's to survive the harsh realities of prison life. Meanwhile, Nash has taken over Ernest's life. He's redecorated his home, kicked out his dog, made moves on Ernest's co-worker Charlotte Sparrow (Barbara Tyson), and worst of all, plans to use his position as bank's maintenance man as a cover to rob the place blind. Can Ernest somehow get out of jail, save the bank, and save his life before he -- as Nash -- is fried in the electric chair?

Ernest Goes to Jail is neither as funny nor heartfelt as Ernest Goes to Camp, but the movie still works perfectly well as a silly little diversion that's meant to be nothing more than that. "Funny" is all that matters -- Ernest Goes to Jail serves up the laughs with regularity -- and the movie is a shining example of honest, well-meaning lighthearted fun that's suitable for the whole family. Jim Varney demonstrates even more range than normal here; he proved his worth as both a comedic and dramatic actor in Ernest Goes to Camp, but shows here that he can turn in an albeit light but still fairly grizzly and mean bad guy. As Ernest, Varney plays the character same as always, giving the denim-clad handyman and bumbling hero a kind soul that's sometimes overshadowed by his simpleton façade. In fact, it's the character that's the star of all of these movies. As predictable as it may be, the formula plot isn't a hindrance either here or in the other Ernest films; it serves as merely a vehicle for Varney to once again don the Ernest outfit and delve right into 80 or 90 minutes of unique verbal and physical humor that's just as at home in jail as it is in camp, Africa, the North Pole, or wherever Ernest may end up. Ernest Goes to Jail features several quality supporting performances from Randall 'Tex' Cobb, Charles Napier, and Ernest regulars Bill Byrge and Gailard Sartain.

Ernest Goes to Camp / Ernest Goes to Jail Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ernest Goes to Camp Score: 3/5

Ernest Goes to Camp debuts on Blu-ray with a halfway decent 1080i high definition transfer. All things considered, the movie looks fairly good, even with some consistent but not overly problematic faults. For the good first, colors are handled rather well, whether the natural greens around camp or Ernest's blue vest. The palette is nicely balanced and, while not terribly vibrant, not at all faded. Fine details range from average to rock-solid; a few soft shots interfere with what are usually good-looking details, whether the texture of various clothing or even the camp's gravel parking lot. Depth is fair, a bit of grain is retained over the image, and black levels aren't that bad. On the flip side, the image is littered with errant speckles and quite a few random vertical lines. Fortunately, neither these nor a few edge halos and reddish flesh tones interfere with what is a fair all-around transfer. In fact, considering the movie's in 1080i and crammed with another 90-minute film on a single 25GB disc, the results are surprisingly good.

Ernest Goes to Jail Score: 3.5/5

Ernest Goes to Jail fairs ever-so-slightly better on Blu-ray than does Camp. Although there are still a few random speckles and scratches, this image is appreciably cleaner than Camp. It does bring a few blocky backgrounds and trace haloing, but it retains a layer of natural grain and manages to help the image capture some solid detailing, and the clarity of the 1080p transfer even reveals some of the wires that are used in the various "magnetic" sequences scattered throughout the film. Colors are steady and accurate, Mill Creek's transfer once again capturing the perfect shading for Ernest's trademark outfit. Blacks can be a little too overpowering, but flesh tones are delivered with a fair naturalism. Ernest Goes to Jail isn't a hallmark catalogue transfer, but for what amounts to little more than a throwaway title outsourced from a large studio to a smaller label, the results aren't half bad.

Ernest Goes to Camp / Ernest Goes to Jail Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ernest Goes to Camp Score: 2/5

Here's where the presentation falters. Ernest Goes to Camp arrives on Blu-ray with no less than three audio options, all of them 2.0 stereo offerings: LPCM, DTS-HD MA, and Dolby Digital. Frankly, none of them have much to offer, and even the Dolby Digital track doesn't really lag very far behind the other options. The tracks deliver a stale, even boring audio presentation. Though the front channels handle a few directional and atmospheric effects well enough, there's practically no energy at all. Various explosions, gunshots, and several heavier effects all fizzle into clumpy, muffled, almost indistinct globs of sound. The sound even inexplicably seems to die down all on its own a few times, notably in chapter three right before the second chance boys break the counselor's leg. Fortunately, dialogue is steady and accurate; no problems there, and considering that's the most important element in a movie like this, the track scrapes by at a barely satisfactory, but satisfactory at the end of the day, level.

Ernest Goes to Jail Score: 2.5/5

Once again, Ernest goes to Jail fares a little better than Ernest Goes to Camp in a technical category. As marginal as the differences may be, it's still easy to tell that there's a slight bit of improved clarity and definition, no matter which of the three audio options -- the same that accompanied Camp -- may be chosen. All three tracks -- albeit with the DTS track seeming to play slightly louder -- manage a fair bit of spacing across the front. Sound effects aren't too terribly muffled and they spill off to the sides with regularity, enjoying a touch more clarity and power when compared to Camp. Still, taken in a vacuum, the track is a disappointment. Ernest's industrial "full body" blow drier delivers a fair amount of power but also plays without much in the way of precision. Gunshots do enjoy a good bit of heft, but again are absent pinpoint realistic accuracy. That's OK; for a budget release of a 20-year-old movie that was never much to begin with, these Blu-ray results aren't half bad.

Ernest Goes to Camp / Ernest Goes to Jail Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No supplements are included.

Ernest Goes to Camp / Ernest Goes to Jail Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ernest Goes to Camp and Ernest Goes to Jail are two fun little movies that represent what the Ernest films are all about. Goodhearted fun, family-friendly stories, and even a few life lessons along the way make these excellent choices for family movie night. For others, they might represent a couple of trips down memory lane, but whatever the case may be, they're solid little outings that hold up incredibly well, even more than 20 years after their initial releases. Mill Creek's Blu-ray releases of Ernest Goes to Camp and Ernest Goes to Jail feature quality video transfers but lesser soundtracks and no extras. Still, for just a few dollars, this two-movie set is worth picking up. Recommended.