qubit01 When I was a kid, this movie and Ernest Goes to Camp tied as my favorites. Jim Varney was an incredibly talented actor, and his Ernest character was his way of taking a break from more serious pursuits. It's rare today to find even a Christmas movie that's not filled with bad language, sexual innuendo, and other filth- but every Ernest movie is 100% clean, family-friendly fun. As an example I cite the character in this movie (forget his or the actor's name, it's been ages) who used to host a children's show, but got a part in a movie and couldn't bring himself to say a certain line with a bad word, because he couldn't stand to think of the children hearing him say it. That wasn't just that character's attitude, it was Jim Varney's as well. Varney was a chain smoker- however he would never light up if there was a child around. And he refused to use foul language. I think Varney also made a nod to the state of movies with his Mr. Apopka the snake handler character in this movie- "That's all these Hollywood folk want. Poison!" Speaking of characters, Jim's various personifications always had me rolling on the floor. In this movie the best was definitely the old lady. Anyway, I think any viewer with children who is looking for some clean, funny movies for the kids, would do well to rent this one or any of the Ernest movies.

TheLittleSongbird Ernest Saves Christmas is a very underrated Christmas holiday flick. I will agree that it is very silly, and certainly not Oscar worthy. Don't expect a sophisticated plot, and a superlative script. Expect a harmless and fun Christmas comedy, that way you are in for a good time.While very predictable in plotting and rather repetitive and slow in the middle half; especially in the first thirty minutes Ernest Saves Christmas does have its funny moments. And I must say the scene with the magic sleigh was uproariously funny. Amongst the humour, is an in general heart-warming story about Santa and his attempts to find a successor.The camera-work may be a tad dated, but the music is very nice indeed. And I actually thought the acting is above decent, with the late (and talented) Jim Varney wonderfully spirited as Ernest and Douglas Seale is simply great as Santa. The opening credits with the collage of Christmas carols were a delight.Ernest Saves Christmas is an above average seasonal comedy about the power of belief and the dignity of an individual. It is far from a masterpiece, but seriously I wasn't expecting it to be. I got exactly what I wanted, a fun film that while predictable and silly is lots of fun too. I do also think it is underrated; there are much worse movies out there, namely any of the Friedberg-Seltzer movies, Home Alone 4 and Superbabies:Baby Geniuses 2. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Elswet Fourth best of the Ernest Line.This is just plain silly fun. This isn't the smartest Ernest movie, but then again, none of them are exactly brilliant. They ARE fun, entertaining, and enjoyable, however, and this one is no exception.Something I do find interesting about this work, is the fact that Ernest's Jack Russell Terrier, and many other aspects of this film, seem to return in a wildly successful Carrey vehicle known as The Mask. Ineresting, that.Aside from that, this is a sweet, high energy, endearing bit of Christmas fluff. It isn't my favorite of this category of films, but it is among them.It rates a 5.9/10 from...the Fiend :.

ccthemovieman-1 This movie started off great; the first 30 minutes are very funny and clever with some interesting characters. That's the good news. The bad news is that the film then gets too repetitive and then it gets downright stupid. What we wind up getting is a Santa Claus with "magical" powers with a lot of New Age baloney thrown in the mix. It's just ridiculous and hardly the kind of "Christmas movie" I would expect from Jim Varney's "Ernest."To be fair, it still had a decent amount of laughs and is profanity-free but just not a film I could recommend.