Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney, and today we continue our Santa Spectacle as we take a look at 1988's Ernest Saves Christmas. People (myself included) sometimes forget that Ernest does fall under the Disney umbrella as his movies fell under Touchstone Pictures, who handled the more adult movies that Disney didn't want to release under the main Disney label. Well, there's nothing too adult about this. It's a dumb kid's Christmas movie, and well, that comes with the territory with Ernest movies as Ernest is a bit of a dumb character. I don't mean that as a dig on the character but he isn't the brightest tool in the shed.
The Plot
The plot is perhaps the biggest issue that I have with this movie as it is all over the place and trying to juggle too many balls. It's not bad but there are points, where it felt as though that the movie was trying to be too many different things.
We open at the Orlando International Airport as a man claiming to be Santa Claus comes to town as he is looking to find his replacement.
Though as someone that just recently came back from Orlando, the airport in the movie looks a lot smaller than it did back in the day. Meanwhile, our main character, Ernest P. Worrell is seen taking a man to the same airport and arrives and picks up Santa. And we learn here, that Santa is here to find, Joe Carruthers, the host of a local children's television program that sadly was cancelled but Santa wants to find him as he knows that he is the perfect candidate to be the new Santa Claus.
On the way, to where Joe works now, they run into a teenage runaway that is skipping out on paying a bill, that says her name is Harmony Starr. The character of Harmony Starr is perhaps the biggest cliche in this movie. She's not a bad character but she does feel like the most stock character in the movie but at the same time, I don't want to be too hard on this movie as it knows exactly what it is, and if you are expecting something more from an Ernest movie, you are kinda missing the point.
They make it to the children's museum, that Joe works and we see Joe in teaching class of children about dinosaurs and from the first moment, that you see him, it's clear that he is perfect for the job.
Which brings me to things about this movie, I loved the Santa plot and it uses, what is perhaps my favorite idea for Santa in stories, The idea, that Santa isn't just one person but rather a title that gets handed down. And having said that, I like the Santa stuff so much, that Ernest can at times feel like a distraction in his own movie. Santa goes to talk to Joe, but is soon cut short by Joe's agent, Marty Brock. Who is the closest thing to what this movie has to a villain. Brock keeps on cutting Santa off and Brock continually calls him, Mr. Santos. Santa realizes that he is becoming forgetful in his old age and that he left his sack in Ernest's taxi. While Joe is away, Marty has Santa arrested.
Y'know, that seems to be a common trope of Santa movies, when he leaves the North Pole because on top of this one, Scott Calvin in the first Santa Clause was also arrested.
We also find out that Ernest was fired from his job as he gave a free ride in the Christmas spirit as he only had play money. And this is when we get what is perhaps my least favorite moment in the movie as Ernest goes to Vern's house to decorate it for Christmas.
Look, I know that Vern was a staple of the Ernest character but.... this extended sequence of Ernest setting up decorations at Vern's house much to the annoyance felt forced in as it had overall bearing on the story and was instead just put in there to check off a list of things that someone thought they needed for an Ernest movie. You could cut out the Vern sequence and nothing of substantial value would be lost.
We see Santa at the jail cell with all thieves and gang members and that he has won them over and has them singing 12 Days of Christmas. Which is admittedly funny. Ernest and Harmony find out that Santa has been arrested. Ernest and Harmony go to break him out as Astor Clement and Harmony as the governor's niece, Mindy. They are able to break Santa out of the jail by saying that he has a case of infectious insanity and that he must be taken to an insane asylum. The plan works.
I know the common reaction to that might be something like this....
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| It is absolutely ridiculous that worked. |
But taken with the context of the movie that you are watching, I think it makes a bit of sense and unlike the Vern sequence, which brought the movie to a screeching halt, Ernest's disguises actually help to service the story. We then learn that Santa took this job over from a German fellow in 1889 but his magic is fading and that he must find someone new.
Meanwhile, Marty continues to pressure Joe to quit his gig and take up a new acting gig, which turns out to be a Christmas horror movie and Marty wants Joe to shave his beard and take this role. Santa also explains to Ernest and Harmony that he must find Joe before 7, so that Joe can beat daylight. Ernest helps Santa find Joe as they sneak onset to where Joe is filming the Christmas horror movie with Ernest disguised as a snake rancher. His third costume in the movie btw. They sneak onset but Joe still isn't interested.
And Santa is rather offended at the movie that is being made as to him, it is besmirching the good name of Christmas. However, during a meeting with the director, Joe is overcome with his conscience, when the director wants him to use foul language in front of the child actors. And we also see that Harmony, who we later find out is actually named Pamela Trenton is starting to feel the same way at a train station as she had stolen Santa's sack. But she decides to return to it.
In such a minor and pointless subplot, where two cargo holders, were storing Santa's reindeer, Ernest comes to get them and the Elves show up to get them and we see Ernest driving the sleigh off the runway from the airport. And we see all of our characters meet up at the children's museum and Santa passes on the Christmas magic to Joe and for his first year, he lets Ernest drive and Pamela/Harmony help deliver.
Yeah.... this movie is dumb but I think it knows that it's dumb but it's got a good heart and I can't hate Ernest. And I do like Santa in this. (Though after the last movie that I reviewed, anything is better) . This isn't a bad movie but don't go in expecting a whole lot from something called Ernest Saves Christmas.
Characters
Main Characters
Ernest P. Worrell played by Jim Varney
I do like Ernest quite a bit and he is funny, but I never got any real big laughs from the character. And as I said, when discussing the plot, I sometimes found him to be a distraction from Santa's story, which was much more interesting than the wacky antics of Ernest.
Santa Claus played by Douglas Seale
While Tim Allen in The Santa Clause holds a special place in my heart as probably my favorite Santa Claus, Douglas Seale as Santa gives a performance that is above this movie. You aren't watching an actor play a role, you are watching Santa Claus, when he's onscreen. Everything about him makes you believe that he is Santa Claus and it's well... magical. If nothing else, watch this movie for his performance.
Joe Carruthers played by Oliver Clark
It's not hard to see why Santa picked Joe to take his place as he all the qualities that one would want in a Santa and you feel it, even before he takes on the mantle and you know that he is worthy of being Santa Claus as he just exudes jolly and cheerfulness.
Supporting Character
I'm only going to bring Pamela because other than her, none of the characters really bring anything to the story.
Harmony Starr/Pamela Trenton played by Noelle Parker
Harmony isn't a bad character but she is perhaps my least favorite part of the movie because the sentimentality with her fees kinda forced with the whole being a teenager that ran away from home. And I don't think that the movie really gave her a lot to do. She just seemed to come across as the kid sidekick in the movie.
My Final Thoughts
My thoughts are mixed. This is by no means, a great movie but it does have good elements such as a good Santa but other things like the Vern sequence drag the film down. But at the same time, I don't want to be too hard on this movie as it knows exactly what it is and it wears that. As I've said, you can't be too hard on an Ernest for not being bright. There's a difference between a movie starring a character that isn't bright and a movie that is just flat out dumb. And this movie falls more into the former. It's not the greatest movie but it was never trying to be. Join me next time as we look at...
The Santa Clause
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