Slam Dunk Ernest

I actually like this movie better than I used to cause this movie has a good message and it is one of the more moralistic Ernest movies, the best performance isn't Ernest, it goes to the Mr. Moloch who is a greedy millionare and he wants Ernest to become rich and famous and the downside of this movie is that the girl Erma (who Ernest has a crush on) turned out to be somebody else and I thought that was pretty bad, overall I wouldn't recommend this movie if you're not an Ernest fan but if you're new to the Ernest franchise, watch Ernest Goes to Jail, Ernest Saves Christmas and Ernest Rides Again first then work your way up. Overall I give this movie 3 out of 5 stars and I remember that I used to give this movie only 1 or 2 stars.

Yeah, when Ernest went direct-to-video, the quality of the franchise fell way fast. In this second one, Ernest wants to play basketball with his friends, but because of his bad skills, he is put in as mascot and cheerleader. That is, until the Archangel of Basketball (played by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) gives him a pair of magic shoes. However, the shoe store owner, Zamiel Moloch, is a demon in disguise, and hearing of Ernest's gift, decides to goad Ernest into being an arrogant ball hog.

Yeah, the film is one that tries to get a slam dunk, but bounces off the rim. Jim Varney still does a good job as Ernest, however, the jokes are still not funny. Also, the co-stars do a so-so job (especially with lines where they call Ernest a redneck, and the story is basically a near rehash of Ernest Goes To School, with Ernest getting a special item that causes him to do well, but he ends up turning his friends away because of it. However, it does has some redeeming factors that keep it from one star territory. Ernest is still lovable and funny as always, and the movie does have a good moral. It's something to check out, but may not be your cup of tea.

Jim Varney IS funny in this film -- assuming you enjoy the sort of absurd slapstick that lies at the center of every Ernest movie. The problem is, whenever the camera wanders away from Varney's rubber-faced goofing, the movie starts to wander as well.

The supporting cast does what it can (the men who play Ernest's after-work basketball teammates do especially well), but the story wanders, and the pacing is very slow at times. It's too "talky" at times to attract a kid audience, but not complex enough to hold an adult audience whenever the comedy quiets down. And there's the problem: the comedy quiets down too often, and when it does, the movie seems unsure of what it wants to do with itself. There's a cameo by Kareem Abdul Jabbar (an actor he is NOT!) and a rather bizarre about-face by the main female supporting character, which is never adequately explained, even by comedy-film standards.

In the end, Varney's antics as the lovable goofball with the heart of gold and the brain of lead save this movie from being a complete washout -- but it's really no thanks to the script.

In conclusion: Varney is still the best thing to happen to "lovable idiot" comedy since Lou Costello, but he succeeds in spite of this movie, not because of it. Better to rent "Ernest Goes To Jail" or one of the other early Ernest films, if you want to see just how much fun an Ernest movie can be.

After the first few Ernest movies caught people's attention in theaters, there were a few that went straight to video. "Slam Dunk Ernest" is the only one that I've seen. It depicts the lovable dimwit getting a pair of basketball shoes from an angel who looks strangely like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, with the warning not to misuse them.

Quite frankly, I think that they could have ended the series with "Ernest Rides Again" and not made this one. It's not terrible, but I doubt that Jim Varney truly wanted to end his life having made a series of straight-to-video flicks, especially such absurd ones. As for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, I still like to think of him as Roger Murdock. Or as the crier in "The Stand".

PS: Miguel A. Núñez, Jr, played Spider in "Return of the Living Dead".

Although it was a Independent film (which started with the "Ernest" films made after 1991), "Slam Dunk Ernest" is still one of my favorite "Ernest" films (of course trailing the theatrical movies). In the movie, Ernest is being given a special pair of shoes given to him by the Archangel of Basketball (Played by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) that make him a great basketball player, and eventually a star. But in the process, Ernest becomes the arrogant kind of star, and eventually sees himself, and does the right thing to make up for it. Jim Varney does yet another solid job as nit wit Ernest P. Worrell, and the guys who played Ernest's basketball teammates were pretty good too. The movie overall is pretty good, and the best "Ernest" film made after "Ernest Scared Stupid".

Although it doesn't measure up to the "Ernest" films that were in theaters ("Ernest Goes to Camp", "Ernest Saves Christmas", "Ernest Goes to Jail", and "Ernest Scared Stupid"), "Slam Dunk Ernest" is still a good "Ernest" movie. So check it out, you may like it.