Slam Dunk Ernest

Like what was said with 'Ernest Goes to School', just need to make things clear about not being a detractor of the character of Ernest or his films. Actually consider most of the films imperfect but fun in a guilty pleasure sort of way.

However, even when judging it for what it was meant to be and being more than willing to go against the grain and defend it like with most of the previous outings, 'Slam Dunk Ernest' is to me one of the weaker 'Ernest' films. Not terrible and there are far worse films out there, but to me the series lost its charm and lost steam in the 90s and when it went straight to video rather than released theatrically.

'Slam Dunk Ernest' does have its good qualities. The best things about it are the music and Jim Varney. The music is full of rocking energy and affectionate nostalgia and really adds a great deal to the action in the film. It's hard still not to relate to Ernest, the sort of character that is a well-intended serial bumbler with a well-meaning big strong heart but always finding himself messing up without intention.

Varney is fun and likable in the role, to me there is enough freshness in the interpretation to not make it too tired or endless mugging and his performance does give the film much needed energy. Some of the dialogue while not exactly sophisticated is funny and there are a few scenes that raise a laugh. One does see glimpses of the fun and danger of the sport of basketball, and the moral does give the film some heart.

On the other hand, too much of the humour doesn't work this time, with it having a recycled feel, being crudely puerile and, even for an 'Ernest' film but here turned up maximum notches, is incredibly childish. Other than Varney, the acting is poor, with a mix of non-trying and being annoying.

Unfortunately the story and pacing are done in a way that doesn't make the above forgivable. The story is wafer thin and contrived, with a muddled, clumsily written subplot that feels out of place within the film. Too often it doesn't know what to do with itself, cueing some aimless stretches and pacing that begged for a steroid shot. The sentimentality also gets too much, and the whole film looks cheap and ineptly directed and choreographed.

In conclusion, not terrible but really isn't one of the better 'Ernest' films. 5/10 Bethany Cox

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.

Ernest is a janitor with a team that cleans the local mall. The rest of the janitors also play basketball in the city league as `Clean Sweep'. When Ernest saves their jobs by accepting blame for an accident they reluctantly agree to have him on their team. After losing them their next game, Ernest is dejected until an angel gives him magic shoes that make him an amazing player. However this causes friction in the team as the chance to play a NBA team looms.

I watched this Ernest movie because I like basketball and I hoped that the game action would cover me just enough to get through the film. However it didn't. The plot here is bad even by Ernest standards. The usual device of the magic shoes isn't used well – I've seen other basketball movies where a kid is blessed in some way and starts playing in the majors – but here it was all dull and unimaginative. Even things like the way the `love interest' goes from bookish newsagent to vamp in one scene with no explanation or reason – it just happens!

The background story of `effort and work over flashy shoes' is really bungled and doesn't come across well at all. The background characters becoming bitter at Ernest hogging the ball is also only played at the very end and isn't used well at all. The basketball games are very poor. Obiviously when Ernest is soaring through the air in absurd ways it's going to be, but even the actual games before he plays are careless – back passes, no 3 point line (although they still score 3's) things like that just show how shoddy it is. The actual shots of Ernest playing are also poor – they get a smile, but they clearly wanted to cut costs so the same shots of him jumping and dunking are used several times over.

Varney is unlikable. Ernest is meant to be a loveable loser we all root for – like Norman Wisdom used to play. However Varney is just plain annoying – when things happen to him you can't help but think `hope that hurt' and I never care if he comes good in the end or not! The actual team are very ethnic – like they were told to overplay the whole black thing! However some ar so-so. Cozart has to carry the moral message himself and does alright while some other faces are familiar from much better fare (Núñez Jnr), and really Abdul-Jabbar, good movie doing Airplane but what are you doing here – the fact that he is in this film is reason enough for us to pay NBA stars big wages now so that they don't come back and take bad acting jobs after they retire.

Overall this made me smile twice and that's it. I know it's for kids but this is too basic for kids. Varney's clowning isn't enough and the lame attempt to wring a message out of it is weak at best.

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.

Slam Dunk Ernest is not the best of the Ernest movies, but it's not the worst either. The story has Ernest P. Worrell being given a special pair of shoes by the Archangel of Basketball (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) that make him a basketball star. His fellow teammates are shocked and delighted, but Ernest is tempted by the 'dark side' and gets little to into his role as a star. In the end, Ernest makes the right decision he always does. Jim Varney is the best thing in this movie, though the supporting cast does a good job. This movie has the charm of the Ernest movies, but doesn't compare to Ernest Goes to Jail or Ernest Scared Stupid. But I still recommend it.