Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album

I'm a sucker for Ernest and I sat through his movies(quite happily) all day just to write down every character and voice he portrayed. All in all, Jim played and/or voiced 61 distinct characters and that's only the 'Ernest' related ones. I dare any one in Hollywood to find me an actor capable of such true genius without using one sexual remark or one swear word. There's just no way. I'm a big Jim Varney fan but if you're fan or not, you must watch these skits. Jim Varney was one of the best at creating and bringing to life the characters and he transitions from one character to the next so smoothly, it looks effortless. For example: the 'Davy Worrell' skit, he goes from one character and voice to another without missing a beat. My personal favorite 'person' in this 'movie' is "Billy 'Boogie' Worrell". As crazy as Jim can make his face appear, from squishing it up to dressing as 'Auntie Nelda', I must admit, this character was sexy. The deep raspy voice, sunglasses, jewelry, the knit cap, sleeveless shirt and disco music really made this character. I know I'm not the only one who thinks so. Jim Varney had the ability to make himself look absolutely hilarious just by being Ernest and then looking positively good looking. Yeah, as you can tell, I'm a Jim Varney fanatic. These skits show off the true skill that only Jim had. I couldn't stop laughing at 'Great Uncle Lloyd Worrell', especially when he named his son, 'Mistake' and pretended to eat steak and lobster when the plates were empty. 'Pop Worrell' made me laugh so hard, tears were coming out of my eyes. He would just say whatever came into his head regardless if it made any sense or not. Jim was the master of disguise. You can hardly imagine that Billy Boogie, Lloyd and Pop are really all Jim Varney. In real life, however, Jim Varney had a near genius IQ so playing these characters must have been a treat. He was a genius at making me laugh so hard, I hurt. When I pop in one of his DVD's I get a little sad because I know there will be no more. It's still sometimes hard to believe he's gone. RIP, Jim. You will be forever missed. Remember, that you were a wonderful person and a brilliant actor. 1949-2000.

The various skits are all Jim Varney. I have to admit that the production is pretty low in quality, but this doesn't stop Varney from having a good time. When he's a gambler he turns his head and his cigar pokes the southern belle in the cheek and we hear the thing singe her, its hilarious. When he reads from the telephone book as if its the Bible there is seldom anything so crazy. He tells his son, "Mistake" that he's gonna read from the big book, 1st Condiminiums...

When he is Pop in the last skit, there is no doubt but that he is a comic genius who can just pull funny stuff from nowhere. "You know what's wrong with that thing? That strings too long. It takes too long for that ball to go from here to there... or maybe that paddles too small, I don't know." I wish he were still around simply so he could be alive, second so he could produce more frenetic crap like this. Its just plain fun. Enjoy.

Even if you think the Ernest movies are stupid, this movie is much more a showcase of Jim Varney's characterization talent. He's got a rubber-band voice and a face that moves in every possible direction, and each scene in this movie takes Ernest's seed of an idea in some really interesting directions. It was really nice seeing a movie where whoever has copyright control over the Ernest character finally said, "Okay Jim, why don't you go nuts," which is basically what happens here: just a string of scenes about Ernest's relatives or ancestors where Jim Varney plays basically everybody. Definitely worth renting on a Friday night.

My favorite parts of Ernest movies is when he plays several different characters one after another. This one has the mother of them all with him doing about two dozen different people in a sketch of his relative Davey Worrell. A real knee-slapper as he changes from one guy to another guy without letup. A great watch.

Although not a great example of cohesive film making, this film is a great example of what can be done when fun is included in the making of a piece of entertainment. This is also a great platform for Jim Varney's great talent for range and voices. He plays almost every character, and it is great fun to watch him go from the bumbling Ernest to Uncle Lloyd, the meanest man in the world, to the dozen or so characters he does as Corporal Davey Worrell. Come on, it's just for fun. If you find it, rent it, and prepare to belly laugh. Jim Varney will be missed. We need more of that silliness in Hollywood today.