The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 176

WEEKEND MOVIES Ernest Goes to Jail should be locked up MOVIE REVIEW TRIAL FOR VIEWERS: Ernest (Jim Varney) is a touring juror mistaken for a convict in Ernest Goes to Jail By RYAN MURPHY Herald Staff Writer The arrival of any film featuring the character of Ernest Worrell that putty-faced Playdoh-brained moron of adolescent mirth is a perfect occasion to brush up Dorothy Parker chestnuts and scream what' is perhaps her most famous phrase: fresh hell is Ernest Goes to Jail the third installment of the apparently never-ending Ernest film series is indeed hellish though never for a moment is it fresh Despite the puppy-dog enthusiasm of lead actor Jim Varney who has made a sad career out of the hapless nearly brain-dead character of Ernest director John pathetic effort capsizes a minute or so after the opening credits roll and bobs about moribund for the remaining 81 minutes Root canal by comparison is less painful Cinematically propelled by a cavalcade of near-terrifying close-ups which offer viewers a view of scary black holelike nostrils Ernest Goes to Jail revolves around a case of mistaken identity While on a jury duty tour of a menacing maximum security facility our hapless hero is knocked cold by a prison gang and a switcheroo takes place A criminal kingpin (who looks exactly like Ernest and is also played by Varney) walks out of the hole with the rest of the jurors while Ernest is left holding a ball and chain Wonderfully repugnant scenes of cell decoration revenge justice and electrocution follow As with the other Ernest films plot and fleshed-out supporting characters are thrown to the wind early on (although newcomer Bar- ERNEST GOES TO JAIL (PG) Cast: Jim Varney Gailard Sartain Barbara Bush Randall Cobb Bill Byrge Director: John Cherry Producer: Stacy Williams Screenwriter: Charlie Cohen Cinematographer: Peter Stein Music: Bruce Arntson Kirby Shelstad A Touchstone Pictures release Running time: 82 minutes Violence vulgar situations bara Bush as love interest Charlotte does have the odd appealing moment) Ernest Goes to Jail is a vehicle specifically tailored to showcase the talents of Varney a smug comic who mugs shamelessly for the camera with a face only a plastic surgeon could love (or redeem) His centerpiece scene in which he imitates Bogart Cagney and a host of other silver screen legends with surprising accuracy and brio is the one original amusing flourish and leaves one hungry for other moments of wild comic abandon that sadly never come The film is never arresting though arrestable throw it in the clink and throw away the key Ernest Goes to Jail ends almost on a happy uplifting note The dimwit is blown to smithereens and appears to be gone from our lives forever But then curses! he spirals back to earth grinning dumbly like an ill-carved jack-o-lan-tem Ernest lands not surprisingly with a thud a metaphor of sorts for the mess that preceded his survival IWOMETCOiTHEATRES kites (UHRUETORi Earty Bird Special All Saatt Shew Starting batwaan 4-6 pm $a95 Al other matnees a $300 Senior Citizens Chddren 3-12 Al Times A Mark of Excellence" 1 Speoal Attractions excluded) a Fri Sat Late Shows at Selected Theatres ek or call 1 i KENDALL 981 Kendall Dr West of Fla Tbmpike mbm 588-5000 mam SAT WESTON SUNRISE 00 SW 160 Are at 114 St4M "South of SRM-Waal efl-7s Off Weaton Rd (Behind Pubkxl Hm 384-7713 mtm Thx THIS WEEK IN THIS WEEK IN HX "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE'S" HD A A A CRAZY PEOPLE I LOVE YOU TO DEATH TEENAGE MUTANT HINJA TURTLES PG VITAL SIGNS CRAZY PEOPLE ERNEST GOES TO JAIL CRY-BABY PRETTY WOMAN I LOVE YOU TO DEATH HARD TO KILL THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER NUNS ON THE RUN FIRST POWER PG PG13 PG BLUE STEEL THEGODSMUSTBECRAZYPTil PG PG13 OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS PG13 CRY-BABY LOVE AT URGE NUNS ON THE RUN BAD INFLUENCE ANGEL TOWN CRAZY PEOPLE CRY-BABY PG13 THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER PG FIRST POWER ERNEST GOES TO JAIL PG PRETTY WOMAN CAMPBELL SQUARE At USVCampbeN Or Heaieatead 24548oo tmm Sp7" am CRY-BABY PG13 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES PG ERNEST GOES TO JAIL PG PRETTY WOMAN FIRST POWER THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER PG FIRST POWER HARD TO KILL VITAL SIGNS ANGEL TOWN THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER PG CARUfUj wept CRY-BABY I LOVE YOU TO DEATH NUNS ON THE RUN LOVE AT URGE OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS PG13 PG13 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES PG DRIVING MISS DAISY PG CRAZY PEOPLE THEGODSMUSTBECRAZYPTil PG PRETTY WOMAN FIRST POWER THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER PG 3jl BLUE STEEL CRAZY PEOPLE OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS PG13 THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER PG MILLER SQUARE iunMMd HE3EE CRAZY PEOPLE LOVE AT URGE FIRST POWER BLUE STEEL UMBADA LOOK WHO'S TALKING PG PG13 CRAZY PEOPLE ANGEL TOWN FIRST POWER HARO TO KILL GLORY THE FOURTH WAR -UMBADA THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER FIRST POWER ANGEL TOWN LOVE AT URGE THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER PG THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER PG 1 CL CL i DC In the world of cons Eddie's a pro i i TTAV11 MtUOl 1 UUUL 163rd STREET 11 50 12:15 VITAL SIGNS (R) ANGEL TOWN 00 THE HUNT fOft RED OCTOfiF (PG) CRAZY PEOPLE (R) 12:30 BLUE STEEL (R) 1145 OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS (PG13) 12:15 THE HUNT POR RED 0CT08ER (PG) 1145 miMELElSE wtwa on snsie ut DUtmHun tr UJ i 5 UJ NOW SHOWING! CRAZY PEOPLE 00 FIRST POWER W) SLUE STEEL 00 LAMBADA (PQ LOVE AT LARGE (10 LOOK WHO'S TALKING (PG13) 1130 11:45 11:15 1130 1130 1145 tMTKJUYSJl MOVIES AT LAUDERHILL zmc CORAL RiOGE 10 unajfiTm MOVIES AT MARGATE nc RtOGE PLAZAS S-40 I CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES FOR SHOWTIMES.