Ernest in the Army

1998 film by John Cherry

Ernest in the Army

Release poster

Directed by| John Cherry
Screenplay by|

* Jeffrey Pillars
* Joseph Dattorre

Story by| John Cherry
Produced by|

* John Cherry
* Kenneth M. Badish

Starring|

* Jim Varney
* Hayley Tyson
* David Muller
* Christo Davids
* Ivan Lucas
* Jeffrey Pillars
* Duke Ernsberger

Cinematography| Jimmy Robb
Edited by|

* Craig Bassett
* Virgilio Da Silva

Music by| Mark Adler

Production
company

Emshell Producers

Distributed by|

* Monarch Home Video
* Active Entertainment

Release date

* February 24, 1998 (1998-02-24)

Running time

| 85 minutes[1]
Country| United States
Language| English

Ernest in the Army is a 1998 American comedy film directed by John Cherry and starring Jim Varney. It is the tenth film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell, the ninth and final film in the Ernest series before Varney's death in February 2000.[2]

It was shot in Cape Town, South Africa's Koeberg Nature Reserve.[3] It was released direct-to-video on February 2, 1998.

## Plot

[edit]

Ernest, working as a golf ball collector at a golf range in Valdosta, Georgia, fantasizes about driving a big rig. His friend, Ben, tells him that if he joins the United States Army, he will get to drive large vehicles and never have to go into actual combat. He enlists in the reserves, but one day, a UN peacekeeping commander Pierre Gullet and the British ambassador visit Ernest's camp and demand that the entire unit including him, be deployed to the fictional Middle Eastern country of Karifistan. He and his fellow soldiers are told to assist UN troops in the hope of saving the country from being invaded by an evil Islamic dictator named Tufuti of Arisia. Suddenly, he finds a lost boy, Ben-Ali and keeps him safe until his father, held in a prison called Sector 32, is found. A news reporter from Ernest's local Channel 3 and the colonel of Ernest's army are taken as hostages and brought to Sector 32, where the news reporter drops a hint on live television, which Ernest recognizes. He journeys to Sector 32 and frees the news reporter and Ben-Ali's father (who was narrating the movie itself), and steals a missile vehicle (carrying a Pluton missile with Colonel Gullet strapped on to it). However, as soon as Ernest releases the colonel, he restrains Ben-Ali and threatens Ernest to give him the missile, but they manage to release the missile, landing in the sand. At the end, the news reporter gets a new job and Ben-Ali is reunited with his father.

## Cast

[edit]

* Jim Varney as Ernest P. Worrell
* Hayley Tyson as Cindy
* David Muller as Colonel Gullet
* Christo Davids as Ben-Ali
* Jeff Pillars as General
* Duke Ernsberger as Barnes
* Ivan Lucas as Tufuti
* John Cherry as Sarge
* Josh Cherry as Corporal Davis

## Release

[edit]

Ernest in the Army was released direct-to-video on February 24, 1998.[4] The film had its first DVD release from Ventura Distribution on October 1, 2002.[5]

## Reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 17% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.6/10.[6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Ernest in the Army (PG)". BBFC. March 2, 1998. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
2. ^ Rossen, Jake (October 19, 2017). "Hey, Vern: It's the Ernest P. Worrell Story". Mental Floss. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
3. ^ Per film's end credits
4. ^ Harti, John (February 20, 1998). "Star-studded slasher flick soon on video". The Sun News. p. 69\. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
5. ^ "Ernest in the Army". DVD Talk. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
6. ^ "Ernest in the Army". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 30, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Ernest in the Army at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by John Cherry

* Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (1983)
* Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985)
* Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)
* Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
* Ernest Goes to Jail (1990)
* Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
* Ernest Rides Again (1993)
* Slam Dunk Ernest (1995)
* Ernest Goes to Africa (1997)
* Ernest in the Army (1998)
* The All New Adventures of Laurel & Hardy in For Love or Mummy (1999)
* Pirates of the Plain (1999)

* v
* t
* e

Ernest P. Worrell series

Films|

* Ernest Goes to Camp
* Ernest Saves Christmas
* Ernest Goes to Jail
* Ernest Scared Stupid
* Ernest Rides Again
* Ernest Goes to School
* Slam Dunk Ernest
* Ernest Goes to Africa
* Ernest in the Army

TV Series|

* Hey Vern, It's Ernest!

Related|

* Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album
* Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam

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