Watch Ernest Goes to Jail

"Ernest Goes to Jail" was released in 1990 by Touchstone Pictures. It was the fourth movie to feature the popular "Ernest" character and was one of the most financially successful, pulling in $25,029,569. Character actor Jim Varney plays the lovable, but dim, Ernest P. Worrell. Worrell is a bank janitor that hopes to work his way up to becoming a clerk. After nearly electrocuting himself while cleaning the floor, Ernest is called for jury duty, during which a criminal notices he looks exactly like a death row inmate.

The criminals swap Ernest and the death row inmate. The inmate assumes Ernest's identity and job and plans a bank heist. Ernest struggles against the harsh prison life, tries to escape before his death sentence his carried out, and to stop the bank robbery that threatens his friend and co-worker Charlotte.

"Ernest Goes to Jail" features silly hijinks that focus around Ernest's strange behavior. There are some fantastical elements blended into the film, giving it a nearly super hero feel at points. It has a slapstick, zany, and rather silly sense of humor that is perfect for children, but has several darker moments that help endear it to a more adult sensibility.