Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)

A group of juvenile criminals is sent for vacation to Kamp Kikakee. The clumsy Ernest (Jim Varney) has to care for them, although he doesn't even know how to take care of himself.

There were a handful of good Ernest films. "Saves Christmas" is excellent, and both "Goes to Jail" and "Scared Stupid" are pretty good. This may be the best one, though. It really tried to have a deeper message that appealed both to kids and adults. It may be silly, it might have delinquents who seem like nice kids, and it may have a Sicilian who plays an Indian chief... but it is a good movie.

I understand why this film has an overall low rating, but it should not be as low as it currently is (5.4 in September 2015). This is a true children's classic.

Fmovies: Ernest Goes To Camp is hilarious. Here we have Ernest P. Worrell working as a janitor at a summer camp and then getting promoted to camp counselor. As he guides a group of juvenile delinquents, the camp is in danger of being lost to a mining company. Undeterred, Ernest sets out to save the camp from destruction. The late Jim Varney was great as the klutzy but well-meaning Ernest P. Worrell. The late John Vernon did well as Sherman Krader, the corrupt mining company owner. This enjoyable movie is filled with slapstick humor and physical comedy.

I remember seeing this at the theater and Loved it!! 32 years later and still loving it and can't wait to let my son watch it. RIP Jim Varney your legend lives on. Thank you for this classic. I kinda tear up when you sing Gee I'm Glad it's Raining.

Ernest Goes to Camp fmovies. Sometimes, a film made for the childish audience can transcend time and generations and become widely accepted by all. Rocketman with Harland Williams did, and i believe that so has Ernest Goes To Camp. There is just a serious enough a theme to the film of the heartless land developer trying to drive the low earning camp off the property, but Jim Varney manages to keep it silly enough to be entertaining. This film has some great moments, and it is worth the *now* retail price of like $5-8 just to see the fashions these kids in the late 80's wore. Also, being 17 now, i grew up at the same time as this film. Look out for the song i'm awfully glad it's raining sung by Varney. It makes me teary everytime i hear it.

ernest goes to camp is a funny movie. it's the second best ernest movie,second only to ernest goes to jail. this movie may be the most serious of all ernest movies,if you can believe any are serious. i give ernest goes to camp *** out of ****

"Ernest Goes to Camp", the quintessential Ernest film, introduces the mass population to the dim, innocuous Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney). Many of us had seen the Ernest & Vern commercials prior to the film's release, but the movie gave all of us a special glimpse into the life of this simple country boy.

In this particular film Ernest is the lone handyman at Kamp Kikakee, a summer camp for young boys, whose premise is based on ancient Native American principles and traditions. Ernest enjoys his job and simple life very much, but he longs to be promoted to the position of camp counselor so he can "shape and mold young minds into a focused world view". Ernest may just get his chance...

The state governor has ordered the camp to take part in his Second Chance program, which will allow a group of juvenile deliquents from the State Institute for Boys to take part in the camp's activities, and, hopefully, clean up their acts.

The evil, military-minded Counselor Stennis - who is almost reminiscent of Douglas Niedermeyer from "Animal House" - takes a crack at knocking the second-chancers into place, but strikes out when they stage a coup and break his ankle. Head Counselor/Manger Tipton is in a bind. He knows none of his counselors will want to take charge of the deliquent boys now, so he enlists naive Ernest to do the job.

Ernest takes his new duties, and the boys, very seriously, but the boys could care less about him, until the camp nurse sets them straight (i.e., "Ernest is the only person in the world who even wanted to know you"). Meanwhile, a strip mining company on the upper part of the river has been trying to talk Chief St. Cloud, owner of the campgrounds, into turning the land over to them so they can mine the land for petrocite. The Chief, who speaks no english, turns the mining company down twice, through his granddaughter (the camp nurse). Lo and behold, Sherman Krader, the mining company CEO, cons Ernest - the only other person at the camp who can speak the Chief's native Indian language - into getting the Chief to sign the release papers.

The camp is going to close. The second-chancers will be sent back to the state institution. This looks like a job for ERNEST! He and the deliquents devise a plan to scare away the strip mining company, which involves blowing up all of their equipment. The plan doesn't really work because Sherman Krader arrives on the scene with a fully-loaded rifle to shoot ring-leader Ernest (and...let's face it...in the real world Ernest and the kids would have been sued because of their thoughtless plan). Luckily though, the camp nurse went behind them all and got the judge to issue a restraining order against the mining company. Later, Krader's attorney admits that they bamboozled the Chief so the camp is saved, the second-chancers get to stay at the camp year-round, and Ernest becomes a full-fledged counselor (although he still performs his handyman duties).

A string of inferior Ernest films were released, up until Jim Varney's death a few years ago (he was 51). "Ernest Goes to Camp" is the only one worth seeing, unless you have children who might enjoy the films. I was nine years-old when I saw this flick in the theater, and I still enjoy it! Saw it on DVD for the first time today!