Ernest Saves Christmas Is an Unlikely Holiday Classic
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The Santa Plot

Back in the golden age of Hollywood, nobody thought that comedy figures could successfully carry a movie. Thus, Marx Bros. films such as The Cocoanuts or Abbott and Costello’s debut One Night in the Tropics grafted its comedic stars onto existing properties. The result is often kind of a mess, an uncomfortable blending of two genres. But in the best instances, in the classics like the Marx Bros. Duck Soup, something transcendent happens. The anarchy of the comedic plot dovetails with the sincerity of the dramatic plot, pushing all elements to an absurd level.

Ernest Saves Christmas follows this model. On a basic level, it follows Santa Claus on a trip to Orlando, Florida, where he hopes to recruit children’s television host Joe Carruthers. Despite his passion for children, Joe finds himself out of a job and considering taking a role in the Christmas-themed horror movie described above. With his powers fading and Christmas Eve fast approaching, Santa must convince Joe to recover his sense of wonder and choose to help others over a Hollywood career. When Santa leaves his magic sack in Ernest’s cab, the knucklehead must help St. Nick succeed in his mission.

Again, I fully recognize that this is a corny plot. But it somehow succeeds, largely on the strength of its performances. Tony-nominated actor Douglas Seale is the perfect Santa Claus, a man who radiates joy and kindness without ever feeling forced. He’s introduced arriving at an Orlando airport, chatting with a businessman from Toronto who’s come to do some mundane work over the holidays. As the two make their way through the crowd, a little tinkle sounds and children run toward him smiling. But the real evidence of Seale’s appeal comes in the way he interacts with adults, making good-natured jokes with his companion and treating everyone he encounters with kindness. When an exasperated security employee lets him pass with identification reading “Santa Claus,” Santa says with a chuckle, “Thanks, Skippy.”

Likewise, Oliver Clarke gives a warm performance as Joe, an unassuming nice guy who legitimately wants to do the right thing but can’t help but be frustrated by his financial situation. In the aforementioned horror movie scene, Joe throws himself into the role, grabbing his prop gun and sneering at the attacking monster. But he loses his nerve at the curse, forcing the film to cut, Joe explains that he just can’t swear in front of the kids. “It’s nothing they haven’t heard before,” responds the director. “Not from me,” answers a resolute Joe. In nearly any other hands, the exchange would feel pat, like a bit of surface-level moralizing. But Clarke says it with such warm conviction that it plays like someone making a decision based on their own principles, rooted in kindness. 

The Ernest Plot

And then there’s Ernest. My years of watching Ernest films as a kid have left me with a permanent soft spot for the guy. But even I can admit that 90% of his schtick is mugging for the camera, pointing his twisted visage toward the audience, and doing broad hijinks. But darn it if he doesn’t land some great jokes in this movie. Some of them involve his usual gags, as when he smooshes his face onto the glass of a building in hopes of getting Santa’s attention. 

But others allow Varney to trot out sketch comedy bits, which are extremely effective (in these small doses, at least). In one, he follows the time-honored tradition of dressing like an old lady to portray the mother of Joe’s agent Marty (played by Robert Lesser, who also appeared in holiday classics Die Hard and Christmas Evil). The highlight comes when Ernest sneaks onto a studio lot by portraying a snake wrangler bringing serpents to a horror movie set. 

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