Ernest Saves Christmas
1988 · Movie · PG · 91 min · ★ 5.4 · 40% critics
As Santa prepares to retire, he needs to hand off his magical gift-giving duties to a worthy successor before Christmas is at risk. With help from a well-meaning but accident-prone taxi driver and a runaway teen, he tries to persuade a doubtful children’s TV host to believe in the job and step in.
Also known as Ernest Saves Santa · Le Père Noël est en Prison
Where to watch
Streaming on Disney+.
2 hours to watch.
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Details
- Years
- 1988
- Release date
- 1988-11-11
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG
- Runtime
- 91 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 40/100
- TMDB rating
- 5.4/10 (209 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a clean, goofy Christmas comedy with lots of slapstick, a sincere Santa, and a simple feel-good message; Not for you if you dislike broad silliness or predictable holiday plots like in Beethoven.
Pros: family-friendly holiday fun; earnest heart and charm; lots of slapstick laughs | Cons: very silly tone; uneven, repetitive middle; some jokes fall flat
Themes
- holiday
- christmas
Cast & crew
Jim Varney
as Ernest P. Worrell
- OC
Oliver Clark
as Joe Carruthers
Noelle Parker
as Harmony
Gailard Sartain
as Chuck
Billie Bird
as Mary Morrissey
Bill Byrge
as Bobby
Douglas Seale
as Santa
Robert Lesser
as Marty
- KH
Key Howard
as Immigration Agent
Jack Swanson
as Businessman
Directed by John Cherry