Slam Dunk Ernest (1995)

20% of critics liked it
(5 reviews)
37% of users liked it
(5,880 ratings)

Poor Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney). All he wants is to be a real basketball player on the amateur team with all the other janitors from his workplace. Unfortunately, they have all told him over and over that white guys like him just can't jump. That turns out to be true until he receives divine… More Poor Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney). All he wants is to be a real basketball player on the amateur team with all the other janitors from his workplace. Unfortunately, they have all told him over and over that white guys like him just can't jump. That turns out to be true until he receives divine assistance from a friendly angel (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) who gives Ernest a pair of magical shoes. In no time, he is jumping and shooting with the best of them. The trouble starts when his b-ball antics attract the attention of a wicked promoter who wants the lovable rube to sign a lifetime contract. More problems ensue when the son of the team's real star (the one who worked, long and hard to perfect his game) begins idolizing Ernest. Like other entries in the long-running series, Slam Dunk Ernest is filled with cornball humor, slapstick comedy and just a smidgen of pathos. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 33 min.
Directed By: John R. Cherry III
Genres: Comedy, Kids & Family

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1995 Wide
On DVD: Aug 5, 2003

Critic Reviews

Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Which Ernest # is this one?
Stefan Birgir Stefansson, sbs.is
Why oh, why did this movie get made?

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Stacy A

Even though I love every Ernest movie, there are a few things in this one that ticked me off. First, I think Ernest gets mistreated worse in this than in any other Ernest movie ever made. The Clean Sweep team didn't really want him to play and all Ernest wanted was to be a part… More
Even though I love every Ernest movie, there are a few things in this one that ticked me off. First, I think Ernest gets mistreated worse in this than in any other Ernest movie ever made. The Clean Sweep team didn't really want him to play and all Ernest wanted was to be a part of a team. They called him a 'Dumb Redneck' a few times, they mocked him, made fun of him and it made me want to shove that basketball so far up their butts, it would come out of their heads. Only when Ernest starts winning do they 'like' him until he starts becoming the star of the team. I kept thinking, "Shoot, Ernest, you can win for losing, can you?" Yes, the fame does go to Ernest's head a little bit and maybe that was because he was finally getting some attention. He recovers back to his Ernest self in the end and the story does have an important lesson to learn. Success doesn't fall into your lap. You have to work hard for it. And Ernest didn't really care about being a huge star, he just wanted to be included. He was warned not to misuse the shoes and when he did, things started messing up for him even worse. And he didn't want to turn Quincy against his father, Barry. Erma was such a gold digger, that she definitely didn't deserve to be with Ernest or even in the same room as Ernest and it was great to see him tell Erma and Zimmel to leave him alone because they weren't who he thought they were. I love this film but I just wished they didn't write the script where the team lays into Ernest like they did. I get downright maternal when it comes to Ernest and I feel the need to protect him from the bullies in this world. We miss you, Jim.
Anthony L

Ernest started going a bit rubbish after a while, I think this was soon followed by Ernest has a dump, Ernest makes a cup of tea and Ernest gets thromboses. RIP Mr. Varney.
Bobby H

Jim Varney plays the halarious Ernest and is the only thing that really makes this movie worth watching along with his teammates. The villians in this one is just pure annoying and the plot is not so good. It's an okay movie to watch for laughs, but beyond that it's kind… More
Jim Varney plays the halarious Ernest and is the only thing that really makes this movie worth watching along with his teammates. The villians in this one is just pure annoying and the plot is not so good. It's an okay movie to watch for laughs, but beyond that it's kind of a flop. The magical shoes just were a little too far out for me.