Ernest in the Army (dir. John R. Cherry III, 1998)
There is another love interest for Ernest this time, and she’s not a nerdy archetype, but a lovely reporter named Cindy (Hayley Tyson) who is actually not too interested in Ernest. Ernest, meanwhile, is too sloppy and clumsy to be a soldier (he eats too many gummi candies, which somehow get stuck to his superior officer’s face), but he’s happy to be the platoon’s cook (although he’s not too good at that either; his pancakes are made with cement and eventually become weapons).
Given the militaristic structure and enclosed surroundings, Ernest in the Army feels the most like Ernest Goes to Camp, the most popular and widely-seen in the series. Just instead of a corporate greaseball, we have an evil Middle Eastern warlord. Although filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, the film takes place in Karifistan. I really hate when movies make up countries, don’t you?
Ernest also falls in with a helpful young boy named Ben-Ali (Christo Davids), further proving that kids are just drawn to Ernest. I’ve said it before, but I feel is bears repeating: Kid movies don’t need to have kids in them to appeal to kids. Indeed, I think kids would rather look at the lives of adults vicariously without an onscreen avatar representing their age group. They’d be more thrilled to think they were getting a naughty peek into a world they don’t yet occupy. If your movie is about Ernest, let it be about Ernest. Don’t make it about Ben-Ali.
There is a goofy sergeant in Ernest in the Army played by the director. He had a cameo in the last film as well. I’m surprised it took John Cherry this long to get in on the action. Indeed, I’m kind of surprised Ernest hasn’t accumulated a posse by this point. Y’know a series of wacky supporting characters who crop up from time to time. We’ve had recurring actors, yes, but where is Ernest’s mad scientist friend? Or unemployment agent? Or obnoxious niece? Not that I necessarily encourage Ernest from accumulating a Saturday Morning-ready “team,” but it seems to me it would have helped.
