# Ernest Saves Christmas
**Ernest Saves Christmas** is a 1988 American Christmas comedy directed by John R. Cherry III and starring [Jim Varney](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-varney) as [Ernest P. Worrell](https://www.edgepedia.org/ernest-p-worrell), a bumbling Orlando taxi driver who helps an aging [Santa Claus](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-claus) find a successor. It was the second theatrical film built around the Ernest character, following *Ernest Goes to Camp* (1987), and was produced by Emshell Producers Group for Touchstone Pictures, Disney's live-action label, with Silver Screen Partners III.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | November 11, 1988 (United States), distributed by Buena Vista Pictures[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS) |
| Director / writers | John R. Cherry III; screenplay by B. Kline and Ed Turner[2](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0095107/credits/) |
| Principal cast | Jim Varney (Ernest P. Worrell), Douglas Seale (Santa Claus), Oliver Clark (Joe Carruthers), Noëlle Parker (Harmony, also known as Pamela Trenton)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS) |
| Box office | $28,202,109 domestic gross on a budget of approximately $6.5 million; opening weekend $5,710,734, second place that weekend[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0095107/) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS) |
| Filming | April to May 10, 1988, in Tennessee and Orlando, Florida, including the new Disney-MGM Studios facility[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS) |
| Critical reception | 40% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (15 reviews); 44% Popcornmeter from more than 25,000 audience ratings[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ernest_saves_christmas) |
| Current availability | Streaming on Disney+ in the United States; rent or buy on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google TV, and YouTube[5](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/ernest-saves-christmas/9114/where-to-watch/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
On December 23, Santa Claus arrives at the Orlando airport in a business suit, carrying his magical red bag, and searches for Joe Carruthers, a former children's television host whose show *Uncle Joey's Treehouse* was recently canceled; Santa wants Joe to take over the job of [Father Christmas](https://www.edgepedia.org/father-christmas) so that he can retire.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS) He hails the cab of Ernest P. Worrell and, by mistake, leaves his sack behind in the vehicle.[6](https://d23.com/a-to-z/ernest-saves-christmas-film/)
A runaway teenager, Harmony Star (also known as Pamela Trenton), joins the pair after jumping into Ernest's cab to escape a waiter chasing her over an unpaid lunch bill.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS) Pamela at first tries to steal the sack, then returns it, and she and Ernest try to help Santa, whose errands go wrong one after another: he loses his sack, his sleigh is stuck in customs, and he ends up arrested on [Christmas Eve](https://www.edgepedia.org/christmas-eve).[6](https://d23.com/a-to-z/ernest-saves-christmas-film/) • [7](https://www.justwatch.com/de/Film/Ernest-rettet-Weihnachten) After many mishaps, Ernest manages to deliver Santa's sleigh and reindeer from the airport in time for Joe to take over on Christmas Eve.[6](https://d23.com/a-to-z/ernest-saves-christmas-film/)
## Production
**Origins of the character.** Ernest P. Worrell was not created for the movies. The Nashville advertising agency Carden & Cherry invented him in 1980 for a commercial for Beech Bend Park, an amusement park in [Bowling Green, Kentucky](https://www.edgepedia.org/bowling-green-kentucky), based on a person the agency's co-owner, director John Cherry, had known. The character went on to record television and radio commercials for products such as car dealerships and banks, and Cherry owned the character.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS)
**A rewritten script.** According to an 18 November 1988 LA Weekly account, [Walt Disney](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney)'s Buena Vista Pictures already had a screenplay about Santa Claus's retirement. Writer Thom Eberhardt was approached to rewrite it and create a "story with Santa and adults," and he completed a new original script in three weeks, but Disney stated the screenplay would be changed "into an Ernest movie." Eberhardt removed himself from the production and is not credited onscreen.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS)
**Shooting.** A February 1988 Los Angeles Times brief reported principal photography was set to begin in late March 1988; a Variety production chart stated filming began in April 1988 in Tennessee and [Orlando, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/orlando-florida). Orlando locations included the Orlando Science Center and the studios of WOFL-TV, and production notes list filming "in and around the new Disney/MGM Studios facility." Filming was completed on May 10, 1988, on a budget of approximately $6.5 million.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS) The film was shot in color with [Panavision](https://www.edgepedia.org/panavision) lenses and released with Dolby Stereo sound in selected theaters.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS)
## Box office and reception
The film opened on November 11, 1988, after a tentative November 4 date, and placed second at the box office for its opening weekend with about $5.7 million.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS) It went on to gross $28,202,109 domestically, with no international release recorded, against its roughly $6.5 million budget.[3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0095107/) Contemporary reviews gave the film mixed notices; the Catholic News Conference called it "a surprisingly entertaining holiday hoot," while TIME's Richard Corliss later described it as "only marginally insufferable," an example of the television-sitcom tendency to go broad and sappy with a token Yuletide episode.[8](https://repository.stu.edu/ulma/va/3005/1988/12-23-1988.pdf) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ernest_saves_christmas) On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds 40% on the Tomatometer from 15 reviews and 44% on the Popcornmeter from more than 25,000 audience ratings.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ernest_saves_christmas)
Reported running times varied at release: contemporary reviews listed ninety, eighty-nine, seventy-five, and eighty-six minutes, and the AFI Catalog records the duration as 75, 86, or 89 to 91 minutes, while [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) lists 1 hour 31 minutes.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS) • [3](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0095107/) The British Board of Film Classification classified the 1989 cinema version at 91 minutes 22 seconds with the consumer advice "contains very mild scary scenes."[9](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/ernest-saves-christmas-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yodaymjg)
## Place in the Ernest series
The film is the second of the theatrical Ernest pictures. *Ernest Goes to Camp* (1987) was the first of eight theatrical films based on the character, and *Ernest Saves Christmas* was followed by *Ernest Goes to Jail* (1990).[10](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57614-ERNEST-GOES-TO-CAMP) • [11](https://www2-direct.entertainment.ie/movies/where-to-watch/ernest-saves-christmas-78352/) Director John Cherry has said he considered it the best of the Ernest movies.[12](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095107/trivia/?item=tr6059552) The film was released on video in 1989 and on DVD on September 3, 2002.[6](https://d23.com/a-to-z/ernest-saves-christmas-film/) • [5](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/ernest-saves-christmas/9114/where-to-watch/)
## Home media and streaming
In the United States the film is currently available with a Disney+ subscription and for digital rent or purchase on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google TV, and YouTube, with rentals starting at $3.99.[5](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/ernest-saves-christmas/9114/where-to-watch/) It was previously on Netflix USA from October 1, 2014, until October 2, 2017.[13](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/60023189) [Availability](https://www.edgepedia.org/availability) differs by country: as of its most recent check, [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) reported the film was not streaming on any service in Germany, where it can be bought only on DVD.[7](https://www.justwatch.com/de/Film/Ernest-rettet-Weihnachten)
## Legacy
The film has remained a seasonal comfort watch for a generation of viewers who encountered it on television or home video; CinemaBlend describes it as a fixture for '90s kids and still available to stream with a Disney+ subscription.[14](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/ernest-saves-christmas-turns-37-bts-family-pics-jim-varney) Common Sense Media notes that it contains no sex, violence, or language to speak of, making it a fairly safe family option, and highlights the story of the runaway's journey back home as its heartening core.[15](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/ernest-saves-christmas) A planned documentary, *The Importance of Being Ernest*, sets out to tell the full story of the Ernest character and Jim Varney, whose nine feature films and thousands of commercials made Ernest P. Worrell a comedy icon.[16](https://www.beingernestfilm.com/about/)
## References
1. [Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58680-ERNEST-SAVESCHRISTMAS)
2. [Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) credits, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0095107/credits/)
3. [Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0095107/)
4. [Ernest Saves Christmas, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ernest_saves_christmas)
5. [Where to Watch Ernest Saves Christmas, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/ernest-saves-christmas/9114/where-to-watch/)
6. [Ernest Saves Christmas (film), D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/ernest-saves-christmas-film/)
7. [Ernest rettet Weihnachten, JustWatch (Germany)](https://www.justwatch.com/de/Film/Ernest-rettet-Weihnachten)
8. [The Voice (Miami), December 23, 1988, page 15, University of St. Thomas repository](https://repository.stu.edu/ulma/va/3005/1988/12-23-1988.pdf)
9. [Ernest Saves Christmas, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/ernest-saves-christmas-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yodaymjg)
10. [Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57614-ERNEST-GOES-TO-CAMP)
11. [Ernest Saves Christmas, Entertainment.ie](https://www2-direct.entertainment.ie/movies/where-to-watch/ernest-saves-christmas-78352/)
12. [Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) trivia, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095107/trivia/?item=tr6059552)
13. [Ernest Saves Christmas on Netflix USA, New On Netflix](https://usa.newonnetflix.info/info/60023189)
14. [Ernest Saves Christmas Turns 37 This Year, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/ernest-saves-christmas-turns-37-bts-family-pics-jim-varney)
15. [Ernest Saves Christmas Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/ernest-saves-christmas)
16. [The Importance of Being Ernest, documentary official site](https://www.beingernestfilm.com/about/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Teen and comedy series film entries › Entries released before 1990*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license