Jim Varney Movies
Gangling, Kentucky-born actor Jim Varney cut his professional teeth at Virginia's Barter Theater, a summer-stock concern specializing in vintage American melodramas. At his funniest when playing it totally straight, Varney was hired as a comedy-ensemble member of the 1976 TV variety series The Johnny Cash Show. He went on to play Evel Knievel-takeoff Virgil Sims in Norman Lear's syndicated talk show spoofs Fernwood 2-Night (1977) and America 2-Night (1978). He was also seen as Seaman Broom on Operation Petticoat (1977), in another ensemble play on the ill-fated Pink Lady (1980), as host of the 1982-1983 season of the country-western syndie Pop! Goes the Country, and as Evan Earp, a very distant descendant of Wyatt, on The Rousters. While this multitude of TV credits was impressive enough, Varney's true claim to fame rested in his dozens of commercial appearances, first as Sgt. Glory in a series of public service spots for the Southern Dairy Commission, then as dimwitted hayseed Ernest P. Worrell ("Hey, Vern!" "KnowhutImean?") in a variety of ads aimed at regional markets. Varney parlayed the Ernest character into a handful of videocassettes (many of these highlighted by profanity-peppered outtakes), a Saturday morning TV kiddie show titled Hey, Vern, It's Ernest (1988-1989), and seemingly endless series of low-budget, lowbrow film comedies bearing such titles as Ernest Goes to Camp (1987), Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), and Ernest: Scared Stupid (1989). Outside of his by-now standard characterization, Jim Varney was quite effectively cast as mountain patriarch Jed Clampett in the 1993 film version of the old TV sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies. His biggest-profile role came with the 1995 blockbuster animated film Toy Story, which found Varney cast as Slinky Dog. Varney reprised the role for the 1999 sequel Toy Story 2, and shortly before the release of the second film, Varney revealed he had been battling life-threatening lung cancer since August 1998. Late in 1999, he had experienced a remission from the cancer, but this was to be short-lived. His final battle lasted barely a couple of months after the sequel's release, with Varney succumbing to the disease in February 2000 at the age of 50. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The first Disney cartoon to be produced in the 70 mm format since The Black Cauldron (1985), this blend of traditional animation with computer-generated imagery is a straight adventure tale of the Jules Verne school, eschewing the studio's typical formula of cute critters mixed with song-and-dance routines. Michael J. Fox is the voice of Milo Thatch, a lowly museum employee and linguist in the early 20th century who's determined to continue his late grandfather's search for the lost, sunken empire of Atlantis. Bankrolled by eccentric millionaire Preston Whitmore (John Mahoney), Milo teams up with a diverse crew of mercenaries led by submarine commander Rourke (James Garner). After a sea battle with a giant denizen of the deep, the explorers locate the submerged civilization. Milo falls in love with Princess Kida (Cree Summer), the daughter of Atlantis' aged ruler (Leonard Nimoy), and must choose sides when it's revealed that some of his fellow expedition members intend to steal a mystical energy source from their hosts. Claudia Christian, Mark Hamill, David Ogden Stiers, Don Novello, and the late Jim Varney co-star. Although considered a shoo-in for a nomination in the debut year of the new Oscar category of Best Animated Feature, Atlantis: The Lost Empire faced stiff competition from other non-live-action entertainment in the summer of 2001, including Shrek, Final Fantasy, and Monsters Inc.. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael J. Fox, James Garner, (more)
Billy Bob Thornton wrote, directed, and starred in this serio-comic look at the trials (literally and figuratively) of an eccentric Arkansas family. Struggling musician Claude (Thornton) and his wife Ruby (Laura Dern) get the news that Claude's uncle Hazel (Jim Varney) has been accused of murder and is in jail awaiting trial. Claude and Ruby head for the Alabama town where they grew up, and, before long, there's a friendly (and sometimes not-so-friendly) war of words among the factions of the family, including Claude's mother Jewel (Diane Ladd), father O.T. (Andy Griffith), and sister Rose (Kelly Preston). Daddy and Them's supporting cast includes Jamie Lee Curtis and Ben Affleck as a pair of married attorneys, Brenda Blethyn as Hazel's wife Julia, and Jeff Bailey, and John Prine as Claude's brothers. While Daddy and Them was shot in 1999 -- and would have been his first directorial effort after his breakthough hit Sling Blade -- the film stayed in the editing room for several years, and wasn't released until after his third feature, All The Pretty Horses. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Bob Thornton, Jeff Bailey, (more)
- 1999
- NR
Artists have become revolutionaries and a singer/songwriter is an enemy of the state in the musical satire Existo. After Christian fundamentalist groups have taken over America, leftists and bohemians are driven underground as subversives. Existo (Bruce Arnston) is a musician whose songs have earned him the enmity of Dr. Armond Glasscock (Mike Montgomery), a powerful televangelist. Existo, however, continues to spread his message, traveling to underground nightclubs to sing his songs to those who also fight the power. Jim Varney plays renegade poet Marcel Horowitz in this self-described "leftist musical" filmed in Nashville. Existo was shown at the 1999 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Arnston, Jackie Welch, (more)
Woody the Cowboy, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of their friends from the toy box return in this computer-animated sequel to the 1995 hit Toy Story. This time around, Andy, the young boy who is the proud owner of most of our cast of characters, is off at summer camp, giving the toys a few weeks off to do as they please. Woody (voice of Tom Hanks) is unaware that in the years since his model went out of production, he's become a rare and valuable collector's item. An avid toy collector (voice of Wayne Knight) decides that he wants Woody for his collection and swipes him, so Buzz Lightyear (voice of Tim Allen), Hamm (voice of John Ratzenberger), Rex (voice of Wallace Shawn), Slinky Dog (voice of Jim Varney), and Mr. Potato Head (voice of Don Rickles) venture forth to rescue their kidnapped friend before Andy returns. Along with most of the original voice cast, composer Randy Newman returns with a new score and new songs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The U.S. Army's most unlikely soldier, Ernest P. Worrel (Jim Varney), finds himself responsible for saving the world when he and his troopmates are sent out to take down a tyrant. As with other entries in the Ernest series, this one is filled with plenty of low-brow, slapstick humor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Varney
- 1998
- PG
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This is the fourth in the 3 Ninjas action-adventure series with retired ninja Grandpa Mori (Victor Wong) as the connective device linking all four films. Following the low-rent 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (a 1992 production which went unreleased until 1995), the fourth boosts the budget and features three new lead youngsters plus assorted "guest stars." Grandpa Mori teaches martial arts to his three grandchildren: 15-year-old Rocky (Mathew Botuchis), 14-year-old Colt (Michael J. O'Laskey II), and 8-year-old Tum Tum (J.P. Roeske II). On a trip to the Mega Mountain amusement park, the three boys are joined by their computer genius neighbor, 13-year-old Amanda (Chelsey Earlywine), daughter of a movie special FX designer. The villainous Medusa (Loni Anderson) leads a ninja army to Mega Mountain. With her head henchman Lothar (Jim Varney), Medusa intends to move into Mega Mountain's master control center and hold the park patrons for a $10 million ransom. However, former TV star Dave Dragon (Hulk Hogan) happens to be making an appearance at the park, and the combination of Dave, Rocky, Colt, Tum Tum, and Amanda makes life difficult for Medusa and her warriors. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hulk Hogan, Loni Anderson, (more)
Jim Varney stars in this comedy as Carl Banks, a famous counterfeiter who has escaped from prison. However, while he eludes the Police, the FBI and the Mafia, he manages to get caught in a trap 10-year-old Timmy Taylor has set in back yard. Figuring it would be a lot more exciting than summer school, Timmy keeps Carl captive in his tree house, hoping to at least hold him in stir over the weekend so he can bring him to school for show and tell on Monday. But hiding an escaped fugitive turn out to be more work than he expected. Also stars Tom Bosley and Debby Boone. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joey Zimmerman, Todd Bosley, (more)
This goofy low-budget comedy follows a group of maverick misanthropes as they try to save the struggling title school from financial ruin. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Varney, Corey Haim, (more)
In this animated comedy/drama for the family, Annabelle (voice of Kath Soucie) is a calf who has a special wish for Christmas -- she'd like to be a reindeer and help Santa Claus drive his sleigh as he delivers his presents. Annabelle's friends tell her not to get her hopes up, but to everyone's surprise, Santa (voice of Kay E. Kuter) does indeed meet up with Annabelle, and the calf gets to help Santa make the holiday a special one for one young boy. Also appearing in the voice cast of Annabelle's Gift are Cloris Leachman, Jerry Van Dyke, Rue McClanahan, and Jim Varney; country music star Randy Travis narrates the story, and Alison Krauss and Nanci Griffith contribute songs to the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Based in part on an actual incident, the independent drama 100 Proof records one especially bad day in the lives of Rae (Pamela Stewart) and Carla (Tara Bellando), two tough but misused women living in a small Kentucky town. Rae and Carla get by through a combination of low-paying jobs, petty theft, and occasional prostitution, and often resort to drugs and alcohol to blot out the misery of their lives. Over the course of 24 hours, the two women con Arco (Jack Stubblefield Johnson) and Sissy (Minnie Bates Yancey), an elderly couple they've been hired to look after, out of their pension check; have a run-in with Rae's father (Jim Varney), a sleazy and abusive man who tries to pimp his daughter to his friends; score cocaine from a ne'er-do-well at the local store; and sink into a depression fueled by drugs that eventually explodes into shocking violence. 100 Proof was the debut feature for writer/director Jeremy Horton, and received strong reviews for its grim but true-to-life atmosphere and the performances of Pamela Stewart and Tara Bellando. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Slapstick handyman Ernest is in love and wants to buy a bauble for his gal Renee, so he goes to a local flea market and buys a couple of shiny faux jewels. He has no idea that they are real and that they were stolen from a sacred African idol by a crooked adventurer. He also does not know that a villainous Arab prince is impatiently waiting for the stones to arrive. and so he thinks nothing of making the cheap "rocks" into a yo-yo. When the explorer's henchmen discover that the witless Ernest has the jewels, they kidnap him and his girlfriend to the "Dark Continent" where they have all kinds of crazy, comical adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Varney, Linda Kash, (more)
- 1996
A prince (Jim Varney) comes to Lanford with hopes of romancing Jackie. He then invites the Conners on a trip to New York. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1996
In this Thanksgiving episode, Roseanne is glad that she won't have to cook, but she's upset that Dan won't be there. Leon (Martin Mull) and Scott (Fred Willard) visit with the news that they are thinking about adopting a child. This leads into a discussion with Bev (Estelle Parsons) where she announces her attraction to women. The episode ends at the homeless shelter. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Toy Story was the first feature-length film animated entirely by computer. If this seems to be a sterile, mechanical means of moviemaking, be assured that the film is as chock-full of heart and warmth as any Disney cartoon feature. The star of the proceedings is Woody, a pull-string cowboy toy belonging to a wide-eyed youngster named Andy. Whenever Andy's out of the room, Woody revels in his status as the boy's number one toy. His supremacy is challenged by a high-tech, space-ranger action figure named Buzz Lightyear, who, unlike Woody and his pals, believes that he is real and not merely a plaything. The rivalry between Woody and Buzz hilariously intensifies during the first half of the film, but when the well-being of Andy's toys is threatened by a nasty next-door neighbor kid named Sid -- whose idea of fun is feeding stuffed dolls to his snarling dog and reconstructing his own toys into hideous mutants -- Woody and Buzz join forces to save the day. Superb though the computer animation may be, what really heightens Toy Story are the voice-over performances by such celebrities as Tom Hanks (as Woody), Tim Allen (as Buzz), and Don Rickles (as an appropriately acerbic Mr. Potato Head). Director John Lasseter earned a special achievement Academy Award, while Randy Newman landed an Oscar nomination for his evocative musical score. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Varney, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, (more)
- 1994
In this zany, slapstick comedy, earnest-but-dim high-school janitor Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) becomes much brighter after he tinkers with an experimental machine for boosting intelligence. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Varney, Linda Kash, (more)
- 1994
- R
SWAT-Team instructor John Lomax's faith in the American justice system is shaken when the sociopath who murdered his sister is sentenced to life in a mental institution rather than to Death Row. Internal pressures upon Lomax mount when he is attacked by a mentally unstable woman desperately trying to free her brother from jail before his execution. When Lomax begins talking about ways to get to his sister's murderer and to kill him for revenge, his girlfriend and his partner get seriously worried. Meanwhile, the killer himself has devised an escape plan and he doesn't care who gets killed during the ensuing mayhem. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Speakman, James Brolin, (more)
- 1993
- PG
Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) inadvertently finds the long-missing British crown jewels (the tower of London contains fake jewels, according to the film) after he stumbles over a half-buried cannon from the Revolutionary War on the campus of the university where he works. This dim-bulbed comedy (the fifth in the Ernest film series) chronicles his bungling adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Varney, Linda Kash, (more)
Penelope Spheeris directed this compulsively faithful film adaptation of the popular 1960s television series. The familiar story 'bout a man named Jed Clampett (Jim Varney), a poor mountaineer who barely kept his family fed, continues to follow the TV show's format. Jed discovers oil on his Arkansas property and overnight becomes a multi-millionaire. He moves his family to Beverly Hills, wanting to turn his daughter Ellie May (Erika Eleniak) into a sophisticated woman. At his new Beverly Hills mansion, he meets Mr. Drysdale (Dabney Coleman), a kow-towing banker, and Drysdale's assistant, the repressed crone Miss Hathaway (Lily Tomlin). Jed announces that he would like to re-marry, and that leaves the door open for Drysdale's scheming lackey Woodrow Tyler (Rob Schneider) and his fortune-hunting partner Laura Jackson (Lea Thompson) to make the moves on Jed. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diedrich Bader, Dabney Coleman, (more)
After a childhood spat drove brothers Wilder (Arliss Howard) and Wallace (Dennis Quaid) apart, they went their separate ways, until a chance meeting brought them back together again. Gifted with a psychic ability to spark fires, Wilder supresses his gift, marries the lovely Vida (Debra Winger), and attempts to lead a normal life. However, he runs into his brother, who is using his powers to work as a carnival attraction, and their reunion leads to disaster when the brothers begin to compete for Vida's attention. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debra Winger, Dennis Quaid, (more)
Ernest (Jim Varney) gets into deep trouble when he decides to build a treehouse for the neighborhood kid and accidentally digs up an ugly, evil-tempered troll who hates all children and shows it by promptly turning the five kids helping Ernest into wooden sculptures. This is the fourth entry in the Ernest series and is filled with the goofy humor that has made the films popular with preadolescent kids. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Varney, Austin Nagler, (more)
- 1990
Originally shot as a television series pilot, the made-for-television Rousters is about Wyatt Earp's great-grandson (Chad Everett) who is a bouncer for Captain Jack Slade's carnival in Sladetown. The carnival is upset when a rascal named Clayton drops by, looking to cause some trouble. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chad Everett, Hoyt Axton, (more)
In Ernest Goes to Jail, Jim Varney returns as leering idiot savant Ernest P. Worrall, star of scores of TV commercials and feature films. Varney also takes on a second role in the film: an unrepentant, cold-blooded murderer named Felix Nash. When Ernest serves on the jury for Nash's murder trial, Nash arranges for look-alike Ernest to go to jail, while he stays on the outside to plan a major bank heist. Fortuitously for the criminal, it's the same bank where Ernest works as a security guard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Varney, Gailard Sartain, (more)
- 1989
- PG13
Two wacky guys find both romance and fortune in the hamburger business in this comedy. Augie (Clark Brandon) and Drew (Randal Patrick) are a pair of longtime students at Hopkins University who've been making a living by pulling one semi-legal scam after another for years, but one day the dean (J. Don Ferguson) decides he's had enough of their antics and gets rid of them the best way he knows how -- he graduates them. Forced into the real world, the guys are looking for something resembling a career when Augie gets surprising news. His cousin Samantha (Tracy Griffith) runs a gas station where he works part time, but she's considering selling the place to Wrangler Bob Bundy (Jim Varney), the owner of a local burger chain who is convinced the gas station would be the perfect location for a new franchise. Drew figures if the place would be the right spot for a burger joint, they should open one themselves, and eventually Augie and Drew persuade Samantha to go along with the idea. The business gets off to a slow start, but things pick up when Drew's buddy Calvin (Lanny Horn) cooks up a special sauce for the burgers which has aphrodisiacal side effects. Wrangler Bob isn't about to give up without a fight, though, and hires corporate spy Dixie Love (Traci Lords) to get the inside scoop on the burger stand's sudden popularity. Fast Food also stars Kevin McCarthy, Michael J. Pollard, and Pamela Springsteen (Bruce's younger sister). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clark Brandon, Randal Patrick, (more)
