Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Jim Varney | ... | Ernest P. Worrell | |
Victoria Racimo | ... | Nurse St. Cloud | |
John Vernon | ... | Sherman Krader | |
Iron Eyes Cody | ... | Old Indian Chief | |
Lyle Alzado | ... | Bronk Stinson (Foreman) | |
Gailard Sartain | ... | Jake | |
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Daniel Butler | ... | Eddie |
Patrick Day | ... | Bobby Wayne | |
Scott Menville | ... | Crutchfield | |
Jacob Vargas | ... | Bubba Vargas | |
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Danny Capri | ... | Danny |
Hakeem Abdul-Samad | ... | Moustafa Hakeem Jones | |
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Todd Loyd | ... | Chip Ozgood |
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Andrew Woodworth | ... | Pennington |
Richard Speight Jr. | ... | Brooks |
At the beginning Ernest gets a shot by Miss. St.cloud then they get a group of kids from a institution. Then Ernest becomes a camp counselor. Later on Ernest gets bit by fire ants at a picnic with Nurse St.cloud and the Chief which is Miss. St.clouds Grandfather. Then The Chief is tricked into selling the camp by Krader Mining company. Then Ernest gets beat up and Miss. St.cloud patches him up. Then he saves Kamp Kikike which is where they live and they become a year round camp.
Ernest's summer camp adventure is actually his second feature-length adventure after he began life in TV commercials (not a lot of people know he actually starred in Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam the year before), and it's fairly standard mid-80s family fare.
The clumsy handyman (played, by the late, ever appealing Jim Varney) gets a job as a counselor for delinquent kids who are having trouble fitting in with the more privileged lot. Through pain and pranks he manages to build their confidence. A very tacked-on subplot about an evil businessman wanting scam the Indian camp owner in order to mine the area into oblivion builds to a moderately entertaining climax as Ernest and the kids revolt.
It reminded me a lot of Meatballs and Bushwhacked (both better films) and while it's shot for the big screen (in lovely anamorphic Panavision) John Cherry still directs like it's for TV, and clearly should have done more takes and rehearsals. I doubt kids will notice or care, but it gives the film the rushed feel of a TV production.
Worth watching, if only just once.