Ernie & Emma (2026)

 

Unfortunately I missed the four screenings at our local Alamo Drafthouse where Bruce Campbell appeared and talked about the movie in person.  They were all sold out and I was disappointed believing that I would never get a chance to see the film in a theater. Lucky for us our local Alamo chose to screen the film a couple of more times without Bruce and those screenings were not sold out. 

Ernie and Emma is a mediation on Grief, but done with the typical Bruce Campbell wit. Bruce wrote and directed this film, and has been promoting it by appearing at screenings throughout the Alamo franchises. The movie is really going to appeal to a specific audience. It is designed for an aging demographic, and it approaches one of the most difficult dilemmas elderly people face, through humor and honesty.

I won't pretend that the film is anything more than a slightly racier version of a Hallmark movie, but it wears its sincerity on its sleeve, and Bruce is giving it his all. The premise gives away the tone of the film immediately. The deceased Emma, has left a series of instructions for her husband, to distribute her ashes and bring closure to some of the events in their life. Along the way there are minor complications, a couple of reveals, and Bruce narrates as he drives through the idyllic town in Oregon where Ernie and Emma lived.

This is a self-financed film so we're not all surprised that the locations may in fact be Campbell's residence. The movie is shot well and edited competently, but it definitely feels like a modestly budgeted television production. Story is more important in the long run, and performances help sell the story quite a bit. 

I think everyone will quite enjoy the art studio owner who accompanies Ernie on some of his ventures in the second half of the movie. You can see what's coming a mile away but that doesn't make it any less pleasant. There are also a couple of security guards that appear in the film, and rather than having them be a*# holes, they instead are interesting characters that you appreciate for having sensitivity to Ernie in his journey.

One of the ways that you can tell that this is a homegrown project is that when you get the credits at the end of the movie, you not only get a photo of the actors who appeared on the screen but there are images of the production designer, the cinematographer, the best boy and the key grip, and a whole bunch of other behind the scenes contributors to the film. 

I wish Bruce all the luck in the world with this project, I know for him it is a labor of love. He is facing an unfortunate prognosis with his health , but he continues to be the shemp we have known him for over the past 50 years. If you get a chance to see Ernie and Emma, take it. It won't change your life but it will make you enjoy your life a little bit more.