COMING TO THEATERS! Movies connect with audiences through shared experiences. Sadly, I’m at the age where Bruce Campbell’s feature film Ernie & Emma feels highly relatable as I look back on my life and the people who have shaped who I am today.
Ernie Tyler (Bruce Campbell) is a retired pear salesman from the tiny town of Pear Valley, Oregon. He was the top salesman and lived a quiet, if not fulfilling, life with his wife, Emma (Robin McAlpine). Our tale begins some time later, as Ernie learns to move on after Emma’s passing. It seems Emma had already planned to help Ernie by leaving behind a series of letters with explicit instructions on where she wanted her ashes scattered.
Each stop becomes a moment for Ernie to reflect on the life he and Emma had together. The first stop is the hospital where she passed. Yes, it’s not the most sanitary place to leave ashes. Then there is her former workplace, where Ernie laments that she spent more time there than she needed to, time she could have spent with him. Other locations and tasks include a punch in the face, a bar Ernie thought Emma never knew about, and dance lessons with a “persnickety dance instructor” (Ted Raimi).
Every location on Emma’s list cracks open another piece of their marriage, serving as either a remembrance or a revelation. From task to task, Emma speaks to Ernie through each letter, and by the end, Ernie has to figure out whether finishing Emma’s list means closing a chapter or opening a new one he never wanted to face.
Bruce Campbell shares a lighthearted moment with castmates on the set of Ernie & Emma.
“It seems Emma had already planned to help Ernie by leaving behind a series of letters with explicit instructions on where she wanted her ashes scattered.”
First, it’s hard not to love this film because Bruce Campbell made and stars in it. As Ernie, Campbell plays a version of himself we’ve all grown to love, except for all the evil, deadly killing. It’s a grounded, authentic performance that features his signature humor. In his first indie venture into filmmaking, Campbell reaches a broad audience by tapping into one of the few shared human experiences: mourning and grief (I’m sure his next film will be about taxes).
Having just lost both my parents in the last three years, I was weeping throughout most of the film, particularly at the part where Ernie “lashes out” at Emma for passing first. It reminded me of a conversation I had with my father when my mother passed. Emma’s list becomes a checklist for handling grief and moving on with life. It’s as if Emma is giving Ernie permission to keep living a full life without her.
As for the film, Campbell has been on enough low-budget indie sets to know exactly how to tell his story without spending anywhere near a studio budget. Yes, it is clear that not much money has been spent. It’s all in the story and the performances, and I’m sure a few favors were called in.
I, for one, am glad Bruce Campbell didn’t make a horror film as his first indie project. Instead, he created a personal story. Death and loss are never easy subjects to tackle, but Campbell gives the grief and mourning the honesty and authenticity they deserve.
For screening information, visit the Ernie & Emma Tour official website.
"…I'm sure his next film will be about taxes."
