Comedy

Crime

Drama

Bernie

Mandalay Vision

Detour Filmproduction

Wind Dancer Films

Millennium Media

United States of America

English

Jack Black

Shirley MacLaine

Matthew McConaughey

Brady Coleman

Richard Robichaux

Rick Dial

Brandon Smith

Larry Jack Dotson

Merrilee McCommas

Mathew Greer

Marjorie Dome

Tim Cariker

Fern Luker

Jack Payne

Sonny Carl Davis

Chris Humphrey

Jesse Lucio

Ann Reeves

Kay Epperson

Ira Bounds

James Baker

Kay McConaughey

Kristi Youngblood

Kenny Brevard

Margaret Bowman

Mollie Fuller

Tanja Givens

Glenda Jones

Travis Blevins

Sylvia Froman

Martha Long

Jo Perkins

Reba Tarjick

Dale Dudley

James Wilson

Teresa Edwards

Billy Vaticalos

Rob Anthony

Tommy G. Kendrick

Pam McDonald

Kathy Gollmitzer

Cozette McNeely

Richard Andrew Jones

Charles Bailey

Suzi McLaughlin

Grant James

Juli Erickson

J.D. Young

Charlie m Stewart

Joe Stevens

Raquel Gavia

Amparo García

Toby Metcalf

Doug Moreland

Edward Ji

Jill C. Holmes

David Blackwell

Gabriel Luna

Deana Newcomb

David Steakley

Peter Harrell Jr.

Joe Leroy Reynolds

Christian Stokes

John Hornbuckle

Wray Crawford

Margaret Hoard

Charles Allen Eskew

Quita Culpepper

Mona Lee Fultz

Jerry Biggs

Robert Works

Chris Barfield

Taylor Bryant

Colin Bevis

Jacqui Bloom

Joshua Denning

Ellie Edwards

Alaina Flores

Jennifer Foster

Leslie Hethcox

Jordan Hill

Berkley Jones

Trevor McGinnis

Mika Odom

Chell Parkins

David Ponton

Gray Randolph

Rachel Hull-Ryde

Ian Saunders

Madelyn Shaffer

Larissa Slota

Daniel Rae Srivastava

Ellen Stader

Lara Wright

Betty Andrews

Marcia Bailey

Umpy Bechtol

Nita Bouldin

Nellie Hickerson

Jeanette Kloppe

Skip Hollandsworth

Matt Williams

William T. Conway

Liz Glotzer

Richard Linklater

Dete Meserve

Graham Reynolds

Sandra Adair

Judd Payne

Celine Rattray

Ginger Sledge

Jack Gilardi Jr.

David McFadzean

Michael Bassick

Martin Shafer

Don Fox

Sheila Steele

Dick Pope

Bruce Curtis

Rodney Becker

Beth Sepko

Kari Perkins

Evan Hodge

Dale Carman

Justin Stegall

Everett Byrom III

Matt Miller

Harry Rabin

Jason Marlow

Dan Dixon

Chris Clayton

Leah Garner Orsini

Austin Cross

Laychin Lee

George Dishner

Mike Roy

Cheryl Wheeler Duncan

Ellen Lampl

Roxie Hodenfield

Susan Fitz-Simon

George Sledge

Lisa Brown

Mark Manthey

Robin McMullan

Jeff Schwan

John Pritchett

Tina Kerr

Roger Basquette

Steve Speers

Marc Andrus

Tom Hammond

Wayne Bell

Buzz Moran

Kayse Goodell

Kara Sutherlin

Glenn Eanes

Nancy Kirhoffer

Chia Berry

David M. Roberts

Karen Wacker

Pamela S. Westmore

Charmaine Richards

Justin Hennard

Brooke Satrazemis

Jonathan Shaffer

Aaron Statler

Kelly Bogdan

Shane F. Kelly

Bernie is a really fun and enjoyable dark comedy, starring Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine. This is actually the true story of what happened between a purely good man and a purely evil woman.

Jack Black plays Bernie Tiede, an assistant undertaker in the small town of Carthage, Texas. He is loved by everybody for his pure-hearted character, his sympathy for every person he comes across and his willingness to help everyone who needs it in any way, shape or form. He's just such a good guy, you almost wouldn't believe it if not for the fact that this character is based on an actual person.

And then there's Marjorie Nugent, played by Shirley MacLaine. She is his polar opposite, as hated as Bernie is loved. She is the widow of some rich oil baron, and she is just the most mean and spiteful woman you could ever fear to meet. Everyone in town absolutely hates her guts, and there's no one who would be sorry to see her go...

Then comes the day when these two people meet and – all due to Bernie's good nature – form an unlikely friendship. Until about two years later when Marjorie's true personality rears its ugly head and even Bernie can't stand her abuse any longer, when he is reduced to her personal slave and whipping boy. And what no one believed possible, happens... He kills her. (don't worry, that's not a spoiler, that's the story line.) What follows is the strange lengths Bernie attempts to go to, in order to cover up his crime.

What makes this film work so well is mostly the subtle humour of it. Director Richard Linklater thankfully didn't choose to make this into the hysterical, caricature of a comedy it easily could have been. Something that really adds to the authenticity of the film is the use of actual Carthage townsfolk, providing commentary on the events in documentary-like interview scenes. This really is a perfect move on the director's part, because it makes the 'acting' completely real and spontaneous.

I really like Jack Black, but in this case, I'm somewhat glad he left his crazy mannerisms and facial expressions at the door, in order to just play this character true-to-form. He actually acts, rather than just playing another silly, typical "Jack Black character".

I always love watching Shirley MacLaine in a mean and vile role such as this one, and in 'Bernie', she plays it to a T once again. Imagine her character in 'Steel Magnolia's' and then multiply it by ten. That's what you get here and it's an absolute joy to watch.

Matthew McConaughey plays the county sheriff, dead-set on burning Bernie for his crime. I'm usually not too fond of him, but his role in 'Bernie' is pretty funny and he plays it well. He seems to be the only person in town who thinks it's bad what happened to Marjorie. That's another really funny aspect to this story – the fact that everybody involved just loves Bernie so much and really hates Marjorie to the bone, that they all seem to take his side in the matter. You might feel like I'm just throwing spoilers at you here, but pretty much the whole story is told in hindsight and flashbacks, so there are no real secretes or mysteries unveiled. Then what's the point of watching, you might ask, if I already know everything that's going to happen from the get-go? The point is the enjoyment you'll get from watching these events unfold.

The actors are all really well cast, and they play their roles with a certain flair that makes them instantly likable. The dialogue is clever and witty, and like I mentioned earlier, the combination of event re-enactment and documentary-like interviews, is a winning ticket and 'Bernie's' major selling point. The story is well constructed, as is the chronology of how it unfolds. Basically, it's just very well-made, and it definitely would have deserved a little more credit. But then again, this film also kind of has a "small budget/small audience" feel to it, so that might explain why it practically went unnoticed at the box office. It's just a shame that charming little comedies like 'Bernie' always get overlooked when stuff like 'The Hangover' and the like get multi-million dollar appraisal. All I can hope for is that 'Bernie' gathers its own DVD-fan base, because it's certainly worth it.

Watch this film if you're in the mood a darkly hilarious comedy that has its heart in the right place. Oh, and stick around for the credits, where you can see pictures of the actual Bernie and Marjorie, and footage of Bernie and Jack Black talking, which is a fun addition.

All in all, a highly recommended film!
_(October 2012)_

Official Trailer

Art Festival

Bernie - Trailer

Best Movies

Bernie

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

Jack Black

Shirley MacLaine

Matthew McConaughey

Brady Coleman

Richard Robichaux

Rick Dial

Brandon Smith

Larry Jack Dotson

Merrilee McCommas

Mathew Greer

Box office

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