42/10
In a small Texas town, a friendly undertaker befriends a wealthy widow, but when she starts to become controlling, he does everything he can to break free from her influence. Real residents of Carthage, Texas, who knew the real Bernie Tiede and Marjorie Nugent appear in the film and provide commentary on the events. Bernie committed the murder in 1996, but he answers an iPhone almost immediately after the murder. Townsman: [referring to Marjorie Nugent] She’d yell at you for nothing. I mean, she’d tear you up a brand-new asshole, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a double-wide. No problem.. Before the main credits, photos of Bernie and Marjorie in real life together are shown, as well as a brief video of Bernie Teide talking to Jack Black.. According to the film’s technical specifications link, there are two different versions of this film: one with a running time of 1 hr 39 min (99 min), and the other with a running time of 1 hr 44 min (104 min) (USA).. Featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Jack Black/Meatball Shop Guys from New York City/Beirut (2012). Love Lifted MeWritten by James Rowe and Howard E. SmithPerformed by The Florida BoysCourtesy of World EntertainmentBy arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing. “Bernie” is a nice surprise from Richard Linklater and Jack Black – the same team that brought you the 2003 comedy hit “The School of Rock”; Now they’ve reunited for a different kind of comedy, a black comedy. Black plays differently in this film, with more restraint, more focus and sometimes more intensity than in any other film he’s played before. His humor is understated and non-physical, a feat achieved through his captivating performance. Here’s a guy who’s loved by everyone, who has to be loved by everyone and who can never say no. It’s an interesting and challenging role for him, but he handles it very well, perhaps paving the way for more challenging and dramatic roles in the future. Compared to other comedy actors who have attempted more serious roles, he’s not yet as great as Jim Carrey in “The Truman Show” or Adam Sandler in “Punch-Drunk Love” – but he’s on the right track. Shirley MacLaine is also very different here – she has a sweet and somewhat cheeky personality in many of her previous films, but for this film there is a cold and degrading aura about her, and her steely gaze sells it. Matthew McConaughey as the ruthless prosecutor has certainly improved his acting range – just watch the courtroom scenes. I really enjoy the small town setting of the film. The film is told through “interviews” with the friendly townspeople, which gives the film a quirky and family-friendly feel, while at the same time Linklater seamlessly interweaves narrative flashbacks – which brings me to the editing. The film moves at a brisk pace and never feels rushed or dragged. The above average script balanced just the right amount of screen time to establish the story and characters, especially Bernie. Just when you think the movie is about to end, something interesting always happens that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Black and Linklater make a good and promising actor-director team. Maybe Linklater will be the key to unlocking Black’s acting potential. Of course, this is still a “small” movie – low budget and almost no promotion at all… so hopefully word of mouth will spread the word about how good this dark comedy is. P.S. I didn’t know the movie was based on a true story. It made the movie even darker and more offbeat than it was supposed to be. Overall Rating: 77%
