2011 Directed by Richard Linklater
In small-town Texas, affable and popular mortician Bernie Tiede strikes up a friendship with Marjorie Nugent, a wealthy widow well known for her sour attitude. When she becomes controlling and abusive, Bernie goes to great lengths to remove himself from her grasp.
Jack Black Shirley MacLaine Matthew McConaughey Brady Coleman Tommy G. Kendrick Rick Dial Mona Lee Fultz Dale Dudley Grant James Christian Stokes Richard Robichaux Juli Erickson Mika Odom Jacqui Bloom Veronica Orosco Gary Teague Valerie Frazee Sonny Carl Davis Margaret Bowman Richard Linklater Patrick Martin Jr. Jesse Lucio Brandon Smith
Ginger Sledge Martin Shafer Matt Williams David McFadzean Liz Glotzer Celine Rattray Jack Gilardi Jr. William T. Conway Michael Bassick Don Fox Dete Meserve Judd Payne Karen Wacker
Mandalay Vision Wind Dancer Productions Detour Filmproduction Castle Rock Entertainment Horsethief Pictures
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Relationship comedy Crude humor and satire Thrillers and murder mysteries songs, musical, singing, comedy or funny chemistry, hilarious, romantic comedy, sweet or humorous comedy, funny, hilarious, humor or jokes funny, comedy, humor, jokes or hilarious western, cowboy, outlaw, wild or guns Show All…
This was an absolute delight.
Linklater proves once again that he as the uncanny ability to get Jack Black to act. In the hands of another director I'm pretty sure this film would have lacked the lightness of touch, the whimsical observations and the beautifully blurred lines between fiction and fact.
Hidden beneath this darkly comic true story Linklater has found a subtle satirical thread running throughout the way it unfolds. Cast in the shape of a mockumentary, alternating between interviews with townsfolk (both the real people and actors) and scenes in which we get to see how the events around Bernie might have happened, the film says a lot about public perception and the way social structures operate in…
LMFAO for some weird reason I always assumed this was that Jack Black and grandma in the bathtub movie Jim Pam and Andy were watching in that episode of The Office (i now know that was fake)
A sincere, finely tuned, and hilariously morbid piece of comedic sliminess; Richard Linklater's Bernie is a story (based on true events) that flies off the screen with flair and small-town craziness. Jack Black gives the finest performance of his career, and in my eyes, he's Oscar worthy here. His portrayal of Bernie Tiede is simply ingenious and hysterical, crafting his funniest character since Nacho Libre. Matthew McConaughey and Shirley MacLaine also showcase fantastic work, and along with the exceptional direction by Linklater, the film evolves into a comedy of absurd tackiness and genuine feeling.
And I love the sightings of actors who appear in other Linklater films, as both the restaurant manager and the gun/bible giving grandpa from Boyhood make an appearance in Bernie. A pleasant surprise.
Bernie follows the relationship between Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) and Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine), as well as his relationship with the community at large. In true Linklater fashion the lead, Bernie, is an oddball that it is hard to get a handle on. His weirdness is intriguing and Jack Black gives one of his best performances playing a man beloved by his community to such a level that even when he is arrested for a fairy heinous crime they still have his back. He has to walk a fine line between affable neighbourly type and potential manipulator in a way that doesn't make the audiences decision for them and he nails it here. Like the best of these types of…
Townsperson: Well, Bernie was so nice, so accommodating, so willing to keep from hurting other people's feelings, he just couldn't tell anybody to piss off.
this film is rife with a burdening trope of IMMC (inadequate Matthew McConaughey coverage)
really would've extrapolated the esteem of this film
linklater, a brief PSA, McConaughey strolling in 5 mins in would be more appreciated than an hour, probably would've been 5 stars with dat
although he still manages to provide a synthesized essence of distilling tension in his screen time doe.
Jack black was cool tho
shirley maclaine is adversely unlikeable in her temperaments, in an mildly good way although
The Demme closeups of Shirley MacLaine overchewing her refried beans..that’s art
Not as great on the rewatch - was a youngin when it came out years ago - has a nice charm to it , as a dark comedy that’s an interesting thing to have. Not Linklater’s best by any means , but it’s a pretty interesting flick. It’s got Texas written all over it , and Linklater put Jack Black in a neat place and it’s good to see that sort of thing for comedic actors - having their talents utilized. I feel like I forgot most of it at the beginning , but as it went on it’s pretty predictable , especially with the past tense documentary style bits. Worth a try as a lot of Linklater’s stuff is on criterion currently.
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Bernie is such a fascinating and hilarious movie. Jack Black is just fantastic here. He really shows off his talents. I really do believe that he’s an amazing actor. Sure sometimes he doesn’t have the best roles but I feel like he’s always trying his best. He’s such a funny actor. Here he’s so likable even though he shouldn’t be. There’s something his character does that well isn’t very good at all but he’s almost able to make it not seem like a big deal because he’s just so likable. He needed to be able to really sell his likability in order for this movie to work and well of course he did. It’s honestly was just such a…
"Grief should not tragically become a comedy"
I want to nominate Jack Black for "One of the Most Punchable Faces in the Universe." He only narrowly wins over Jared Leto.
But despite his chubby mug, he actually churns out a great performance in this movie. In fact, Bernie is Jack Black's most accomplished work. Hell, he is fan-freaking-tastic here. I don't care about his fat face. Bernie is to Jack Black what Punch-Drunk Love was to Adam Sandler.
This film is a little less accomplished, but is still an underrated gem from the great Richard Linklater. Here he touts his versatility in creating one of the finest dark comedies of recent memory. Jack Black like I said, plays his character…
Linklater’s casting of The Townsfolk (some actors, some not) is so good that he lets it crowd out a career-high performance from Shirley MacLaine + reliably great work from Jack Black. The interview device started cute but became distracting, then grating.
Stop telling me about the character; show me the character. Let the Sunset-Boulevard horror show play out for more than a minute or two before yanking me out of it so you can explain it to me. If I can read the magazine feature in my head while watching the movie, you didn’t try hard enough to make it a movie.
This movie is not bad at all, but since 2011 “based on a true story” has become the…
👍🏻74%
2011 list - Click HERE
There are so many great elements at play here. First off, we have the brilliant guiding hand of Linklater. This cast is stacked. It isn’t just the main cast that does it, but these minor yet recognizable character actors come in and make a huge difference. Part Documentary, part scripted feature; Bernie feels fresh and original. Is it fresh enough to standout from the rest of Linklater’s films? That’s a tough question, as the screenplay here never quite kicks in or does enough to warrant raving about the film. It’s a simple film. Many will find it bland, but I believe that it’s an effective film. Sometimes simple yet effective is all you can ask…
