21/38
In a small Texas town, an affable funeral director befriends a wealthy widow, but when she starts to become controlling, he does everything he can to get out of her reach. Real residents of Carthage, Texas, who knew the real Bernie. Tiede and Marjorie Nugent appear in the film commenting on the events. Bernie committed the murder in 1996, but he answers an iPhone almost immediately after the murder. Townsperson: [talking about Marjorie Nugent] She’d chew your ass up in a heartbeat. I mean, she’d tear you up a brand new, three-bedroom, two-bath, double-wide. No problem.. Before the main credits roll, photos of Bernie and Marjorie together in real life are shown, along with a brief video of Bernie Teide talking to Jack Black.. According to the movie’s technical specs link, there are two different versions of this film: one with a running time of 1 hour and 39 minutes (99 minutes) and another with a running time of 1 hour and 44 minutes (104 minutes) (USA). Performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Jack Black / New York City Meatball Shop Guys / Beirut (2012). Love Lifted Me Written by James Rowe and Howard E. Smith Performed by The Florida Boys Courtesy of World Entertainment By 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 dark comedy. Black is different in this film—more restrained, more focused, and at times more intense than in any film he’s made before. His humor here is understated and non-physical, a feat accomplished by his absorbing performance. Here’s a guy who’s loved by everyone—who should be loved by everyone, and who can never say no. It’s an interesting and challenging role for him, but he pulls it off in a great way—perhaps paving the way for more challenging, dramatic roles in the future. Compared to other comedy actors who’ve tried their hand at more serious turns, he’s still not as fantastic as, say, 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’s had a sweet, somewhat sassy personality in many of her previous films, but in this film there’s a cold, demeaning aura around her, and her steely eyes sell it. Matthew McConaughey, as the ruthless district attorney, has certainly improved his performance – just check out the courtroom scenes. I really appreciate the small-town setting of the film. The film is told through ‘interviews’ with the friendly folks of the small town, giving the film a quirky, down-home feel, while at the same time Linklater smoothly weaves in narrative flashbacks – which brings me to the editing. The film moves at a strong pace and never feels rushed or dragged out. The above-average script balances just the right amount of screen time to establish the story and the characters, especially Bernie. Just when you think the film is about to end, there’s always something else interesting happening that keeps the audience glued to the story. Black and Linklater make a good and promising acting and directing team. Perhaps Linklater will be the key to unlocking Black’s acting potential. Of course, that’s still a bit of a stretch. movie – a low budget and almost no promotion… so I hope word of mouth spreads how good this dark comedy is. P.S. I didn’t know the movie was based on a true story. This made the movie even darker and quirky than it should have been. Overall rating: 77%