Bernie

Plot synopsis:
When the soft-spoken, chubby-cheeked Bernhardt Tiede II arrived for his first day of work as the assistant director of the Hawthorne Funeral Home in the little rural town of Carthage, Texas, no one was sure what to think. The towns barber called him "peachy and sweet." Some men who spent their afternoons swapping stories at Leon Choate's combination barber-and-gunsmith shop just off the town square openly speculated that he might be a little light in the loafers."But it wasnt long before Bernie, who never had an unkind word to say about anyone, became one of Carthage's most beloved residents. His greatest attribute, however, was his ability to create beautiful funerals for Carthage's deceased. As one townsperson said, With Bernie doing your service, you just knew you were going to get to heaven.One afternoon Bernie organized the funeral of Rod Nugent, a rich Carthage oilman and chairman of Carthage's bank. There, he met Marjorie Nugent, the town's domineering grande dame, despised by almost everyone in Carthage for her arrogance and rude behavior. Like he did with many of the town's widows, Bernie regularly visited Mrs. Nugent after the funeral. Soon, she began asking him to run errands for her, to take her to both lunch and dinner, and act as her escort on trips. Then, in August 1997, in a story that made headlines in newspapers around the country, Mrs. Nugent was found dead, shot four times in the back, and buried under some frozen foods in the large, rectangular freezer in her garage.What made the story of Mrs. Nugent's murder so peculiar was that she had been dead for nine months before people noticed she wasn't around. (The truth was that no one really cared about looking for her because no one missed her, one resident said.) What made the story truly bizarre, however, was the announcement by police that Bernie not only had murdered Mrs. Nugent but had been using her money to give to people in need throughout Carthage. He even donated $100,000 in Mrs. Nugent's name to build a new Sunday school building at the Methodist church. Almost immediately after his arrest, even after he confessed to killing her, Carthage citizens rallied around Bernie, going so far as to drive around the courthouse blowing their horns, and begging District Attorney Davidson not to prosecute their favorite assistant funeral home director.

Tags: comedy, murder, flashback

Review:
Casting Jack Black in the title role of this 2012 dark comedy turns out to be a masterstroke on the part of director and co-screenwriter Richard Linklater because the real-life character of Bernie Tiede is a comically ambiguous figure not only sexually but more to the point, as a jovial child-man personality beloved by his small Texas town of Carthage while at the same time, strangely insistent in his constant presence in their lives.
No stranger to Texas-size guffaws intermingled with wry observations about human nature, the versatile Linklater ("Before Sunrise/Sunset") tells this hard-to-believe, true-crime story with both morbid humor and surprising conviction.Based on a seriocomic 1998 Texas Monthly article by co-screenwriter Skip Hollandsworth, the plot revolves around the unlikely relationship between Bernie, a relentlessly thoughtful assistant funeral director, and Marjorie Nugent, recently widowed and one of the richest women in Carthage.
Much like Warren Beatty did in "Reds", Linklater uses them as a cumulative Greek chorus who on one hand, provide some of the film's biggest laughs, and on the other, illustrate just how myopic and oppressive a small town can be in its rumor mongering ways, so much so that Bernie's trial has to be moved fifty miles away in order to allow the light of objectivity to filter into the proceedings.
As Bernie, Black finally has a multi-dimensional role that fits him perfectly, and I would be hard pressed to identify anyone else who could have played the character to the seriocomic depths he achieves here.Well into her seventh decade of movie stardom, Shirley MacLaine is not particularly challenged in portraying Marjorie's sourpuss nature since she's been playing variations on the same role since her turn as the ornery Ouisa in "Steel Magnolias".
Jack Black gives one of the best performances of his career in "Bernie." Shirley MacLaine was the icing on the cake and Matthew McConaughey was the cherry on top.
We learn so much about Bernie and his life before the inevitable murder that we almost can't hate the man despite his unforgivable actions.Richard Linklater, who previously worked with Black in the impressive School of Rock, directs this black comedy with a serene bite, providing it with a rich script, and three lovable performances by three fine actors.
"Bernie" is a nice surprise by Richard Linklater and Jack Black - the same team that brought you 2003's comedy hit "The School of Rock"; now they have reunited for a different type of comedy - a dark one.Black acts differently in this movie - more restraint, more focused, and at times more intense than in any other film he's done before.
Just when you think the film is about to end - there's always another interesting thing happening that keeps the audience glued.Black and Linklater make a good, promising actor-director team.
Supporting players, the funeral director, the broker, the sheriff, were first rate - but the major character in the film is the Greek Chorus, dubbed "The Gossips" by director Linklater, comprised of a score of actors and local townspeople who narrate the reenactment of real events in a docudrama, combining interviews that have the look and feel of modern Reality TV with techniques that were used in the earliest silent films, like the use of title cards to indicate the passage of time and the shifting focus of the story.
In the end, though, one might wonder what the point of the movie was, and for a comedy - even a dark one - there are a lot of unanswered questions at film's end.Bernie arrives in town and lucks upon a job at the local funeral parlor.
Really outstanding in this sharp observational film is the sharp ensemble work by everyone in the cast, a huge supporting cast, some actual folks from Carthage, Texas, each giving a positive spin on character, with Matthew McConaughey continuing his string of outstanding portrayals--this film, Magic Mike, and the new Oliver Stone film shows he is much more than the usual goofy sex symbol And although her role is the kind Shirley MacLaine could do in her sleep, she makes wealth and privilege seem absolutely frightening in her chilly portrayal of a spoiled heiress we want to watch.
The movie has gotten me interested in the real-life situation, so it may be time to hit the research books.Linklater's film is about a man named Bernie Tiede who happens to be this well-loved man that is highly involved with the community.
Richard Linklater and Jack Black have reteamed up for Bernie bringing along Matthew McConaughey and Shirley MacLaine with them.
Full of great characters, brilliant dialogue, and a story like no other, Bernie is a must see film for not only fans of the actors involved, but for everyone.http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-dallas/bobby-blakey.
Larger-than-life comedians take note of Black's subdued, character-enlightening and hilarious performance.Bernie meets wealthy widow Marjorie (Shirley MacLaine) and like with all little old ladies, he wants to make sure that she's properly cared for during this tough time.
There's something special about an actor who can follow up the success of "Magic Mike" (2012) with something like this.Linklater has followed this true story to the letter, even using real town residents to introduce us to the character of Bernie.
Matthew McConaughey also takes on the role of lawyer but with less screen time and in role that is not likely to be a memorable one his filmography.Bernie is a smart, ingenious dark comedy with both morbid humor and moody style but doesn't shine without the fantastic performance by the ever-likable Jack Black as the titular character.
In Bernie, Mr. Linklater captures the essence of a small Texas town and the true crime story of the bigger-than-life character loved by all.Mr. Linklater perfectly casts Jack Black (with whom he had done School of Rock) as the community's favorite citizen Bernie, Shirley MacLaine as the rich, bitter widow with whom Bernie becomes entwined, and Michael McConaughy (another Linklater alum, on the cusp of his career makeover) as the district attorney who must prosecute Bernie despite public opinion that Bernie should go free.
Marjorie quickly became fully dependent on Bernie and his generosity and Bernie struggled to meet her increasing demands.2011 was the year for Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey and the director Richard Linklater, because this movie was beautifully directed and acted.Bernie is a entertaining dark comedy with a sweet side to it.
It's good to see Jack Black doing roles were he can poof that he is a great actor and in this movie he shines and gives it his all.The movie does have it's slow parts and some of the short interviews of the town people can be a little bit uninteresting.
On to that add Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McCounaghey and you got just about the right ingredients.Bernie is the nicest person a small town has ever known who ends up committing a murder, thus posing the question: if the perpetrator of a crime is highly regarded and the victim is not, does this make the crime any lesser?Superb performances by McCounaghey and Black, intelligent dialogue, and a dual format that of film documentary assures you of a good time at the cinema.Often comedies have a tendency to be lame, which is confused as humour and Bernie was undoubtedly a breath of fresh air..
Black completely immerses himself into the role, and completely immerses the viewer into the film; for the first time he doesn't play himself (as he did in films like School of Rock and King Kong), but a character who feels real and very lovable, and it's hard not to root for Tiede even after we see what he's capable of.Linklater seamlessly merged dramatized and highly stylized scenes (the opening scene in particular is pure cinematic gold) with mockumentary style 'talking heads' segments and with actual interviews with people who knew the real Bernie; the juxtaposition is so perfect that, if I didn't recognize Matthew Mcconaughey, I might have mistaken him for one of the townspeople.
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.
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.
If you can stand the molasses-like pacing and the mix of professional and amateur thespians, this is a change of pace which many will find enormously refreshing - especially for Black's understated performance and McConaughey's variation on Ted Danson's against-type prosecutor all those pre-CHEERS years ago in BODY HEAT.Jack Black, the true lead, gives a truly remarkable restrained performance based on an actual assistant funeral director, justly beloved in his town.
The entire film is really a tour-de-force for Black (who knew that he could SING this well!?) and a "brief for the defense" in the controversial case the man became involved in.It would have been more reasonable for Black's name to be the only one above the title, but he is joined there by Shirley MacLaine giving a performance which will remind many of her role in STEEL MAGNOLIAS (only ten years later) and Matthew McConaughey as a slimy prosecutor (best scene in the picture: when he realizes that NO ONE in his town supports him).
We all know that most films based on true stories are almost completely fictional except for a few details, but here we have a really interesting story that even used some of the real people involved in an interview format that gave the movie a documentary like feeling.
Once more the story takes place in his beloved Texas, with people who he's very familiar with, and so the film turns out to be a great character study while at the same time combining dark comedy, drama, and suspense.
All these elements mixed together combined with a great performance from Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, and Shirley MacLaine make for a near perfect movie.
Bernie really took me by surprise, just like Jack Black did with what I think is his best performance ever; I had a great time watching this.
The small rural town of Carthage in Texas is also a main character in this film as we meet its people who all seem to adore Bernie as much as I did this movie.
The film is narrated in a semi documentary style as we have the story taking place and it being interrupted by several interviews of the Carthage townspeople who share their opinion about Bernie (Jack Black).
Richard Linklater reunites with his School of Rock star Jack Black, and provided the latter with what would probably be his best film role to date, without the need to go over the top in comedy, but having to rely on his dramatic acting, and great singing voice.
No offence meant to the victim's relatives of course, as Bernie takes on what would be a docu-drama style, interviewing real people on their memory about the incident and their feelings toward Bernie Tiede, where in a small town community of Carthage, Texas, everyone presumably knows everyone else in consummate terms, truth, rumour or both.Interspersed with these engaging talking head moments and interviews, are the fictional re- enactments of these scenes, or played out with drama or comedy just to make the presentation fresh despite having a documentary-like feel.
MacLaine nails the irritating nature of the character, complete with passive-aggressive behaviour that makes claws on chalkboard more tolerable, and to watch her acting cute, just sends shivers.While Matthew McConaugney probably overdid his Southern Drawl as the district attorney keen to nail Bernie and get to the truth, his hamming it up served as one of the highlights of the film, as do the real talking heads interviews conducted to give us all a little bit of a reality check of a very skewed modern day Robin Hood of sorts.
In Carthage, Texas, the assistant funeral director Bernhardt "Bernie" Tiede (Jack Black) is a nice guy that loves his work.
'BERNIE': Four Stars (Out of Five) Jack Black and Richard Linklater re-team (after 2003's 'THE SCHOOL OF ROCK') for this dark comedy based on the actual murder of an 81-year-old millionaire widow in a small-town in Texas in 1996.
Black plays Bernie Tiede, a highly religious and extremely upbeat mortician who moves to the small-town of Carthage, Texas, in order to become an assistant funeral director there.
When Bernie has finally reached his limits he snaps and despite his actions the town still ends up supporting him.The movie is a little like a slightly more comedic 'FARGO' in some ways; it's a great commentary on small-town rural life and the characters are for the most part believable.
With Jack Black as the leading role you are expecting something funny not the BORING BORING BORING joke of a film that this is.Just simply avoid this at all costs and if you do go a head and watch it don't say I didn't tell you not to.So basically this film is based on a "Real life event" with documentary parts with the other people of the town talking about the aftermath about a funeral director who is basically loved by everyone and He loves everyone...
The story itself is not a very interesting one and the mockumentary technique employed throughout only serves to distance the viewer from the happenings rather than inviting them in.The argumentative dialogue lacks any sort of depth and the acting is unimaginative, with both Black and McConaughey bringing nothing new to the table other than their own, fatigued by now style when, unfortunately, MacLaine alone can't carry the whole film on her shoulders.Do keep in mind that the "comedy" tag attached to this movie is terribly misleading as there are no real funny moments, with most of the humorous attempts being in extremely poor taste given this is based on a true story and they are afforded in the expense of an old woman who got murdered simply for being unpleasant.Proceed at your own risk..
It seemed more like a Discovery Channel movie because of the real conversations with people who actually knew Bernie, but its hard to take Jack Black seriously, even though you know that the storyline was true.
That's why I was filled with enthusiasm when I found out the fact that Black and Linklater were going to collaborate together again in a film called Bernie, based on a strange crime committed in a small town from Texas in the '90s.
The movie mostly managed by documentary filming based on opinion from citizens at small town Texas who apparently knows Bernie-Marjorie Nugent in person that would convince us of how their behavior was and showing their unbelievable reaction after the murder case.
Normally seen as the hyperactive comedy performer (and lead singer of the legendary Tenacious D), Jack Black show rare restraint in 'Bernie' a film about small town do-gooder Bernie Tiede (Black) whose kills Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine) after she pushes him too far.On the surface, Bernie is you average super nice guy.
That is, without giving away tons of cash and flowering his friends with complements, badly needed attention, and charming, persuasive and masterful manipulation, these town folks would be at best indifferent to this oddball.It is this unique combination of inconvenient truth, an unconventional Directorial slant, and an uncanny lead performance that makes this charming and pleasing, just like the real Bernie.AFTERTHOUGHT: If they ever decide to make a Movie about Laurel and Hardy...Jack Black is a lock..
What happens after his decision is up to you to find out, especially did he wanted to make Marjorie happy or did he was just looking out for himself...Shirley MacLaine, an extraordinary actress with her phenomenal performance as Marjorie created that link with Jack Black that made this movie so good, not to mention other actors, of which some are actual residents of Carthage, who actually knew the real Marjorie and Bernie.
In small-town Texas, the local mortician (Jack Black) strikes up a friendship with a wealthy widow (Shirley MacLaine), though when he kills her, he goes to great lengths to create the illusion that she is alive.I am generally a fan of Richard Linklater's work, despite (or perhaps because of) his unpredictability.
The performances of Matthew McConaughey and the other cast in this half-documentary style film are all fitting and exceptional, but audiences will not be prepared to see Jack Black as Bernie; I mean this as the highest of praises.
What a fun movie this was to watch, between the great performance of Jack Black as Bernie and the real life interviews with the people in Texas who knew the real Bernie, it made for a greatly entertaining and funny film.
Jack Black gives a memorable performance of a beloved assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede from Carthage, Texas.
Although the background and many issues are morbid, you will have your laughs and giggles.The cast is strong and distinguishable, particularly Jack Black as Bernie Tiede (apparently his best role so far), Shirley MacLaine as Marjorie Nugent (her character was a bit arid, but still) and Matthew McConaughey as Danny Buck Davidson (typical narrow-minded redneck, many similarities with his Killer Joe depiction).
Anyways, Writer-Director Richard Linklater's latest offering "Bernie" is based on a true story of an assistant funeral director called (hence, movie title) who was well-liked in a small Texas town called Carthage.
Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) an assistant funeral director endears himself to Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine) a very rich recluse in a small Texas town.