Weekend at Bernie's

Plot synopsis:
Larry Wilson (McCarthy) and Richard Parker (Silverman) are two low-level financial employees at an insurance corporation in New York City. While going over actuarial reports, Richard discovers mismatched payments. Richard and Larry take their findings to the CEO, Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser), who commends them for discovering insurance fraud and invites them to his Hamptons island beach house for the weekend. Unbeknownst to Larry and Richard, Bernie is behind the fraud. Nervously meeting with his mob partners, Bernie asks to have Larry and Richard killed and arrange it to look like a murder-suicide. However, after Bernie leaves the gangsters decide Bernie has been attracting too much attention with his grabbiness as well as his fooling around with a girlfriend of one of the mobsters, and order that he be killed instead.Bernie arrives at the island before Larry and Richard and speaks to the hitman Paulie (Don Calfa) on the phone, planning the murders and establishing an alibi, unaware the conversation is being recorded on Bernie's answering machine. Bernie then plants cash and a fake confession note implicating Larry and Richard in the insurance fraud. Paulie arrives, injects Bernie with a fatal overdose, then plants heroin on him. When Larry and Richard arrive at the beach house, they find their boss's body. Before they can call the police, however, guests arrive for a party that is a regular event at Bernie's house every weekend. To Larry's and Richard's amazement, the guests are all too engrossed in their partying to notice their host is deceased, with Bernie's dark sunglasses and dopey grin from the fatal injection concealing his lifeless state.Fearing implication in Bernie's death, Larry proposes he and Richard maintain the illusion that Bernie is still alive, a notion that Richard finds absurd. Only the arrival of Richard's office crush, Gwen Saunders (Catherine Mary Stewart), convinces him to go along with Larry's plan. After the party, Richard and Gwen enjoy a romantic walk on the beach, but Bernie's body, after being carried out on the tide, washes up next to them, prompting Richard to return to the house and get Larry to help him retrieve the corpse.Vito's girlfriend Tina arrives at the house, convinced Bernie has been cheating on her. She threatens Larry and Richard with a knife, so they direct her to the bedroom, but she also fails to realize Bernie is dead. At that moment, another man from Vito's gang witnesses the two of them apparently making love. Fooled into thinking Bernie's assassination failed, he notifies Vito, who orders Paulie back to finish the job.The next morning, Richard is appalled to discover that Larry is furthering the illusion Bernie is alive by manipulating his corpse's arms and legs. The two bicker about alerting the police until Richard attempts to call the police himself but instead activates the phone message detailing Bernie's plot against them. Unaware of the circumstances of Bernie's death, they mistakenly believe they are still the targets of a mob hit, and decide to use Bernie's corpse as a prop for protection. Paulie, in the meantime, has returned to the island and throttles Bernie's corpse.Richard and Larry make various attempts to leave the island, but Bernie's body becomes repeatedly misplaced and recovered in the process. They attempt to board the mainland ferry with Bernie in tow, but the ferry has already departed. Paulie, who was on board, sees what looks like Bernie running with Richard and Larry on the dock, and gets frustrated at the failure of his assassination. An ill-fated attempt to use Bernie's speedboat results in numerous mishaps: Larry pulls away from the dock without first untying the boat, Richard falls overboard, and a tied-up Bernie topples from the boat and smashes into several buoys as he is dragged through the water. Finally, the boat runs out of fuel and Larry and Richard are forced to float back to shore on Bernie's body. Paulie, unfortunately, sees them and assumes that Bernie has somehow survived. Unhinged at his apparent failure to kill Bernie and Bernie's inexplicable "immortality," Paulie returns to the island to finish the deed.At the house, Gwen confronts Larry and Richard, who confess that Bernie has been dead since their arrival. At that moment, Paulie suddenly appears and empties a pistol into Bernie's chest, then turns his attention to Larry, Richard and Gwen, but fails to shoot them as he exhausted all his ammunition. Chasing after the trio, who have spilt up in different parts of the house, Paulie corners Larry, who clumsily manages to subdue Paulie with a punch and a phone cord. Richard and Gwen then alert the authorities.The police eventually arrive to place Paulie under arrest for first-degree murder, carting him off in a straitjacket as he continues to insist Bernie is still alive. The film ends with Bernie being loaded into an ambulance. However, his gurney rolls away and topples off the boardwalk, dumping him onto the beach right behind Richard, Larry and Gwen, who run away after noticing him. Eventually, a young boy comes along and starts to "play" with Bernie, scooping buckets of sand over his lifeless body.

Tags: entertaining, cult, comedy, murder, stupid

Review:
When they report it to their boss, Bernie (Terry Kiser) he seems grateful and invites them to his beach house for labor day weekend.
So, by the time Richard and Larry reach the island, they discover that Bernie is dead from what looks like a drug-overdose.
"Weekend at Bernie's" is a hilarious film about two losers (Jonathan Silverman and Andrew McCarthy) who stumble onto a plan by some unknown person in their company to steal from the corporation.
However, he is killed instead and when Silverman and McCarthy discover his body they pretend like he is still alive so they can get the great weekend that their late boss promised them.
Hilarious, totally off the wall black comedy about two buddies (Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman) whose boss, Bernie, has been bumped off by gangsters but whose death goes unrecognized the entire weekend by his self-centered beach friends.
Classic moments include Bernie waterskiing and Bernie making love to his girlfriend (he is of course dead in both scenes.) A must for anyone who wants a good laugh..
Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Jonathan Silverman) are invited to their boss, Bernie Lomax's (Terry Kiser), house for the weekend.
The rest of the movie involves the hijinks that occur when Richard and Larry decide to pretend Bernie is still alive so they can enjoy their weekend in paradise.
Well, I think a lot of people are, the jokes are dumb but yet very funny and so is the plot.Okay, the beginning of the movie was boring (and I do mean *BORING*), but the second half was *one big laugh*; Bernie on the boat, the burglers, death Bernie in the bedroom with one of his girlfriends,...
The comedy chemistry between the 3 main actors is priceless, which makes me wonder why there weren't more movies made with Jonathan Silverman and Andrew McCarthy together.
I always enjoyed watching it as a kid with my friends, discussing it at school and quoting from it, which I find, at 20 years old, I'm still doing.I highly recommend this movie to anyone looking for a comedy with a difference.
Anyone who describes the classic Weekend @ Bernies as a 'one joke' film needs to lighten up.Sure, the dead guy who everyone thinks is alive, and who, ironically, is incredibly popular, is a very strong running gag that works on Oh so many levels, but there is more to the film than this.'I've never even been on a boat, Bernie''...It was a very good effort''I'm blind!'For me, the hallmark of a good comedy movie, is that it makes you wish that you were there yourself - very few films achieve this successfully, but this is one of the very few that does this.
I guess it helps that I am a big fan of both Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman...their chemistry throughout the two films is priceless, a great comedy duo.
Rumor has it that the original script was not so much a story, but an epic, rivaling such classics as "Citizen Kane", "Casablanca", and putting to shame "The Best Years of Our Lives." In the movie, as well as in real life, Bernie touched the lives of many.
Mixing black humor with solo performances and a cheesy premise are the winning elements of the movie.This isn't by any means one of the greatest comedies ever made, but still it's a fun, mindless, entertaining flick that deserves to be watched with a bowl of pop corns and soda!
And, oh yes, my favorite- reverberating channel markers.Whenever I feel down I pop in "Weekend at Bernie's" and count my blessings- I'm not Bernie, I don't have friends who rummage my pockets for Coke after I'm dead, I don't have to fear a rampaging mob-boss girl friend (talk about insensitive!), and I don't not have an aunt who is very sick.Life is good..
Weekend at Bernie's is about a dead guy, whose two employees decide to have fun and pretend that he is alive to party at his house.
All he has to do is lay down and act dead, that's about it.Overall the movie is a good comedy and I recommend it.
The film focus' on two New York office workers, Larry(Andrew McCarthy) and Richard(Jonathan Silverman) who are invited to their boss' posh beach house at Hamptons in Long Island, after uncovering an elaborate scheme of fraud and embezzlement in the company.
Thinking they can 'work their way up the corporate ladder' they accept, only to find their boss Bernie(Terry Kiser) dead.
The most entertaining scene has to be the beach party, in which none of the guests even notices Bernie is dead to the world, and instead continue to talk to him as if he is alive.
They report the problem to their boss Bernie Lomax (Kiser) in hopes to acquire a certain reward for their findings.Bernie says he wants them to come down to his Hampton Island beach house to spend the weekend to celebrate what they did for the company.
Upon Richard and Larry's arrival they find the dead Bernie and contemplate what to do with him.They decide on pretending he is alive so they do not need to spend a weekend answering questions they don't know at the police station.
Not as funny, but a little reminiscent.Weekend at Bernie's is by no means an awful film.
While Weekend at Bernie's is still waiting to have a blowup in popularity, it is sort of full of life in its own right.Starring: Andrew McCarthy, Johnathan Silverman, and Terry Kiser.
It's not dated BADLY, but it has aged more than other films of the period.Corporate slackers Richard and Larry (Ted Mosby prototype Jonathan Silverman and 80s person Andrew McCarthy) discover a $4,000,000 fraud hidden away in the cooked books.
Their attempt to impress their boss Bernie Lomax (a lovably smug Terry Kiser) with their find leads to an invitation to his Hampton Island home for a summer weekend of babes, booze, and boats.
You wouldn't think that playing a dead body would be hard but Kiser's comic timing and skill really pay off.The production design and flat photography are what date this film so much.
The plot of this ersatz classic is almost universally understood,so I won't bother with recapping this little adventure epic where two working stiffs(JOnathan Silverman and Andrew McCarthy)find themselves propping up their stiff boss(Terry Kiser,who may've had the best performance of the film!)after he's found dead in his swank beach front home.
Style doesn't even redeem itself for its age, as there are plenty of contemporaneous black comedies/dumb comedies from its period that are paced and have enough jokes to fill a movie - you know, comedy movies written by experienced comedy writers, performed by skilled comedy players - those guys you have to pay fees to.A quick note on the baffling following this movie has - what's intolerable is not that some say they enjoyed it (each to their own, I've no problem with that), it's the hyperbole people use, praising it to the extent they give the impression they believe the memorability of the film was deliberate, as if the movie makers might count themselves amongst those who find the movie funny.
However, the movie takes a bit to get to this point and at times the premise is stretched a bit to thin, but for the most part the film stays funny.
No one else of real note stars in this movie, however the guy who did Bernie was rather good when he was alive and dead..
Let me be frank the only reason I rented this film was nostalgia and I must say I didn't really have many expectations from this film coming out of my experience with another film I rented for nostalgic value, The Pink Panther (I felt the humour had outlived its time).The movie starts out promisingly enough with the stereotypical bumbling nerd and his wacky carefree friend lost in the big bad world of corporate America.The encounter with the female temp and the meeting with Bernie provide a few memorable moments earlier in the film.
As expected the dead Bernie clearly steals the show.I don't know but I felt an undercurrent of darkness in the comedy of this movie especially relating to Bernie's acts after his death and the way he was treated by others.In all a good movie with great nostalgic value and worth renting when you can think of nothing else.-'s one joke movie, doesn't know when to quit, pg-13 rating (i still cant figure out why if you are showing a sexual act but with no exposure it is OK to show to the kids), some characters caricaturish, second part far below expectations.+\-'s undercurrents of dark humour, slapstick.+'s single joke but bloody funny one, a host of memorable scenes specially in the earlier half, a few great one liners,decent performances, good eye candy, absolutely hilarious first hour..
The movie gets more and more hilarious from there on as they spend the weekend pretending that he didn't die.This flick has so many funny moments that I don't know where to begin.
Funny and original movie, which is pretty famous for an 80's comedy (Anyone remember Mad TV's Weekend At Tupac's?) Recommended to anyone in need of a good laugh.Final Rating: 6.5/10Peace.
If I like a comedy everyone else seems to think it isn't funny, this is most certainly the case with this movie.
But like I said, if you ignore the mechanics of the plot, it is a hysterically funny movie.By far my favorite part is when Bernie falls out of the boat and is dragged behind, repeatedly hitting the large metal channel markers with a loud thud.
McCarthy and Silverman stood on each side of a beach chair holding the obviously dead Hawain shirt clad Bernie with a lit sparkler in each hand, arms folded across his chest.Bernie begins to slide,sparklers and all slowly to the floor as they smiled and talked of what a fun 4th experience it would be to come see the movie.
The premise--two wacky guys try to pretend their dead boss is not only still alive, but still the life of the party--may sound like it has potential on paper.
But in the end, this is a physical comedy, an action-oriented film, and the only action possible is for McCarthy and Silverman to carry a limp Kiser around while attempting to make funny remarks about what they are doing.
(1992), and, most unforgivably, Weekend at Bernie's II (1993).Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Jonathan Silverman) are two young, eager lower-level employees at a New York insurance firm.
When Richard discovers that an employee has stolen 2 million dollars from the company, he and Larry think they're on their way to a promotion and take the findings to their boss, Bernie (Terry Kiser).
However, Bernie himself is assassinated for sleeping with the mob boss' wife, and with party-seeking friends quickly turning up at the beach- house, Larry and Richard must maintain the illusion that Bernie is still alive and well if they want to party.It seems strange that their has never been (to my mind) a decent comedy involving a dead body.
Larry Wilson (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard Parker (Jonathan Silverman) are best friends working under Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser).
When Larry and Richard find Bernie dead in his beach house, they decide to keep the illusion of him being alive to keep the party going.It's a one joke movie, and it's not that funny of a joke.
But, not wanting to pass up a great weekend in a wonderful beach-front house, they decide to pretend that Bernie is still alive.
You see, when I went to see a different movie, they showed a preview for WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S and most of the people in the theater laughed and loved the trailer.
One the most creative black comedy of the Eights,supported by a clever screenplay this picture has great moments really,both leading roles has a good chemistry,but the highlight is no doubt own Bernie,a pure spirit of the madness,even death he brights along the movie,a fantastic performance on live or death,when you think the subject already drained,there's coming Bernie again....dead,my favorite scene is about Bernie making sex....unbelievably funny!!!Resume:First watch: 1993 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7.25.
this movie is not too bad.it's a black comedy that is entertaining and certainly amusing.without giving it away,Bernie is a rich guy,who ends up dead,yet still manages to be the life of the party,literally,thanks to two best friends(Andrew McCarthy,Jonathon Silverman)who also work or rather--worked for Bernie.i won't sat any more about the plot.if you want to know more,you'll have to watch the movie to find out.being a black comedy,the movie is entertaining and quite amusing at times,though not drop dead funny.(sorry, i couldn't resist)this is of course the point in this type of movie,to be wryly amusing and even ironic at times.i liked it quite a bit,though it could have been better,given the premise.there is so much rich material they could have mined,in my opinion.and while it doesn't quite reach its potential,it's still worth watching.Both McCarthy and Silverman are good in the roles as sort of an "Odd Couple" type.Richard(Silverman)is more strait laced and conservative,while Larry(McCarthy)is a slacker interested in having fun,more than anything else.Catherine Mary Stewart is very good in her supporting role.i only wish she had a larger role.but it is very clear she is very talented.however it is Terry Kiser as Bernie,who steals the show.who knew a dead guy could be so amusing.all in all,a good,not great movie.it spawned a sequel,which is much better,in my opinion.if you like this movie,i highly recommend part 2.as for this movie,I'd give it a 7/10..
WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S (1989) ** 1/2  Andrew McCarthy,  Jonathan Silverman, Catherine Mary Stewart,Terry Kiser, Don Calfa.
Weekend at Bernie'sRealistically, if you are going to be walking around with a corpse, it's best to do so in a cold climate.However, the friends gallivanting around with a carcass in this comedy aren't interested in retarding its putrefaction.After co-workers and friends, Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Jonathan Silverman) uncover insurance fraud at their investment firm, they take their findings to their boss, Bernie (Terry Kiser), who invites them up to his Hamptons home to discuss the matter.But when Bernie's assassinated, the dimwits decide to act as if nothing has happened, pretending that their host is still alive.Through elaborate means, the duo manage to deter the would-be killer, if only for a short time.While its ludicrous plot deteriorates faster than Bernie's flesh, this outlandish comedy, however, does find ingenious ways of keeping the titular character animated.Furthermore, a stiff at the beach makes an ideal paddleboard.
Still, in the farcical Weekend at Bernie's, he's in good company: co-star Jonathan Silverman is equally as obnoxious.Together, the pair play co-workers Larry and Richard, who, hoping to climb the corporate ladder, go to their boss, Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser), with evidence of company embezzlement.
When Larry and Richard arrive at Bernie's house, they find their host dead, but must pretend that he is alive so that they can still enjoy their weekend.With the two lads clowning around with Bernie's body, the scene is set for lots of very dark humour, but the woeful script fails to do the premise justice, while the young leads are painfully unfunny, their slapstick routines utterly predictable and poorly executed.
Hitch never really gave a reasonable reason for that.In WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S Klane and Kotchoff solved this by creating the necessity of making people believe the dead Bernie is not dead.Terry Kaiser is Bernie Lomax, the head of a large company that Andrew McCarthy (as Larry Waters) and Jonathan Silverman (as Richard Parker) work for as accountants.
If the idea of pretending a dead guy named Bernie is still alive sounds humorous to you, see this movie immediately.
Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Jonathan Silverman) discover a scam and report it to their boss Bernie (Terry Kiser), who invites them to his beach house for the weekend as a reward.
They inform their boss, Bernie Lomax (Kiser) and he rewards them by inviting them to his island beach house for Labor Day weekend.
They soon discover that Bernie is dead, but try making him look alive where he's still the life of the party.
Richard and Larry are two best friends who discover that someone has been embezzling money from their company.When they inform their boss, Bernie Lomax, he is so apparently pleased that he invites then to his beach house for a weekend of fun and leisure and women.But once they arrive, they discover him dead!
Richard wants to do the right thing and inform the authorities as quickly as possible, but Larry is determined to still try and have a weekend of fun and leisure and women.....First things first, if you don't like the sound of two men walking around with a dead body, making it do admittedly stupid, but very funny things, steer well clear.But if you can swallow your pride, and admit to the fact that you really want to see this, or have seen it just for the fact, that whenever the titular character falls, or gets 'hurt' in any way, it's a funny movie from start to finish.A farce on many levels, the film works because it's just so bright and sparky.The two leads are great, Silverman playing the straight guy, McCarthey playing the party animal, but both characters are very likable.It's just one of those movies that puts a big grin on your face, forgettable the minute its over, but still a lot of fun..
Two schmucks visit their boss's summer pad which turns out to be a 'house of death' and find him less than the life of the party.John Silverman and Andy McCarthy star in this engaging comedy about a couple of corporate dumbbells who drag their dead mentor 'Bernie' (Terry Kiser) all over the Hamptons - or the island of hell - while being chased by the mob.
Bernie invites them over for a weekend at his luxurious island beach house with the intention of killing them, however Bernie's mob ties catch up with him and the guys arrive to find their boss dead.
"Weekend at Bernie's" begins as a good film, setting up characters and the hidden potentials well.
I think more people should have hilarious times with their friends' dead bodies.