Bernie (2011)
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Bernie Movie Review
Bernie is a 2011 mockumentary crime comedy film directed by Richard Linklater and starring Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine. It’s a very odd movie.
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“It’s not as bad as people say it is.
He only shot her four times, not five.
You know what?
You people are as crazy as coot“
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Assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede is one of the most-beloved residents in the small Texas town of Carthage. Bernie is a friend to everyone, including Marjorie Nugent, a rich but nasty widow whom no one else likes. When Marjorie is found shot to death, Bernie is charged with the murder, and concerned Carthage citizens immediately spring to his defense.
This actually happened in real life, even though it sounds too crazy. It was thus perfect for a cinematic treatment, but maybe by a different director. Do not get me wrong, I am a huge fan of Richard Linklater, but he wasn’t exactly a fit with this source material and the end result is definitely very flawed.
There are two ways to watch this movie – as a mockumentary comedy or as a true crime drama. In the latter department, it most definitely succeeds as this crime story is very interesting along with its odd protagonist. I liked the courtroom drama elements as well as the film realistically showcasing the mentality of small town people and how they will always spring to a criminal’s defense.
But in the former department, it fails miserably. I do not get how this movie is called a comedy when it isn’t funny at all. Linklater is usually good at comedies, but here the material simply wasn’t suitable for this treatment. This story and its protagonist are more sad than amusing and I do not get this light approach and execution. And simply it was never funny in any way.
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Bernie is stupendously acted. I found Jack Black’s performance probably his career-best, and I do agree with the critics that this might be his crowning jewel as it’s more complex than you might think and he did deliver in spades. Shirley MacLaine is also pretty good. I also liked the second half, but the first one bored me to death. The humor is bad, but the dialogue is solid and the film’s mockumentary approach is excellent with very believable interviews through and through.
Bernie can be evaluated in two very different ways. If you watch it as a true crime drama, it succeeds as the central performance by Jack Black is excellent and the story is interesting. If you watch it as a comedy, it’s an utter failure as its uneasy comedic tone was not suited for this material at all and it’s simply never funny at any capacity. The mockumentary approach worked wonders to make it a solid film, but Richard Linklater was simply a bad fit for this particular story, no matter how great he usually is.
