Bernie

2011 Comedy

Director Richard Linklater teams with writer Skip Hollandsworth for this darkly comic docudrama detailing the unusual friendship between a likable Texas mortician and a wealthy but reviled widow, and the shocking crime that followed. Inspired by Hollandsworth's 1998 Texas Monthly article that first caught the attention of Linklater, Bernie takes place in Carthage, TX, where effeminate mortician Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) enjoys a reputation as a friendly and upstanding member of the community. Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine), on the other hand, couldn't hold a lower position on the local social scale. Repressed and bitter, nasty Marjorie has isolated herself from her neighbors, and as a result has been essentially shunned in her small town. The moment Bernie shows Marjorie a shred of kindness, she clings to him tightly and refuses to let go. Meanwhile, as Marjorie becomes Bernie's sugar mama and the pair becomes inseparable, the local rumor mill begins to churn. Eventually, her intense jealousy becomes too much for Bernie to take. When the caustic widow's body is discovered stuffed in her own freezer, local District Attorney Buck Davidson (Matthew McConaughey) vows that justice will be served, but he finds it difficult to build a convincing case against Bernie as the locals rally to his defense. more..

Director: Richard Linklater

Starring: Jack Black,Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey

Reviews

  • You should have the opportunity to experience the movie the way I did, in complete ignorance, enjoying its every weird turn.

    Mick LaSalle - The San Francisco Chronicle

    26 April 2013

  • The wonder of Black's performance here is its empathy and balance: inasmuch as he can disappear into any role, he dissolves into this one with no hint of mocking remove. It's a beautiful thing to see.

    Jeannette Catsoulis - NPR

    26 April 2013

  • No use trying to describe Bernie. It's a one-of-a-kind inspiration. You will never feel closer to a convicted killer.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    26 April 2013

  • Where the movie is at its best is in the comically laconic, straight-to-the-camera remarks offered by Carthage's residents. (They're played by a mix of local actors and real townspeople doing partially scripted versions of themselves.)

    Joe Morgenstern - The Wall Street Journal

    26 April 2013

  • Black gets to play an actual character instead of a loudmouthed cartoon. The movie's bright and endearing and surprisingly lacking in a point. I wish I liked it better.

    Ty Burr - The Boston Globe

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Richard Linklater

    Austin Film Critics Association (2012)

  • Best Actor in a Comedy

    Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards (2013)

     
  • Actor of the Year

    Central Ohio Film Critics Association (2013)

  • Best Supporting Actor

    Chlotrudis Awards (2013)

     
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

    Golden Globes (2013)