Bernie (2011)

Bernie (2011) Movie Reviews
Watch Trailer

Cast: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey

Director: Richard Linklater

Rating: PG13

Running Time: 98 min.

Synopsis: 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.

User Rating

User Reviews

Rate it!
Critic Rating

Critic Reviews

About the Graph & Metric

Reviews

Sort by:

User Reviews

  • Jun 12, 2012 02:31 pm

    Peneflix said: B

    Jack Black is reason enough to see "Bernie". With subtle nuances he completely and compellingly grasps the depth of assistant mortician, "Bernie Tiede" in 1998 Carthage, Texas... THREE & 1/2 STARS!!! For Now.....Peneflix

  • Jul 08, 2012 01:09 pm

    David said: A

    I loved the use of actual locals telling the story. If you are from Texas it is a must see. If you're from elsewhere I would still recommend it and give it a 4 of 5. Still should go see it given the option.

Rate This Movie!

Please sign in or sign up to rate this movie.