Directed by: Richard Linklater
Starring: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey
Bernie is based on true events. It is about a funeral director in Carthage, Texas named Bernie Tiede (Black) who is so beloved by his community that, when he is accused of murdering a nasty widow, they urge the District Attorney to go easy on him. The trial required a change of venue, not because the potential jurors believed he was guilty, but because they likely would have acquitted him. It is certainly one of the strangest stories I've seen in quite a while, and Richard Linklater adapted it into his best work to date.
Jack Black's Bernie is one of those people that gives everyone a warm and fuzzy feeling. He knows just the right thing to do or say to comfort the bereaved. He even goes the extra mile and drops in on elderly widows after the funeral to see how they are doing. One of those visits to Marjorie Nugent (MacLaine) blossoms into a friendship that eventually goes south thanks to Marjorie's manipulative nastiness and possessiveness. Bernie benefits financially from this friendship. They travel the world together and Bernie gains control over her finances. One day, after Bernie can stands no more, he shoots Marjorie in the back and stuffs her in a freezer.
Rather than inform the police, Bernie keeps up the façade that Marjorie is alive. Not like Weekend At Bernie's mind you (what a coincidence), but by keeping her stockbroker at bay by assuring him that "he just missed her." Since Marjorie is estranged from her family and the townsfolk because of her wicked ways, Bernie figures no one would miss her. He is right, until the stockbroker convinces DA Danny Buck Davidson (McConaughey) that something is afoot, and Bernie's delicate plan crashes down.
Bernie indeed spends Marjorie's money after her death, but he mostly betters his community, which further endears him to the folks of Carthage. He maintains his humble home while showering the community with gifts. Combine that with Bernie's likability and it is little wonder the people do not want to see him convicted of Marjorie's murder.
What makes Black's Bernie Tiede so fascinating is he is an enigma to most people, but wins them over with his sweetness and generosity. He does not seem to want anything in return. He lives to see other people happy. Is this the result of a psychological need to be loved or is he just that good of a guy? Bernie does not bother to delve too deep into his motives, possibly because he may not even have any. He could be a viable candidate for sainthood.
Bernie's relationship with Marjorie is not sexual. It is hotly debated whether Bernie is gay or just asexual. He does not appear to list sex on his priority list at all. Because he is human, he does eventually reach the end of his rope with Marjorie, who turns demanding and possessive at the drop of a hat. It is so out of character for him to murder her, but perhaps he killed her because she did not respond to his generosity with any sort of gratitude. He may live to see others happy, but I would think he would like to be recognized too. No one is that altruistic.
This is unlike any performance Jack Black has ever given. He creates a person based on a real person, but allows us to see why a community would rally around him despite overwhelming evidence of his guilt. Most accused murderers would become pariahs. In Carthage, the DA becomes the bad guy. If Black is not up to the task of convincing us to love him, then the movie falls apart. What a true balancing act he displays.
Linklater wisely paces and presents Bernie in almost comic fashion. It is bright and sunny every day and the film has a sunny quality to it despite material that would not call for it. Like Pain and Gain (2013), we have to remind ourselves that what we are seeing here is mostly true. Mostly because it is so bizarre that you would initially believe it has to be fiction.
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