21/46
In a small Texas town, a nice hitman befriends a wealthy widow, but when she becomes controlling, he struggles to free himself from her grip. Real-life residents of Carthage, Texas, who knew the real Bernie. Tiede and Marjorie Nugent appear in the film to comment on the events. Bernie committed the murder in 1996, but almost immediately after the murder, he answers the phone. Townsman: [speaking of Marjorie Nugent] She’d chew your ass when she dropped her hat. I mean, she’d rip your ass off in a brand new, three-bedroom, two-bath, double-wide. No problem.. Before the main credits roll, photos of the real Bernie and Marjorie are shown, along with a short video clip of Bernie Teide talking to Jack Black. According to the film’s technical specifications, there are two different versions of this film: one running at 1:39 (99 min.) and the other is 1 hr. 44 min. (104 min.) (USA) Black / New York City’s Meatball Shop Guys / Beirut (2012). “Love Lifted Me” Written by James Rowe and Howard E. Smith. Performed by The Florida Boys Courtesy of World Entertainment Under an agreement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing. Bernie (2011) Don’t you love it when you see a funny movie and at the end you think, wow, that could have been a lot funnier? This movie is really funny, and Jack Black does a great job of being this guy who has incredible generosity and the kind of social skills to be everyone’s favorite. And who ends up taking care of the richest woman in town, putting her name in her will, etc. The types on display, and these are some of the funniest moments. When the same people appear over and over again, there’s a welcome sense of familiarity—the novelty of a familiar face, but also a familiarity with the film. It falls into a pattern. And that’s the bulk of the film, with thirty of these talking heads, so it’s natural that the pace of the main plot often slows down. As the events get more extreme, the film doesn’t. It falters, relying on excellent idiosyncratic acting and the strange (and exaggerated?) culture of East Texas. But the two live in their characters so well that it’s scary. The other big name (the biggest name) is Shirley MacLaine, who doesn’t really have much to do (she’s mostly silent, just menacing or sullen). And she, of course, fails throughout the film (the trailer and trailer give away too much of that score). The third name is Matthew McConaughey, and he’s predictably hilarious and funny, though he’s mixed in with a bunch of other unknown characters who are also hilarious and funny. So the script and the funny writing. carry the day. Well-done stuff. Director and writer Richard Linklater is a curious talent, a little all over the map but good at some things, including just being flawless enough to look like an indie director. His pair of films "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" have grown into unlikely classics (I really like both of them), but he’s also known for smaller comedies like "Drunk and Lost" and now this. Yeah, watch it for a laugh. It’ll start out like a lame episode of "Six Feet Under" but stick with it. The character is completely believable and funny. A good time.