Bernie

2012 • 99 minutes

About this movie

In the tiny, rural town of Carthage, TX, assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede was one of the town's most beloved residents. He taught Sunday school, sang in the church choir and was always willing to lend a helping hand. Everyone loved and appreciated Bernie, so it came as no surprise when he befriended Marjorie Nugent, an affluent widow who was as well known for her sour attitude as her fortune. Bernie frequently traveled with Marjorie and even managed her banking affairs. Marjorie quickly became fully dependent on Bernie and his generosity and Bernie struggled to meet her increasing demands. Bernie continued to handle her affairs, and the townspeople went months without seeing Marjorie. The people of Carthage were shocked when it was reported that Marjorie Nugent had been dead for some time, and Bernie Tiede was being charged with the murder.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 2011 Bernie Film, LLC and Wind Dancer Bernie, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Ratings and reviews

The number of reviewers who believe this movie was not funny enough amuses me. This film covers a very serious topic and while Jack Black is typically a comedy actor this role seemed a bit out of his comfort zone. However, his portrayal of the title character seemed genuine and well researched. To everyone who thought the film should be funnier: you can suck it.

Jack Black has a reputation for overacting and over-exaggerated-ness. This film had him constrain some of that and give a pretty good and convincing performance. The storyline appears to be straight out of the Cold Case Files, but it wasn't a terrible use of 99 minutes...

Anyone looking for jack blacks silly and goofy style it's not here. Great acting from black in a great movie based on true events. A few chuckles but it's more of a docudrama. Very good movie. And Mathew MaCanahey keeps his shirt on!