REVIEW: Bernie

Bernie is one of those films, for me, in the same realm as something like Super; I remember hearing a bit about it in the early 2010's, saw some posters at my local theaters, it came out, and I never heard from it again. Until, like Super, I saw it on Netflix and decided to give it a watch. Having finally seen it, I must say that Bernie is a really fascinating piece of work and features one of the best performances from Jack Black that I have ever seen.

The plot (based off of a true story) involves a fellow by the name of Bernie Tiede (Jack Black). Living in the small town of Carthage, Texas, Bernie is an assistant funeral director and all-around good guy who is widely beloved by all who know him. He volunteers at the local Methodist church, runs several community plays, and truly, genuinely cares about everyone he serves in his rather morbid line of work. After overseeing the funeral of a local millionaire, Bernie decides to spend some of his personal time checking in on the widow, Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLane), ensuring that she has everything she needs in this most difficult of times. As time goes on, the two become inseparable; the good-natured Bernie ends up playing the part of full-time manservant/travelling companion to the cantankerous, controlling Marjorie in a relationship reminiscent of Monty Burns and Waylon Smithers on The Simpsons. The arrangement begins to wear on Tiede, who is too charitable to voice his discomfort and stand up for himself before he finally reaches his breaking point. This is as much as I'm going to say for sake of spoilers (though one can probably deduce what happens with minimal effort), but the movie really takes a turn about halfway through.

The film is formatted almost like a documentary, constantly cutting away to the various townsfolk of Carthage who give their recollections on the events that transpired. Honestly, I can't tell if I liked or disliked this stylistic choice in the end; on one hand, the way that the townspeople view Bernie is a major facet of the story itself, helping to establish the proper tone and exposition for the audience. On the other hand, I feel as though it is almost used too much; Jack Black is so good in the role of Tiede that the various confessional bits with the citizens of Carthage tend to take up time that I really would have preferred to have seen spent on the titular character. Bernie Tiede is such an interesting guy in that, even after things inevitably go wrong, he's still genuinely likeable. He does some terrible things, but we never truly feel as though he's a monster as much as he is a genuinely good man who just had a bit of a break and needs help. None of his folksy, religious mannerisms are played off for a mean-spirited joke or punchline; everything about him is totally honest and earnest, so it's interesting to see a person who is so good end up doing something so objectively wrong.

Shirley MacLane plays the role of Marjorie Nugent, a millionaire widow who (unlike Bernie) is widely hated by pretty much everyone she's ever come across, family included. Much like Jack Black, the interesting thing about her character is the mystery as to how she ended up at this point. One of the townspeople mentions how he believes she was just born a nasty, old woman; MacLane puts on a great show, as I honestly couldn't picture this character as a young woman, getting married and having children. She's just a bitter, lonely person who happens to find Bernie, a happy, lonely person. They're like Yin and Yang; Bernie lives alone and does everything he can to help those around him so that he'll be liked. Marjorie lives alone and cares only for herself; as a result, she's unanimously despised. It's an interesting relationship that shows how negativity can cause positivity to weaken and decay over time. We also have Matthew McConaughey as Danny Buck Davidson, a District Attorney who begins as one of the talking head townsfolk before taking on a bigger role in the later half of the film. Like Black and MacLane, he does a fantastic job and helps provide an interesting view on the events that take place over the course of the film; as we explore the conflict that arises, we find that no one side is entirely right or wrong. You end up liking just about every character in the movie, but none of them are 100% correct. In this way, the film keeps the audience thoroughly invested in the outcome; just like real life, there's no black or white, just many differing shades of gray. The townsfolk of Carthage are also a delight, some of whom are actual citizens playing themselves. Everyone gives such a good performance, I wasn't sure at first if their bits were scripted or not; while the talking head interview segments take up a bit more of the runtime than I would have preferred, they undeniably lend the film a sense of realism and grit, a dash of Southern flavor that really helps immerse the audience in the story unfolding onscreen.

Bernie is a really interesting piece of work. Many times, the word "interesting" is just used as a polite way of saying "there's some good ideas here, but it doesn't work out". This is definitely not one of those times; this is a black comedy that is well shot, well written, well directed, and well acted, in addition to being genuinely thought-provoking. It's a true story that FEELS like a true story, and manages to keep you genuinely invested up until the very end.