Weekend at Bernie's (1989)

Director:

Ted Kotcheff

Writer (WGA):

Robert Klane (written by)

Release Date:

5 July 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

A lively comedy about a guy who isn't. [USA Theatrical]

Plot:

A pair of losers try to pretend that their murdered employer is really alive, but the murderer is out to "finish him off."

Plot Keywords:

Boss | Weekend | Beach | Beach House | Party

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Andrew McCarthy	...	Larry Wilson
Jonathan Silverman	...	Richard Parker
Catherine Mary Stewart	...	Gwen Saunders
Terry Kiser	...	Bernie Lomax
Don Calfa	...	Paulie, Vito's Hit Man
Catherine Parks	...	Tina, Vito's Girl
Eloise DeJoria	...	Tawny (as Eloise Broady)
Gregory Salata	...	Marty, Vito's Assistant
Louis Giambalvo	...	Vito
Ted Kotcheff	...	Jack Parker, Richard's Dad
Margaret Hall	...	Lomax's Secretary
Timothy Perez	...	Central Park Mugger
Mark Kenneth Smaltz	...	Harris, Security Oficer
Anthony Mannino	...	Superintendant
Polly Segal	...	Woman in Elevator

Also Known As:

Hot and Cold

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:12 (re-rating) (2006) | UK:15 (original rating) | Iceland:L | New Zealand:M | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Bald Head Island, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Gladden Entertainment

Trivia:

Terry Kiser (Bernie)'s stunt double suffered a few broken ribs during filming due to all the pitfalls and stunts of playing a dead man; most notably in the scene involving 'Bernie' being dragged around the surface of the lake, bumping into metal floating obstacles.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Larry is commenting on Bernie's drug habit, with his back to the camera, he says, "I watch 20/20, I know the statistics." When he turns his face to the side, he is still speaking, but his lips aren't moving.

Quotes:

Larry Wilson: You're gonna need my apartment.
Richard Parker: Oh no, I couldn't do that to you.
Larry Wilson: Rich, if she finds out you live with your parents you're gonna embarras yourself.
Richard Parker: Yeah I know. But still, I just... couldn't.
Larry Wilson: It's the coackroaches isn't it?
Richard Parker: Well...
Larry Wilson: They scatter when the light goes on.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "How I Met Your Mother: The Rough Patch (#5.7)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

VISSI D'ARTE, VISSI D'AMORE

very enjoyable semi-black comedy

Maybe I'm just stupid, but I love this movie. I still remember when it came out and maybe it's just nostalgia because I watched it so many times when I was nine years old, but I still enjoy watching it. It does a pretty good job at catching the look and feel of the late 80s. All the hairstyles and clothing are pretty dated but to me, that's all part of the fun.

It all starts when our guys, Richard and Larry, discover a $2 million insurance fraud scam in their company. When they report it to their boss, Bernie (Terry Kiser) he seems grateful and invites them to his beach house for labor day weekend. As it turns out, Bernie is the one doing the scamming and has hired a mob hitman to take them out. Little does Bernie know, that the mob has decided that Bernie has been a little too careless and they have decided to take him out instead. So, by the time Richard and Larry reach the island, they discover that Bernie is dead from what looks like a drug-overdose. Instead of calling the cops, the less than bright Larry, decides it better to pretend that he didn't die. This will work since all of the island partyers are pretty self-absorbed and clueless. This is where it starts getting funny.

Since the hitman is still on the island, he keeps seeing Bernie, who he thought he killed and keeps re-killing him. It's hilarious, because the boys really don't have a clue that the hitman is even around. Watching them lug a dead corpse around, making him look alive, is one of the highlights. The fact that all of the islanders believe he's alive is even funnier. One of my favorite parts of the movie was Andrew McCarthy's performance as Larry. His slacker part killed me and he has some really funny lines. What ever happened to him? Jonathan Silverman also does a great job with an underwritten part. He plays the ulcer-bound Richard who SO tries to be the moral center of the situation. Terry Kiser is incredible, as always and he plays a dead guy VERY well. Some of the stuff that he has to do, I really can't see anyone else pulling off as well. My favorite scenes came when Bernie was alive. The guy is such an unbelievable jerk, he's actually fun to hate.

Ignore the other comments on here, and go get this one. It's great for some laughs and I STILL get a lot out of it everytime I watch it. A great semi-black comedy. Go pick it up and look for the sequel. I enjoyed it as well, although not quite as much.