IMDb > Bernie (2011)
Bernie
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Bernie (2011) More at IMDbPro »

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Bernie -- In small-town Texas, the friendship between the well-liked local mortician and a a reviled wealthy widow becomes the focus of much debate and scandal once she turns up dead.
Bernie -- Clip: What Happened With Carl
Bernie -- Clip: Like Nails On A Chalkboard

Overview

User Rating:
6.7/10   22,347 votes »
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Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Richard Linklater
Writers:
Richard Linklater (screenplay)
Skip Hollandsworth (based on the article in Texas Monthly by)
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Bernie on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
22 June 2012 (Iceland) See more »
Genre:
Comedy | Crime | Drama See more »
Tagline:
A story so unbelievable it must be true.
Plot:
In small-town Texas, the local mortician strikes up a friendship with a wealthy widow, though when he kills her, he goes to great lengths to create the illusion that she's alive. Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
See more »
Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 8 wins & 10 nominations See more »
NewsDesk:
(752 articles)
Movie Review - Before Midnight (2013)
 (From Flickeringmyth. 19 June 2013, 3:10 PM, PDT)
Ranking the Films of Director Richard Linklater
 (From SoundOnSight. 17 June 2013, 11:49 PM, PDT)
Indie Spotlight
 (From DailyDead. 16 June 2013, 10:26 AM, PDT)
User Reviews:
Stranger than fiction. See more (101 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (complete, awaiting verification)

Jack Black ... Bernie Tiede

Shirley MacLaine ... Marjorie Nugent

Matthew McConaughey ... Danny Buck

Brady Coleman ... Scrappy Holmes

Richard Robichaux ... Lloyd Hornbuckle
Rick Dial ... Don Leggett

Brandon Smith ... Sheriff Huckabee

Larry Jack Dotson ... Rev. Woodard
Merrilee McCommas ... Molly
Mathew Greer ... Carl
Marjorie Dome ... Townsperson
Tim Cariker ... Townsperson
Fern Luker ... Townsperson
Jack Payne ... Townsperson

Sonny Carl Davis ... Townsperson (as Sonny Davis)

Chris Humphrey ... Townsperson
Ann Reeves ... Townsperson
Kay Epperson ... Townsperson
Ira Bounds ... Townsperson
James Baker ... Townsperson
Kay McConaughey ... Townsperson
Kristi Youngblood ... Townsperson
Kenny Brevard ... Townsperson
Margaret Bowman ... Townsperson
Mollie Fuller ... Townsperson
Tanja Givens ... Townsperson
Glenda Jones ... Townsperson
Travis Blevins ... Townsperson
Sylvia Froman ... Townsperson
Martha Long ... Townsperson
Jo Perkins ... Townsperson
Reba Tarjick ... Townsperson
Dale Dudley ... Townsperson
James Wilson ... Townsperson
Teresa Edwards ... Townsperson
Billy Vaticalos ... Townsperson
Rob Anthony ... Townsperson

Tommy G. Kendrick ... Larry Brumley (as Tommy Kendrick)
Pam McDonald ... Townsperson
Kathy Gollmitzer ... Townsperson
Cozette McNeely ... Townsperson

Richard Andrew Jones ... Professor Fleming (as Richard Jones)
Charles Bailey ... Friend of Deceased
Suzi McLaughlin ... Mrs. Pebworth

Grant James ... Mr. Estes

Juli Erickson ... Mrs. Estes
J.D. Young ... Dwayne Nugent
Charlie m Stewart ... Dwayne Jr. (as Charlie Stewart)

Joe Stevens ... Lewie
Raquel Gavia ... Esmeralda
Amparo García ... Church Goer (as Amparo Garcia-Crow)
Toby Metcalf ... Oil Worker
Doug Moreland ... Chainsaw Artist
Edward Ji ... Pianist
Jill Blackwood ... Guys & Dolls Performer

David Blackwell ... Mel

Gabriel Luna ... Kevin
Deanna Newcomb ... Photographer
David Steakley ... Assistant Director
Peter Harrell Jr. ... Bank Manager
Joe Leroy Reynolds ... Deputy Sheriff (as Joe Reynolds)

Christian Stokes ... Truck Driver
John Hornbuckle ... Generator Operator

Wray Crawford ... Sheriff's Deputy #2
Margaret Hoard ... Café Waitress
Charles Allen Eskew ... IRS Agent
Quita Culpepper ... TV Reporter

Mona Lee Fultz ... Cashier
Jerry Biggs ... Judge

Robert Works ... Lead Juror
Chris Barfield ... Community Theater Group
Taylor Bryant ... Community Theater Group
Colin Bevis ... Community Theater Group
Jacqui Bloom ... Community Theater Group
Joshua Denning ... Community Theater Group
Ellie Edwards ... Community Theater Group
Alaina Flores ... Community Theater Group
Jennifer Foster ... Community Theater Group
Leslie Hethcox ... Community Theater Group
Jordan Hill ... Community Theater Group
Berkley Jones ... Community Theater Group
Trevor McGinnis ... Community Theater Group
Mika Odom ... Community Theater Group
Chell Parkins ... Community Theater Group
David Ponton ... Community Theater Group
Gray Randolph ... Community Theater Group
Rachel Hull-Ryde ... Community Theater Group
Ian Saunders ... Community Theater Group
Madelyn Shaffer ... Community Theater Group
Larissa Slota ... Community Theater Group
Daniel Rae Srivastava ... Community Theater Group
Ellen Stader ... Community Theater Group
Lara Wright ... Community Theater Group
Betty Andrews ... Mrs. Senior Carthage Pageant Contestant
Marcia Bailey ... Mrs. Senior Carthage Pageant Contestant
Umpy Bechtol ... Mrs. Senior Carthage Pageant Contestant
Nita Bouldin ... Mrs. Senior Carthage Pageant Contestant
Nellie Hickerson ... Mrs. Senior Carthage Pageant Contestant
Jeanetta Kloppe ... Mrs. Senior Carthage Pageant Contestant
Geraldine Miller ... Mrs. Senior Carthage Pageant Contestant
Sharon Rugsbee ... Mrs. Senior Carthage Pageant Contestant
Debbie Shaw ... Mrs. Senior Carthage Pageant Contestant
Flo Weiershausen ... Mrs. Senior Carthage Pageant Contestant
Gina Wooten ... Mrs. Senior Carthage Pageant Contestant
Gary Askins ... Juror
Ben Bachelder ... Juror (as Benjamin Bachelder)
Meredith Beal ... Juror
Stacey Bruck ... Juror
Michelle Briscoe ... Juror
Lesa Brooks ... Juror
Gayla Bruce ... Juror
Brenda Bunton ... Juror
Kristi Copeland ... Juoro
Jeff Davis ... Juror

Orion Gallagher ... Juror
Kenneth C. Liverman ... Juror (as Kenneth Liverman)
Linda Rudwick ... Juror
Mary Stifflemire ... Juror
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Patty Allieri ... Townsperson (uncredited)

Heath Allyn ... Mortuary Student (uncredited)
Cheryl Bond Danks ... Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
Fred Bothwell ... Mourner (uncredited)
Steve Cauley ... Mourner (uncredited)
Gene Cervenka ... Grim Reaper - Prison Guard (uncredited)

Franky Coronado ... Prison Visitor (uncredited)
Randy Coy ... Hard Body Onlooker (uncredited)

Wendy Crouse ... Prison Visitor (uncredited)
Garret Danks ... Restaurant Patron (uncredited)
Eddy Fitzgerald ... Bernies Prison Guard (uncredited)

Valerie Frazee ... Robin (uncredited)

June Griffin Garcia ... Parisian Diner (uncredited)
Terry Harrison ... Funeral Mourner (uncredited)
Paul Heckmann ... Carthaginian Resident (uncredited)
Connie Kennedy ... Marti Gras Party Goer (uncredited)
Stephen C. Kerr ... The Corpse (uncredited)

Robert H. Lambert ... Courtroom Witness (uncredited)

Rudi Lee ... Grieving Widow (uncredited)

Kevin Machate ... Federal Agent (uncredited)
Patrick Martin Jr. ... TV News Cameraman (uncredited)

James Leonardo Mayberry ... Churchgoer (uncredited)
Timothy T. McKinney ... Small Deputy (uncredited)

Caroline McNeil ... Mourner (uncredited)
Joe Nelson ... Hearse Driver (uncredited)
Earl Nottingham ... Courthouse Vendor (uncredited)

Veronica Orosco ... Church Patron (uncredited)
Skye Polchert ... Choir Member / Churchgoer (uncredited)
Mitchell Rad ... Press Photographer (uncredited)

Angelita Aronce Sorensen ... Courtroom Visitor (uncredited)

Gary Teague ... Neighborhood Onlooker (uncredited)

Wendy Tobias ... Bernie's Haloween Party Reveler / Conga Line (uncredited)
Adrun Wilson ... Church Member (uncredited)

Daniel Zubiate ... Action News Cameraman (uncredited)
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Directed by
Richard Linklater 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Skip Hollandsworth  based on the article in Texas Monthly by
Skip Hollandsworth  screenplay
Richard Linklater  screenplay

Produced by
Michael Bassick .... executive producer
William T. Conway .... executive producer
John Paul DeJoria .... executive producer
Donald Fox .... executive producer (as Don Fox)
Jack Gilardi Jr. .... executive producer
Liz Glotzer .... producer
Alex Gudim .... executive producer
Lissa Gudim .... executive producer (as Lissa Collins-Guddim)
Ken Hirsh .... executive producer
Rav Indran .... associate producer (as Kannoo Ravindran)
Hardy Justice .... co-producer
Todd J. Labarowski .... associate producer (as Todd Labarowski)
Johnny Lin .... executive producer
Richard Linklater .... producer
Sean McEwen .... associate producer
David McFadzean .... producer
Kirsten McMurray .... co-producer
Dete Meserve .... producer
Duncan Montgomery .... executive producer
Mark Mower .... co-producer
Darby Parker .... executive producer
Judd Payne .... producer
Celine Rattray .... producer
Tiller Russell .... associate producer
Jack Selby .... executive producer (as Jack R. Selby)
Martin Shafer .... producer
Ginger Sledge .... producer
John Sloss .... executive producer
Shane Stanger .... associate producer
Matt Williams .... producer
 
Original Music by
Graham Reynolds 
 
Cinematography by
Dick Pope (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Sandra Adair 
 
Casting by
Beth Sepko 
Sheila Steele 
 
Production Design by
Bruce Curtis 
 
Art Direction by
Rodney Becker 
 
Costume Design by
Kari Perkins 
 
Makeup Department
Michaela Farrell .... additional makeup artist
Roxie Hodenfield .... hair department head
Roz Music .... hair stylist: Mr. Black
Roz Music .... makeup artist: Mr. Black
Leola Perez .... additional hair stylist
Charmaine Richards .... key hair stylist
Kara Sutherlin .... key makeup artist
Pamela S. Westmore .... makeup artist: Shirley MacLaine
Pamela S. Westmore .... makeup department head (as Pamela Westmore)
Jacenda Burkett .... assistant makeup artist (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Nancy Kirhoffer .... post-production supervisor
Ginger Sledge .... unit production manager
Karen Wacker .... production supervisor
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michele Cusick .... second second assistant director
Kayse Goodell .... second assistant director
George Sledge .... first assistant director
 
Art Department
Chia Berry .... art department coordinator
Justin Brookhart .... art department intern
Chris Clayton .... set dresser
Leila Dallal .... assistant property master
George Dishner .... set dresser
Melanie Ferguson .... on-set dresser
Juliet Guimont .... scenic artist
Evan Hodge .... set dresser
Juliana Hoffpauir .... additional buyer
Allan Holder .... propmaker
Ellen Lampl .... graphic designer
Jason Marlow .... graphic designer
Pat Martine .... scenic artist
Christopher Mekhail .... art department trainee: Australia (as Chris Mekhail)
David Menefee .... gang boss (as Dave Menefee)
Matt Miller .... set dresser
Andrew Schwartz .... art department trainee
Jonathan Shaffer .... property master
B.J. Smith .... lead scenic artist
Garrett Smith .... art department intern
Michael Smothers .... utility technician (as Mike Smothers)
Aaron Statler .... leadman
Justin Stegall .... set dresser
Tom Ward .... construction coordinator
Zac Ward .... propmaker (as Zak Ward)
 
Sound Department
Wayne Bell .... dialogue editor
Gary C. Bourgeois .... additional sound re-recording mixer
Kay Colvin .... cable person
Glenn Eanes .... sound editor
Susan Fitz-Simon .... foley artist
Susan Fitz-Simon .... foley editor
Tom Hammond .... sound re-recording mixer
Tom Hammond .... supervising sound editor
Justin Hennard .... sound designer
John Pritchett .... sound mixer
David M. Roberts .... boom operator (as David Roberts)
Danny Reeves .... additional adr (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
Everett Byrom III .... special effects coordinator (as Everett Byrom)
 
Visual Effects by
Dale Carman .... visual effects supervisor: Radium/Reel FX
Dustin D'Arnault .... matte painter: Radium/Reel FX (as Dustin D'arnault)
Dan Dixon .... visual effects supervisor: Radium/Reel FX
Leah Garner .... visual effects producer: Radium/Reel FX
Pete Herzog .... visual effects executive producer: Radium/Reel FX
Doug Hogan .... compositor: Radium/Reel FX
Dag Ivarsoy .... compositor: Radium/Reel FX
Laychin Lee .... visual effects artist: Radium/Reel FX
John Rogalski .... compositor: Radium/Reel FX
Mike Roy .... visual effects artist: Radium/Reel FX
Randall Smith .... compositor: Radium/Reel FX
 
Stunts
Cheryl Wheeler Duncan .... stunt double: Markorie (as Cheryl Wheeler-Duncan)
Jeff Schwan .... stunt coordinator
 
Camera and Electrical Department
Wes Ahl .... grip
Troy Anderson .... rigging electrician
Marc Andrus .... key grip
Roger Basquette .... video assist operator
Russell Beard .... rigging best boy electric
Kelly Bogdan .... second assistant camera: "a" camera
Nathan Brown .... rigging electrician
Scott Conn .... rigging gaffer
Matt Cowan .... dolly grip: "a" camera
Dustin Cross .... digital imaging technician
Wes Dixon .... electrician
Steve Drake .... best boy grip
Patrick Fortune .... grip
Doug Gessaman .... rigging grip
Robert Hicks .... key rigging grip (as Rob Hicks)
Vance Holmes .... additional camera unit
Donald R. Howe Jr. .... second assistant camera: "b" camera (as Don Howe)
Chip Huntington .... grip
Brad Keffer .... electrician
Shane Kelly .... camera operator: "b" camera
Shane Kelly .... director of photography: second unit
Pete Kolb .... rigging grip best boy (as Peter Kolb)
Ron Mann .... rigging grip
Mark Manthey .... chief lighting technician
Rob McGrath .... first assistant camera: "b" camera
Richard Nance .... grip
Deana Newcomb .... still photographer
Spencer Pharr .... best boy electrician
Dick Pope .... camera operator: "a" camera
Van Redin .... still photographer
Steve Speers .... first assistant camera: "a" camera
Scott Sprague .... best boy electrician
Greg Travis .... electrician (as Travis Travis)
Wilson Waggoner .... additional camera unit
Ian Quigley .... rigging electric (uncredited)
Froylan Reyes Jr. .... electrician (uncredited)
 
Casting Department
Iris Davis-Quick .... extras casting assistant
Ashley Hallford .... extras casting
Tina Kerr .... extras casting
Angela Burns .... casting assistant (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Brenda J. Chambers .... costumer/stitcher (as Brenda Chambers)
Sara Cummings .... costume production assistant
Lee Hunsaker .... costume buyer (as Lee Hunsacker)
Lara McElroy .... costume production assistant
Robin McMullan .... costume supervisor
John H. Smith .... key costumer (as John Smith)
Mirin Soliz .... additional costumer
Stephanie A. Steel .... key costumer (as Stephanie Steel)
D.J. Castillo .... wardrobe production assistant (uncredited)
 
Editorial Department
Pete Cardella .... post-production assistant
Christine Cardenas .... post-production intern
Chelsea Dinsdale Murphy .... post-production assistant (as Chelsea Dinsdale)
Laura Geucherian .... digital intermediate producer
Chance Gilbert .... post-production intern
Ryan Gladden .... digital intermediate data wrangler
Kevin O'Connor .... digital intermediate final colorist
David Rosenblatt .... first assistant editor
Mike Saenz .... first assistant editor
Mark Smith .... digital intermediate engineer
David Townsend .... post-production coordinator
Thom Whitehead .... digital intermediate editor
 
Music Department
James Anderson .... musician: violin
Mike Bernal .... musician: guitar
Jack Black .... musician: vocalist
Lisa Brown .... music supervisor (as Lisa Brown Leopold)
Jeremy Bruch .... musician: drums
Alexis Buffum .... musician: violin
Maurice Chammah .... musician: violin
Ricky Davis .... musician: steel guitar
Jonathan Dexter .... musician: cello
Jason Elinoff .... musician: viola
Petra Haden .... musician: vocalist
Rachel Haden .... musician: vocalist
Tanya Haden .... musician: vocalist
Utah Hamrick .... musician: bass
Rebecca Haskins .... musician: oboe
Rebecca Jordan .... musician: clarinet
Valerie Klatt Fischer .... musician: cello
Paul Klemperer .... musician: saxophone, clarinet
Marty Lester .... additional music recordist: Tequila Mockingbird
Tom Lewis .... musician: drums
Matt Lilley .... musicologist
Freddie Mendoza .... musician: trombone
Buzz Moran .... music editor
Buzz Moran .... music mixer: WPA Studio
Buzz Moran .... music recordist
Hector Moreno .... musician: cello
Leah Nelson .... musician: viola
Graham Reynolds .... music mixer
Graham Reynolds .... music recordist
Graham Reynolds .... musician: guitars, contra bass
Graham Reynolds .... musician: piano
Graham Reynolds .... score producer
Paul Robertson .... musician: violin
Ben Saffer .... musician: clarinet
Seetha Shivaswarmy .... musician: flute
Jimmy Shortell .... musician: accordion, trumpet
Joseph Shuffield .... musician: violin
Adam Sultan .... musician: guitar
Redd Volkaert .... musician: guitar
Redd Volkaert .... musician: vocalist
Dale Watson .... musician: guitar
Dale Watson .... musician: vocalist
Jenni Wieland .... musician: french horn
Julia Windle .... musician: bassoon
 
Transportation Department
Ed Andrade .... driver
Dwight Cary .... driver (as Dwight 'Curly' Cary)
Charles Coulter .... transportation captain (as Charlie Coulter)
Fred Davis .... driver
Frank DeLaFuente .... driver
Mike Hitch .... driver
Cliff Hunt .... driver
Dustin Little .... driver
Joseph Lockwood .... driver (as Joe Lockwood)
Lonnie Nelson .... transportation co-captain
Ronnie Reeves .... driver
Hector G. Rodriguez .... driver (as Hector Rodriguez)
Charles D. Russell .... driver (as Charles Russell)
Victor Villareal .... driver
Marti Wells .... transportation coordinator
Wilburn White .... driver
Steven Willhoite .... driver
Steven Willhoite .... production van driver operator
 
Other crew
Ashley Adair .... photo archivist
Peter Atherton .... location scout
Donald Banks .... set production assistant
Matthew Baugh .... catering assistant
Gema Beasley .... additional office intern
Nicole Beaudoin .... production trainee
Brett B. Bunner .... accounting clerk (as Brett Bunner)
Chris Cantu-Salazar .... assistant location manager
John Cates .... set production assistant
Corbin Clem .... location intern
Kim Couture .... stand-in: Marjorie (as Kimberly Couture)
Kim Couture .... stand-in: Marjorie (as Kimberly Couture)
Cayla Cox .... office intern
James Crowley .... location manager
Jeremy Decker .... stand-in: Bernie
Jacqueline Eckhouse .... business and legal affairs: Sloss Eckhouse (as Jackie Eckhouse)
Ralph Fisher .... armadillo handler
Anthony Foreman .... location trainee
Leslie Frid .... set production assistant
Erin Elizabeth Gardner .... location aide
Kipling Harvey .... craft service (as Kip Harvey)
Raymond Hemza .... catering assistant
Elizabeth Himelstein .... dialect coach: Mr. Black (as Elizabeth Hamel)
Joey Hudgins .... co-location manager
Chris M. Jackson .... assistant: Ms. Sledge (as Chris Jackson)
Dane Jensen .... post production intern
Brice Lane .... stand-in: Danny
Robin Lewis .... choreographer
Nic Marshall .... production executive (mandalay vision )
Michael Mattioli .... epk
Kirsten McMurray .... assistant: Mr. Linklater
Alex Milan .... assistant: Mr. Black, Texas
Jeremy Mohler .... set production assistant
Molly Murray .... production accountant (as Molly Murray-Bunner)
Quin Parthasarathy .... assistant: Mr. McConaughey
Joel Poage .... head chef
Kate Poss .... assistant production coordinator
Harry Rabin .... epk
Will Rimmer .... production assistant
Brooke Satrazemis .... script supervisor
Karen Segall .... business and legal affairs: Sloss Eckhouse
Mark Sepulveda .... craft service assistant
Kathleen Shaw .... payroll accountant
Katie Shook .... assistant: Mr. Black
Vernon Smith .... on-set locations
Weston Smith .... accounting intern
David Steakley .... artistic producer: ZACH (as Dave Steakley)
Brian Sutherin .... set production assistant
Raigen Thornton .... set medic
Kristin Vela .... assistant: Shirley MacLaine
Melissa Volz .... additional office intern
Tristan Walling .... pilot and engineer
Meghan Welsch .... additional office intern
Jenni Wieland .... first assistant accountant
Jenni Wieland .... post production accountant
Leigh A. Wilbourn .... production coordinator (as Leigh Davis)
Shawn Williams .... production secretary (as Shawn Williams Brown)
Koen Wooten .... armourer
Andrea Block .... production assistant (uncredited)
Derek Di Biagio .... assistant: Matthew McConaughey (uncredited)
Evey Franceschini .... production assistant (uncredited)
Jenny Halper .... development executive (uncredited)
Frank Kearl .... location scout (uncredited)
Travis Wade Locke .... wrangler (uncredited)
Devon Hawkes Ludlow .... assistant: Mr. Conway (uncredited)
Charlie Nadler .... operations coordinator: Castle Rock Entertainment (uncredited)
Christopher L. Perez .... clearance counsel (uncredited)
Ian M. Stratford .... finance legal (uncredited)
 
Thanks
Lindsey Ashley .... special thanks
Carol Biggs .... special thanks
Jacques Boudreau .... special thanks
Wendy Crouse .... thanks
Rick Dial .... in loving memory of (as Richard Dial)
Valerie Frazee .... special thanks
Delores Haliburton .... special thanks
Tricia Linklater .... thanks
Marc Stephens .... special thanks
Meredith Stephens .... special thanks
Mark Yeh .... special thanks
 

Production CompaniesDistributorsSpecial EffectsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
See more »
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some violent images and brief strong language
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
99 min | USA:104 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Dolby Digital
Certification:
USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG13 | Portugal:M/12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Singapore:NC-16 (Blu-ray) | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | Ireland:12A | UK:12A | Sweden:15 | Germany:12 | Japan:G
Filming Locations:
Lockhart, Texas, USASee more »
Company:
Mandalay VisionSee more »

Did You Know?

Trivia:
Carthage's local radio station has the call letters KGAS. Kyle Gass (K. Gas) is a close friend and fellow musician with lead actor Jack Black.See more »
Goofs:
Boom mic visible: The 4th towns-person's sunglasses resting on top of his hat reflect the boom mic.See more »
Quotes:
[first lines]
Professor Fleming:I'm very honored to introduce our guest lecturer today. He graduated from here about 15 years ago. He's gone on to a fabulous career. I can't think of a single person who's more qualified or more adept at the final procedures you've been studying lately. Now you've learned the science. Now's your chance to learn the art. Students, Mr. Bernie Tiede...
See more »
Movie Connections:
References Weekend at Bernie's (1989)See more »
Soundtrack:
We Need To TalkSee more »

FAQ

Is it Jack Black doing the singing in the movie Bernie?
See more »

User Reviews

   (Review this title)
34 out of 37 people found the following review useful.
Stranger than fiction., 4 August 2012
Author: Mitch_Rockwell from United States

Bernie is a story so bizarre it must be true. In the small town of Carthage, Texas, funeral director Bernie Tiede murdered the elderly Marjorie Nugent. The stranger than fiction of it all begins when after this act, Bernie continues to manage her affairs while lying to the townsfolk and deceiving them into thinking she is still alive. It becomes stranger when he maintains this ruse for several months. The strangest part of it all is when he's found out, no one is outraged and wanting to see him stand trial. In fact, the townsfolk are so in love with Bernie that they paint the man prosecuting him, Danny Buck, as somewhat of a villain for even wanting Bernie to face jail in the first place.

This is a very bizarre true story, and writer/director Richard Linklater portrays it in an appropriately unique fashion. Rarely the one to go the conventional route, Linklater uses a blend of semi-fictionalized recreations of the lives of Bernie and Marjorie along with interview footage of the real people of Carthage, as they give their own thoughts on the two of them and the events that transpired under their very noses. Seeing the people talk about Bernie, putting him up on this pedestal of being a lovely community man who would be "first on the list of people going to heaven", the film takes on this eerie atmosphere that is discomforting but absolutely fascinating. This man is a murderer, of an old woman no less, and yet they still treat him the same as they always did.

Linklater brings in Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey to portray the fictionalized versions of Tiede, Nugent and Buck, along with a cast of supporting actors who are so convincingly in tune with the Carthage way that I had trouble figuring out who were the real townspeople and who were the actors. Linklater tunes in so thoroughly to this bizarre behavior of the town that everything molds together in such a fluid fashion and the whole thing becomes this semi-documentary account of this incredibly fascinating story. The headline actors do some of their finest work in years (or of their careers, certainly in the case of Black) under the direction of Linklater here and create characters who feel unique and just as real as those actual townspeople.

There were times where I felt that maybe it painted a little bit too much of a sympathetic light on Tiede, but in a way that works best of all as it's exactly how the town saw him as well. Linklater isn't a director who I can say I've been particularly fond of over his career, but he's always managed to be interesting and it's no surprise here that he took an unconventional approach to this story and made it work. Led by a career best performance from Black, who so thoroughly embodies this charming and slightly off person, Bernie is something you've got to see to believe.

Was the above review useful to you?
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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Bernie (2011)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
6.8, really? picuco9
Why didn't he get rid of the body ? jadeyeti
Funniest Line slgr7
Thought Jack Black was excellent forallpracticalpurposes1
Is this whole thing just people talking? noidrove
This shouldn't be a comedy. aphrodite34
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