Bernie didn’t ring a bell when I heard it was this week’s pick for film club, but after looking it up, I recognized the poster for this 2011 movie.
I assume that after the previous year’s abysmal Gulliver’s Travels, I immediately disregarded Bernie when I saw that it starred Jack Black. I should have paid attention to the other two headliners in the cast (Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey) and to the director (Richard Linklater).
Black could easily have overplayed real-life mortician Bernie Tiede, but his restraint endears you to the character, even after he’s shot wealthy widow Margie Nugent (MacLaine) and hidden her body in a Deepfreeze. It’s a sympathetic portrayal, yet has touches of humor (such as when Black cheerfully — maybe a bit too cheerfully — sings “Love Lifted Me” as he drives along as the opening credits roll).
MacLaine is equally restrained, but maybe too much, as the hard-hearted Margie, who slowly grows fond of Bernie until she becomes overly possessive of him and his time.
As district attorney Danny Buck Davidson, Matthew McConaughey is, well, Matthew McConaughey in the same way that James Stewart was James Stewart in his movies. He makes the roles his own, rather than becoming the character.
Casting actual residents of Carthage, the small Texas town where the actual events unfolded, adds a touch of reality to the movie. Only a touch, though. You’re never really certain if their reflections of Bernie, Margie, and the events are their own or if they are scripted.
My only complaint with the movie is how little time Linklater spends showing the arc of the relationship between Bernie and Margie. Margie goes from barely tolerating Bernie to becoming fond of — or in love with? — him in a few short scenes before a few quick shots from the “armadillo gun.”
If you’re interested in reading the original article, by Skip Hollandsworth, about Bernie and Margie, it’s available on the Texas Monthly website as are follow-up articles. (A tip of the hat to our film club organizer, Elisa, for sharing this link.)