Bernie
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.