Directed by:
Richard LinklaterCinematography:
Dick PopeComposer:
Graham ReynoldsCast:
Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, Shirley MacLaine, Gary Teague, Larry Jack Dotson, Ben Bachelder, Christian Stokes, Brandon Smith, Juli Erickson (more)VOD (1)
Plots(1)
In the tiny town of Carthage, Texas, assistant funeral director Bernie Tiede (Jack Black) is one of the towns most beloved residents. Bernie befriends Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine), a sour and affluent older widow. Soon Bernie and Marjorie become inseparable and Marjorie becomes very dependent on Bernie, stifling his extroverted personality. Bernie is forced to quit his job and philanthropic activities in the community, leaving him deflated. Mysteriously, things suddenly get better for Bernie and he seems his old generous self, while Marjorie is mysteriously absent. When Marjorie is discovered to have been dead for months Bernie Tiede is charged with murder, to the great surprise of the local community. (Madman Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (2)
In my opinion, these authors just didn’t know how low they should go to make the weirdest possible movie based on real-life events. At the beginning, I’d been informed that I would be introduced to the real characters at the end. And when I saw them, I really believed that all of that has truly happened. Jack Black played his part perfectly. The whole thing isn’t really that funny, it’s just a ton of weird things going on. And the strangest thing is Bernie himself. All those references to Texans were really funny – but the bastardized English and the triumph of rednecks over humanity? Not so much.
()
Richard Linklater always manages to captivate me with his specific approach that he gives to his films. This time it is a combination of fiction and documentary, where you probably won't even realize the presence of real documentary elements until the final credits roll. Until then, you might think it's all part of a game. And it is, but it's cleverer than one would expect. Oh, and I have to highlight Jack Black!
()