Bernie: Early Movie Review

Posted by Charmaine Blake on Apr 27th, 2012 in Comedy | 0 comments

Bernie: Early Movie Review

Bernie is a comedy film starring Jack Black and revolves around the story of Bernie Tiede played by Jack Black. A loved man in the town of Carthage, Texas he is the assistant funeral director, taught Sunday school and is one of the few men who was always willing to lend a hand. Until he meet Marjorie Nugent who was a known widow and a woman who had a sour attitude. Bernie eventually starts handling her affairs and meet her increasing demands. Then an unfortunate event occurs when Marjorie Nugent was reported dead and Bernie is charged with murder.
Bernie is going to be released in theaters on April 27th 2012 but let’s take a look at an early review on this comedy film by James Rocchi:

“Bernie: A Story Of Crime And Comedy In Texas

“Bernie” begins with mock-doc drop-ins of the people of Carthage, Texas, explaining how they knew local mortician Bernie Tiede (Jack Black). Played by Black with a broad mustache and wider smile, Bernie is a paragon of the community: good at his job, helping folks in times of need, committed to the life of the town he’s in. But as people explain how they know Bernie — and how they couldn’t believe what happened — writer-director Richard Linklater’s take on a true tale of death, deception and good-neighbor values takes off.

“Bernie,” for lack of a neater phrase, feels like a Coen Brothers film that isn’t, as the folksy residents of Carthage — some played by actors, some played by themselves — explain what happened to Bernie, an insider from the outside who fit in everywhere and nowhere. Bernie, it seems, becomes great friends with the wealthy, unlikable Mrs. Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine, who still very much has it even at 78) after her husband passes, traveling alongside her and enjoying her life of privilege even as he becomes her right-hand butler. It’s a fairly co-dependent relationship — Bernie, taking a call from a harried Nugent, sighs to the person handing him the phone: “This is my life now …” It gets even more so when Bernie, during a heated argument, accidentally kills her. Guilt-ridden, Bernie decides to fake Marjorie’s continued life on this plane of existence so that he won’t have to do all the explaining required just yet.

Flipping between faux-interviews with the residents of Carthage, the protagonist’s life of lies, and the inevitable trial as a soundtrack of gospel hits plays, “Bernie” has a fairly light tone for the story of a murder. Based on an original Texas Magazine piece by Skip Hollandsworth, who co-wrote the script, it gets both the local color and the facts right, especially whenMatthew McConaughey shows up as Danny “Buck” Davidson, a local lawman looking to get re-elected. When Bernie’s sins come out, Davidson works the case with all his might, even as a lot of the community seems to be on Bernie’s side. (One resident sniffs of Nugent how “Her nose was so high she’d drown in a rainstorm.”)”

Read the rest of the review at MSN Movies

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Charmaine Blake loves movies, musical theater listening to music and taking pictures of anything that she finds interesting. She is a voracious reader and writer, and enjoys her time writing for New Movie Launches. Charmaine loves spending time with her pets and currently has a Siberian Husky, a toy poodle and a cat.