Review of Bernie (2012) by Michael M — 13 Sep 2013

The story is an interesting one and Jack Black gives probably the best performance of his career, but the way in which Linklater utilizes the actual townspeople make the whole endeavor feel false. The constant input from them (which often seemed scripted) kept taking me out of the movie in a negative way and when they pop up in actual scenes their acting was so awful and forced, I would just get ripped out again.

I like the idea, but I don't think it worked. Linklater seems to have gone for the most colorful of the townspeople--those who are obviously playing it up for the camera. Most of them come off as not just distracting but annoying.

The second half of the film also lingers too long on scenes that achieve nothing but to pad the running time. It's a shame the rest of it doesn't work because Jack Black really does give a wonderfully subdued comedic performance.