Review of Bernie (2012) by Nick B — 28 Jan 2013

Jack Black is perfectly cast... hey, it does happen a couple of times a decade. Based on a true story, this is about an effeminate mortician (Jack Black) in a backwaters Texas town and the relationship he enters with a widow that everybody seems to hate (Shirley MacLaine).

Any more that I tell you would start to crossover into spoiler territory. This is another great indie find, and there appears to be no shortage of them for 2012. I suppose a large portion of the credit has to go to writer/director Richard Linklater and the way he chooses to tell this story; much of the time, it feels a lot like a documentary, as there are a number of non-actors giving testimonial style footage in a manner that gives the story an intimate, personal vibe.

Jack Black really does have the potential to be just splendid when utilized correctly; give him something like King Kong where he is out of his depth, and he will flounder, but give him a project like this, and he will shine brightly, giving a whole lot of depth and bringing lots of personality to the character.

Bernie raises moral questions, gives you laughs in dark situations, and is the type of movie that you walk away remembering.