Review of Bernie (2012) by Nathan H — 19 Jan 2013

I feel pretty neutral about "Bernie." Jack Black received high praise from the critics for his performance and he did play the title role to perfection, but I just didn't feel anything as this story progressed.

Shirley MacLaine did an excellent job because I could empathize with Bernie's frustration with her awful treatment of him but again, it was all pretty vanilla. Matthew McConaughey was, sadly, at his typical quality of acting.

I enjoyed the documentary film style and the film really succeeds as a black comedy, making this non-fictional murder into a cause for celebration. Maybe I didn't love this film because I was in a bad mood when I watched it and the humor wasn't strong enough to pull me out of it - I will definitely give this film another shot and hope that it fares better! If for no other reason, this film is watching to see Jack Black bring this unique character to life.