Review of Bernie (2012) by Stuart M — 06 Dec 2018

I've never seen Jack Black like this. He plays a effete Texan undertaker who seduces and murders a wealthy elderly woman. But it's more complicated than that. For one thing, the woman in question is the nightmare of the town who traps him into becoming her servant and he is personally so beloved that his fellow townspeople refuse to convict him even despite his confession.

What's great about this film is just how likable the murderer is and how unlikable those seeking to bring him to justice are. It never justifies his crime or covers up some of his less savory behavior, but it also seems so completely out of character for him that you can sympathize with the loss of control. But should you? The whole film delights in flipping questions like that around. It was clearly wrong for him to continue to spend her money, but does that make it right for the government to repossess and definance half the community (most of her stolen money was spent on gifts and other donations)? It certainly doesn't seem to justify seizing the money spent before her murder.