Bernie: A Movie Review
Bernie, the village undertaker, is the nicest guy. He couldn’t possibly have murdered his sugar mama.
This the premise of this unusual film starring Jack Black and Shirley McClaine.
Bernie is a gregarious huckster of caskets with a knack for comforting the bereaved. He goes above and beyond the duty of most funeral directors. If the funeral service is falling a bit flat, he is likely to step to the podium and sing. He’ll appear at the bereaved’s door the next day with a quart of soup.
When one mourner goes missing, some suspect foul play at the hands of Bernie.
But it just can’t be, the town agrees.
And even if he did shoot the old witch, maybe she had it coming!
The film is produced in documentary style with the camera cutting away for interviews with townspeople. There is good reason to stick to the documentary format. The film tells a true story.
You will enjoy spending an hour and a half with this murderer. Bernie is likable. For church people, the sound track is a treat. You’ll hear a breadth of favorite hymns way beyond Hollywood’s usual repertoire, many of them beautifully sung by Jack Black.
There is nothing particularly deep or thought-provoking about the film. It is just a small piece of history, laced with a look at human nature, presented in an engaging way.