You would be forgiven for thinking we might be lying in that headline considering Jack Black’s past career ventures but we assure you, it is entirely true. Black is basically a comedy star, there is no point in denying that. Some of his best work, unfortunately for him, has been support roles in the past like the excellent turn in High Fidelity, which Tim Robbins insisted he would be hired for, and that fantastic moment in Anchorman.
Then came the woeful The Holiday where Black attempted a serious and straight role. We just weren’t buying it, we were constantly waiting for that inevitable punch line that never occurred. So we wrote him off, we thought there could never be any way Jack would manage to pull a serious, and good, performance out of the bag. The fact that he subsequently made the atrocious Gulliver’s Travels confirmed this.
But then Bernie came along…
Based on a true story, Bernie revolves around the life of Bernie Tiede, a mortician in a small town in Texas who just seems like an all round nice guy. People from the town are his biggest fans and constantly heap praise on the man who supports local youth and theatre groups and takes the time to make a funeral not just a funeral, but an event for the family, down to its tiniest detail. Bernie was often known to visit widows whose husbands had just recently passed away and spend some quality time with them to make sure they were alright.
One particular widow he checks in on is the town terror Marjorie Nugent. Marjorie is not liked in the town, abandoned by her children, she has no one but her accountant who manages her wealthy and vast estate. And so when Bernie calls in to make sure Marjorie is alright, the pair develop a “friendship.” A friendship that unfortunately leads to some terrible events.
Directed by Richard Linklater, he of Before Sunrise fame, Bernie is perhaps one of the most interesting character studies you will have the pleasure of watching. Although it strays slightly from the original story, the documentary format Bernie is filmed in really builds up a profile of how the characters are viewed in their town. Bernie is loved, Marjorie is despised.
The real joy of this film is to witness Jack Black play a serious role and not be enraged or bored by it. He manages to create a character that even has us, the audience, fooled right up to the end credits. Arguably, it’s his best performance to date. McConnnaughey is, of course, wonderful as the local District Attorney who seems to be the only voice of reason in a town gone mad. There is nothing you could really add about Shirley MacLaine. She truly is a force to be reckoned with.
We were still a little unsure about how we felt about the verdict at the end, but Bernie is definitely one of the most interesting pieces you will see at the cinema this weekend.
