Bernie is first of all the story of a murderer but also it is the story of a man
who robbed from the rich to give to the poor. In Richard Linklater’s film,
Bernie is played by a cuddly, effeminate Jack Black in a role that requires him
to do some rare emoting rather than just singing, dancing and acting the fool.
Bernie is based on a true story and
Linklater structures it with talking heads from the Texan townsfolk, some real,
and some actors and spins a yarn of a soft man bitten once too many times by a
hardened old crone (Shirley MacLaine) and eventually driven to killing her.
Marge Nugent and Bernie are inseparable
after the pair meet at the funeral of Marge’s extremely wealthy husband. As the
local mortician, Bernie is loved by all the townspeople and particularly the
little old ladies who he dotes on, especially after their partners pass on.
Bernie could be a sinister character but not in the hands of Linklater and
Black. Instead he is a simple man; a good Christian, loving friend, caring
community member and harmless helper to Marge. And possibly gay the film also suggests for good measure.
Marge on the other hand is a miserable old
miser; wealthy but estranged from her family and the townspeople and with only
Bernie for company, she finds him an easy target for manipulation. The pair go
on fancy first class holidays together and Bernie becomes her slave as the
domineering old woman becomes too much for even this soft-hearted big old teddy
bear of a man to take.
So
eventually Bernie does the unthinkable and if Linklater’s film was not a true
story, it would be beyond belief. Bernie hides his dastardly act from those
around him through a number of nefarious means and the true story takes a turn
for the even more surreal as Bernie goes to court but the ordinary
townsfolk rally around him.
The real life Bernie is a far more
interesting enigma than what is presented here. Linklater makes him a saint,
spending Marge’s money on making the community better and helping the church,
the children and the local businesses. He takes little for himself, in effect
robbing the rich Marge and sharing the wealth amongst the poorer struggling
townsfolk.
Bernie is portrayed almost as a modern day
Robin Hood, Jack Black giving a wonderful performance as the sweetheart at the
centre of a scandal, miles away from anything he has done before. If the real
Bernie did distribute the wealth so selflessly from the greedy old hag to the
people of the town, then the world really does need more Bernies right now. He
may be a murderer but the greed of some of the richest people in this world could
be seen as far more destructive then killing one selfish old bag for her cash.
However Linklater’s film could have done
with exploring the darker side of the character a little more. There had to be
more ambiguity to investigate rather than painting MacLaine’s Marge and Matthew
McConaughey’s DA Danny Buck as the straightforward villains and Bernie as such
a simple, smooth and saintly sinner.
Bernie is pretty light on laughs and takes
its time getting going but is worth catching for an interesting Jack Black
performance and a tantalisingly twisted true life story.
