Thursday, November 29, 2012
Bernie - 2011
I have had this movie on my to watch list for awhile. Watching Jack Black in a serious role is a transition for me and probably everyone else sitting at home watching this movie. But you know what it worked. His acting and singing were great. The actor I struggled with in this movie was Matthew Mcconaughey. Shirley MacLaine did a great job, as she always does.
The movie is based on a true story that is just bizarre. Jack Black plays Bernie Tiede, a chubby undertaker in his 30's, who takes pride in his work. He's a Gospel-singing tenor. He is genuine, real and has a big heart. He cares about others more than himself.
The movie has a bunch of interviews with townspeople, mixed with flashbacks, and this allows us to follow Bernie: he arrives in Carthage, Texas (pop. 7,000), where old ladies adore him; he befriends a wealthy, mean-spirited widow named Marjorie Nugent; they become companions in both daily routines and expensive vacations.
The much older rich widow is rude to Bernie, but he is too nice to know what to do. Then one day he looses his cool and kills her. This is an interesting movie with some bad language and because it is so different than regular movies I will give it 3 stars.
Next up for me is the silent film you told me to watch from last year that took all the Oscars home.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Your review intrigued me, and for that I am grateful becausethiswas a good movie. I am not sure but it appeared to me as though they were actually using real townspeople (I read up on this after watching this movie, and that is what I figured). The transition that Bernie made after he murdered his girlfriend was remarkable, and I found myself siding with those who wanted him to just get off with probation. As with you, I felt that McConaughey's performance was over the top, but everyone else was spot on. I also found it interesiting at the end of the show when they showed actual photos of Bernie and Marjorie together.
I am a huge fan of watching comedians take on straight roles such as Adam Sandler in Spanglish and Will Farrell in Stranger Than Fiction. Jack Black played this role in a very convincing manner that I respect him for.
I read about the movie but must have missed that those were not real townspeople. I am glad you liked the movie, it was something different that is for sure.
Post a Comment