By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3 cats
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Grant James | Jack Black | Matthew McConaughey | Rick Dial | Shirley MacLaine
Country: united_states
Year: 2012
Running time: 104
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1704573/
Chris says: “This ripped-from-the-headlines tale of a meek funeral director who murders a wealthy, irascible widow is meant to play like ‘Midnight in the garden of small town east Texas’. While Austinite Richard Linklater is the right director for the region, he’s not a great fit for dark comedy. Thus, the film never finds the right tone and loses momentum post-murder. Jack Black displays more nuance than usual and it’s always a hoot to see Shirley MacLaine play the bitch. The best parts of BERNIE, however, are the interviews with real residents of the town sprinkled throughout, suggesting this could’ve been a great Errol Morris documentary. 3 cats”