Wait a minute. Jack Black starring a crime movie about the real life 1998 murder of a wealthy widow by a homosexual ex-mortician? What the hell is this? Is this a Coen Brothers movie? No, it's by indie auteur Richard Linklater, whose choices in films have always been a little tough to pin down. Even for him Bernie sounds like a shot into left field.
Based on a Texas Monthly article written by Skip Hollandsworth(who also co-wrote the script with Linklater), Black stars as Bernie Tiede, a popular local mortician everyone seems to love. When he strikes up a friendship with a mean old widow(Shirley MacLaine), the two become inseparable, and Bernie is all too happy to spend her money. When he ultimately kills her, the townsfolk don't really seem to care, until an investigator(Matthew McConaughey) starts asking some serious questions about Bernie.
The film has been around for awhile, making some festival appearances last year to a mixed response. Based on the newly released trailer, I can see why. The tone has the small town feel of a Fargo, but none of the down home Texas quirks ring true. In the real life incident, the townsfolk mostly sided with Bernie, and wanted him to be left alone, a fact which looks to be used to comedic effect in the film. It looks like something Bobcat Goldthwait could work wonders with, but I'm not sure Linklater is the right guy for this kind of material. Bernie is due to open on April 27th....
