Model Citizen

Blind Faith reveals more than meets the blind eye 

By Morgan P Salvo

Bernie has a trifecta of actors I usually can’t stand (Jack Black, Mathew McConaughey, Shirley MacLaine) and a director who has never impressed me. More importantly Richard Linklater has perturbed me in a way no other director has with his fingernails-on-a-blackboard over-wordy agendas and use of mostly bad acting to deliver the goods. All this has changed, at least for the most part, with Bernie.

The film is based on the true story of Carthage Texas’ Bernie Tiede, (Black) who was an assistant funeral director (“they don’t call them morticians anymore”), singer for the church choir, director/actor for the town’s community theater and all around nice guy seeking acceptance. Without giving too much away Bernie befriends the town’s meanest widow, Mrs. Nugent (MacLaine), who’s rolling in dough. They start taking trips together and hanging out way too much, sparking the gossip machine in the small town but mainly everyone just thinks its fine. That is all except Lloyd the accountant (Richard Robichaux) and DA Danny Buck (McConaughey) who both smell a rat. Mrs. Nugent becomes more demanding of Bernie’s attentions and, as this is a story being told in the past tense, we get the feeling that something is not going to go well for at least one of the main characters. The shape of things to come takes on a crime mystery feel for that last third. Bernie also morphs into a reminder of political rhetoric that if you keep on saying something it must be true... a term used for sociopaths as well.

 This is Linklater’s tribute to his home state fusing interviews with real people (happy to talk to the camera) and real actors, all very believable. Bernie reads a lot like the Errol Morris documentary Vernon Florida but with a plot. Witty and to the point Linklater, finally restrained, redeems himself by sticking to telling the story, including only small doses of wordy prose-like dialogue.

Even though all the actors were fine I would’ve liked to have seen all three main characters played by relatively unknowns, that might have allowed for them to shine and we become more vested in their plight and stories. That said, MacLaine exhibits her finely honed cantankerous spirit with her standard frowning “ bitch-from-hell” old lady role but actually has a little bit of an arc before retreating back to devil woman status. MacLaine has come a long way from the days as a leggy showgirl. McConaughey, sporting a funny haircut, actually made me laugh but over the years he seems an enigma of few great choices overshadowed by wretched movies. Black does a fairly mesmerizing job for a while then falls back on merely posing and there was way too much of him singing, although very lyrical, beautiful and poignant, it was overkill. Plus Black has gotten so fat it’s downright creepy to see his tubby girth paired with MacLaine’s withered freckled flesh--- yeesh!

 Focusing on only seeing the good and turning a blind eye to facts the result is that people will believe what they want, no matter what. Linklater pulls off a slick flick incorporating a great world view of Texas that while entertaining, lacks emphasis. Suffering from no real dynamics there’s an absence of high drama or suspense thanks to the director’s laid back even keeled approach. This leaves us with nothing but warm-hearted sentimentality which is great to an extent but ends up a prime example of less is not more it’s just less.

Highlights of this flick are seeing the resurgence of Sonny Davis (Last night at the Alamo) and ending credits with real footage including the real imprisoned Bernie talking to Black.

Bernie

Starring Jack Black, Mathew McConaughey, Shirley MacLaine, Richard Robichaux, Sonny Davis, Rick Dial

Directed by Richard Linklater

Rated PG-13

2 ½ stars