Bernie (2011)

Bernie (R) - Review

"Nice Guys finish up in Prison"

In a small eastern Texas town, a charming man named Bernie takes a job as a local undertaker who eventually begins a relationship with an affluent widow which soon turns suspicious as the woman is no longer seen yet her money is still being well spent.  They discover her body months later and Bernie is subsequently tried for murder by the flashy local DA.  However Bernie is so popular with the local residents and the widow so despised that the District Attorney must request a trial in a different county for fears that loveable Bernie will win over any jury, despite his own confession.

Bernie is strikingly played by Jack Black (Tenacious D), shedding off his goofy kid-like type casting for an ambiguously sexed undertaker with a darker side.  Directed and written by Richard Linklater (Waking Life, Slacker) after witnessing the trail first hand over a decade ago, the movie has a clear small town ring of truth with an incredible surreal reality (we'd expect no less of Richard).  Shirley MacLaine is the aging victim and Matthew McConaughey as the half cowboy half media darling DA, but mixed in with the cast are real locals illuminating us on East Texas life and politics; a scene describing the unique geography and politics of the state with accompanying cartoon map was most helpful.  Linklater has often enriched his films with the uniquely smokey and tangy flavors of Deep Texas.  His style has matured on Bernie, like a long smoked brisket wonderfully juicy with a thick black comedy rind.

8 Big Gulp Jurors out of 10 (GREAT)