Bernie at London Film Festival

Bernie at London Film Festival

28 September, 2011
by: Naima Khan

Jack Black wins over a town in Texas but fails to impress at the London Film Festival.

One of the strangest moments of the dark comedy that is the life of Bernie Tiede comes via Texan detective Danny Buck, played here by Matthew McConaughey. Wasted in this limited role, McConaughey finds himself petitioning to have Tiede tried for murder outside his hometown of Carthage because, as the community are so fond of him, he'd almost certainly be acquitted.


Assistant funeral director, Tiede, wins over grieving families and everyone else by setting the smiles of the deceased just so, and ensuring the heads of those in caskets are positioned slightly to the right (in greeting, apparently). His attention to detail and follow up care – we're talking bath salts and hugs – soon has this newcomer hailed as the most qualified person in his field.


When he charms the cranky, cruel, millionaire widow, Mrs Nugent, he becomes an irreplaceable part of her life. As her companion he allows himself to grow increasingly dependent on her money and Mrs Nugent becomes increasing possessive and dependent on his company. When her body is found in her freezer, all fingers point to Bernie, who is played predictably camp by Jack Black.


There may be a point to this when Bernie's sexual preferences come under question, as the conservative townsfolk of Carthage give their two cents to camera, but this happy do-gooder isn't that funny. The same could be said of most of the film. The real sparks of humour don't come from Black, but from the supporting cast of Texans that guide us through Bernie's story and their perceived place among the cousin-counting hicks they're surrounded by. But their documentary-style deliveries are at odds with the pace of the rest of the film and causes the whole mediocre thing to plod aimlessly. 

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Naima Khan