Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- breezy
- mischievous
- irreverent
- lazy weekend
- beach vacation
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as a crude, tasteless farce whose single corpse-centered joke struggles to sustain its runtime, despite enduring audience and cable appeal.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Larry and Richard repeatedly manipulate Bernie's dead body to convince guests and others that he remains alive.
Bernie's murder plot, mafia affair, and hitman's repeated attempts to finish the job drive the farcical action.
The audience understands that Bernie is dead while the beach-house guests interpret the young men's staged behavior as ordinary social activity.
Charming Larry and hardworking Richard must cooperate when Bernie's death traps them in an escalating deception.
Films like Weekend at Bernie's, and why
The Three Amigos
shares a buddy comedy structure, escalating criminal complications, broad physical humor, and an irreverent tone
Ruthless People
shares black comedy, workplace and criminal schemes, farcical misunderstandings, and a heightened comic tone
Midnight Run
shares buddy comedy chemistry, mistaken identities, criminal chaos, and breezy 1980s entertainment
The Trouble with Harry
shares corpse-centered black humor, escalating concealment, and uncomfortable comic treatment of death
Movie Details
- Director
- Ted Kotcheff
- Release Date
- 1989-07-05
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (1180)
Cast
- Andrew McCarthy
- Jonathan Silverman
- Catherine Mary Stewart
- Terry Kiser
- Don Calfa
- Catherine Parks
- Eloise DeJoria
- Gregory Salata
- Louis Giambalvo
- Ted Kotcheff
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, BBC America
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Weekend at Bernie's about?
- Two ambitious young employees turn a murdered boss into an unlikely social prop while evading a relentless hit man at a beach house.
- What is Weekend at Bernie's like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Weekend at Bernie's as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Weekend at Bernie's violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Weekend at Bernie's as mild.
- What did critics think of Weekend at Bernie's?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as a crude, tasteless farce whose single corpse-centered joke struggles to sustain its runtime, despite enduring audience and cable appeal.
- Which films are like Weekend at Bernie's?
- Films with a similar feel include The Three Amigos, Ruthless People, Midnight Run, and The Trouble with Harry.
- How long is Weekend at Bernie's?
- Weekend at Bernie's runs 98 minutes.
- Where can I watch Weekend at Bernie's?
- In United States, Weekend at Bernie's streams on Philo, BBC America.
