Overview
A charming undertaker's life takes a dark turn when he befriends a wealthy widow.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- warm
- gently macabre
- dark comedy night
- true crime viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a gently told, unexpectedly amusing true-crime comedy elevated by Jack Black and the richly realized voices of its Texas community.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Carthage residents speak in interview segments that collectively recount Bernie Tiede's relationship with Marjorie Nugent.
The murder-centered story is told with warmth, gospel music, comic interviews, and sympathy for conflicting participants.
The townspeople's porch-side accounts reveal Carthage's shared affection for Bernie and divided view of Marjorie.
Bernie's helpful, saccharine image contrasts with the increasingly difficult consequences of his companionship with Marjorie.
Films like Bernie, and why
The Wolf of Snow Hollow
shared true-crime comedy, regional eccentricity, and warmly ambivalent community perspective
The Newton Boys
shared small-town American setting, crime storytelling, and affectionate dark humor
I, Tonya
shared offbeat true-crime subject, moral ambiguity, and comic treatment of criminal behavior
Movie Details
- Director
- Richard Linklater
- Release Date
- 2012-04-27
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (1070)
Cast
- Jack Black
- Shirley MacLaine
- Matthew McConaughey
- Brady Coleman
- Richard Robichaux
- Rick Dial
- Brandon Smith
- Larry Jack Dotson
- Merrilee McCommas
- Mathew Greer
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- 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 Bernie about?
- A beloved Texas undertaker’s companionship with a wealthy widow turns a small town into the amused, divided jury of an unsettling true-crime tale.
- What is Bernie like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Bernie as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Bernie violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Bernie as mild.
- What did critics think of Bernie?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a gently told, unexpectedly amusing true-crime comedy elevated by Jack Black and the richly realized voices of its Texas community.
- Which films are like Bernie?
- Films with a similar feel include The Wolf of Snow Hollow, The Newton Boys, and I, Tonya.
- How long is Bernie?
- Bernie runs 99 minutes.
- Where can I watch Bernie?
- In United States, Bernie streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
