"Money makes the world go 'round, but it's not the answer to all your prayers," declared Jack Black at the opening night of the L.A. Film Fest, where he and screen legend Shirley MacLaine hit the red carpet arm in arm at the world premiere of Richard Linklater's new black comedy, Bernie. "It makes the world go 'round, sometimes the other way," quipped MacLaine. That's precisely the lesson at the heart of Bernie, based on the zany true story of a mortician who lived a well-loved existence in his small East Texas town -- until, that is, he committed a terrible crime.
To say more about the plot of Bernie could be considered a spoiler, though the real life story of Bernie Tiede is public knowledge. [So, fair warning: Spoilers ahead.] Tiede, a well-liked assistant funeral home director in the small town of Carthage, TX, was one of the most popular residents around -- kindly, generous, a devout church-goer, and, by most accounts, genuinely concerned with helping and befriending anyone and everyone, especially little old ladies.
Taking up with a wealthy 81 year-old local widow named Marjorie Nugent (played in the film by Shirley MacLaine), Tiede became her companion, then -- according to the film, at least -- their relationship turned abusive, his role becoming something akin to indentured servitude. Her increasing demands and emotional cruelty led to a breaking point, and, pushed to the edge, Tiede killed Nugent... and went on pretending she was still alive for months until his arrest.
The kicker: Tiede was so well-liked and had done so many good deeds by misappropriating Nugent's fortune, nobody in Carthage wanted him to be punished too much for his crimes.
All of the above was documented in a 1998 Texas Monthly article by journalist Skip Hollandsworth, which inspired Texas native Linklater to follow the tale. He optioned it and even attended Tiede's murder trial, co-wrote a script with Hollandsworth, cast Black to play the complex and effeminate man, and recruited many actual Carthage residents to retell their testimonies of the affair on film. The result is a blend of quirky character-based comedy, courtroom drama, and gossipy documentary that works surprisingly well, built around the most fascinatingly complex character Black has played, maybe ever.
The other welcome surprise in Bernie comes in the form of Matthew McConaughey, another previous Linklater performer, who plays local D.A. Danny Buck, the only person in town who seems to see anything wrong with what Tiede's done. McConaughey, it should be noted, doesn't remove his shirt a single time; by coincidence, he turns in a finely-tuned performance playing quirks like Buck's outdated wire-rimmed glasses, cowboy hat, and air of ignorant disbelief as if they were bongos.
And then there are the locals, the actual Carthage residents weighing in on Tiede's warmth, eccentricity, sexuality, proclivity for befriending lonely old widows, and yen for buying everything in a store just to give it all away. They're not just actors turning on the drawl for the camera; these are Tiede's neighbors and friends, full of genuine charm and down-home humor, and their gossipy testimonies bring authenticity to the story's complexity and, well, insanity.
"Rick's had this thing in his head for 13 years," Black said, introducing the film's world premiere screening. "Anyone have the patience to work on a thing for 13 years?"
It may have taken Linklater over a dozen years to bring Bernie to fruition, but as he told Movieline on the LA Film Fest red carpet, those years were entirely necessary. For starters, he didn't always envision Black for the Tiede role. "More recently, like in the last five years, I started thinking about him," Linklater told Movieline. "He kind of aged into the part, as did Shirley. You know, I thought about Shirley a long time ago, but she was really too young for the part; they both sort of aged into their parts a little more."
"It's timing," he said with a smile. "Things work out."
Linklater offered brief updates on a few projects that have been bandied about, including a potential Dazed and Confused sequel. He described his idea for it as not being a continuation of the 1993 high school comedy but rather simply a college-set tale ("That was my high school, this is my college"). As for The Incredible Mr. Limpet, which Linklater has reportedly been in talks to possibly direct, he waved off any sort of official confirmation and said it was still so early in the process that he'd only had one meeting to discuss it so far.
Meanwhile, Bernie is currently seeking distribution at the fest. More as it develops...
See who else hit the red carpet on opening night of the L.A. Film Festival here and check back through the week for all of Movieline's coverage!