Customer Reviews

Weekend at Bernies

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

this movie is not too bad.it's a black comedy that is entertaining and
certainly amusing.without giving it away,Bernie is a rich guy,who ends
up dead,yet still manages to be the life of the party,literally,thanks
to two best friends(Andrew McCarthy,Jonathon Silverman)who also work or
rather--worked for Bernie.i won't sat any more about the plot.if you
want to know more,you'll have to watch the movie to find out.being a
black comedy,the movie is entertaining and quite amusing at
times,though not drop dead funny.(sorry,i couldn't resist)this is of
course the point in this type of movie,to be wryly amusing and even
ironic at times.i liked it quite a bit,though it could have been
better,given the premise.there is so much rich material they could have
mined,in my opinion.and while it doesn't quite reach its potential,it's
still worth watching.Both McCarthy and Silverman are good in the roles
as sort of an "Odd Couple" type.Richard(Silverman)is more strait laced
and conservative,while Larry(McCarthy)is a slacker interested in having
fun,more than anything else.Catherine Mary Stewart is very good in her
supporting role.i only wish she had a larger role.but it is very clear
she is very talented.however it is Terry Kiser as Bernie,who steals the
show.who knew a dead guy could be so amusing.all in all,a good,not
great movie.it spawned a sequel,which is much better,in my opinion.if
you like this movie,i highly recommend part 2.as for this movie,I'd
give it a 7/10.

The cast is perfect and the sets, music, and all that went into this movie seem to meld to make a very funny movie. Andrew McCarthy as Larry Wilson and Jonathan Silverman as Richard Parker are a good match for co-workers at an insurance company. Larry the brown nosing party man and Richard the hard working nerd. When Richard discovers a two million dollar mistake in claims their boss Bernie invites them over for the weekend to discuss it. What happens after that is sick, demented, and funny. Any fan of "8 Heads in a Duffel Bag" and "The Whole Nine Yards" should enjoy it. This is one of those rare movies were seeing a dead person being lugged around, beat up, dropped, bareface ski, washed around in the tide, shot, strangled, and more is just plain outrageously funny.

I got this movie as a birthday gift from my ladyfriend. As I'd never seen it before, I asked her why she chose it. She said she thought it was a favorite of mine, as my friends and I referred to it a lot. While true, we weren't discussing the plot; just how my friend George looks a lot like Bernie when he's passed out. Anyway, one morning while I was nursing a nasty hangover, I deemed myself in the proper state to handle this movie.

To quote Elaine from "Seinfeld," "This is so stupid! Bernie is dead! Just because you put a hat on him isn't going to make him less dead!" This movie is awful. I love 80s comedies - heck, I consider "Bachelor Party" Tom Hanks's best work (just read my review) and eagerly await the next installment of "Police Academy" - but this movie is miserable. The only times I laughed while watching "Weekend at Bernie's" it was at my ladyfriend for actually finding something humorous in the movie.

My friend Dan, knowing of my disdain for "Weekend at Bernie's," got me "Weekend at Bernie's II" (it's voodoo, baby, voodoo). Expect my review of that film to be posted a day or so after the next time I decide to wash down some vodka and Gatorade with a hurricane.

Anyone with cable has probably seen and will see at least a few minutes of Weekend at Bernie's every week for their entire life. It's so a part of our culture that we don't question it anymore. But imagine having never heard of Weekend at Bernie's, and through the filter of a modern sense of irony, seeing a preview for it in the movie theater. "Hey, this looks sort of funny. I like these movies about partying at the beach... hold on... are those two dudes playing with a corpse? Oh my god - they're dressing it up and taking it to the party with them. I hope it leaks something infectious onto their sick asses!"

Anyways, Weekend at Bernie's is the awesomest, eightiesest, most radical movie of all time. Rent it. Buy it. Sleep with it. Just watch it. Sheer 80s awesomeness. *thumbs up*

I mean come on look at the description

Two young insurance company employees, Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Jonathan Silverman) discover an instance of fraud and report it to their boss Bernie (Terry Kiser). Unfortunately for them, Bernie is the one behind the fraud, and he asks his mobster associate to take them out. Unfortunately for Bernie, the mobster sends his hit man to eliminate Bernie instead. Larry and Richard arrive at Bernie's gorgeous beach house for the weekend and, after discovering that Bernie is dead, manage to make it look like he is still alive so that they can enjoy the rest of the weekend.

An uncomplicated, very slightly plotted farce that is actually pretty fun if it hits you in the right frame of mind. The whole thing is extremely silly and yet extremely funny at times. McCarthy and Silverman are very lively, but Kiser completely steals the movie as the title corpse. I first noticed this amusing actor on a hilarious episode of 'Three's Company', and have remained amused by his performances ever since. However, I think that sad-eyed cult actor Don Calfa ("Chopper Chicks in Zombietown", "The Return of the Living Dead" is also worth mentioning, in a good comedy performance as the hit man who grows increasingly flustered in his attempts to kill Bernie once and for all. Catherine Mary Stewart is attractive and appealing enough as the girl Richard is interested in.

It also seems to be part satire: a commentary on self-absorbed rich jerks who are so into what they themselves are doing that they can't notice (or even sense) that Bernie is dead.

The movie's Canadian director, Ted Kotcheff, appears on screen as Richard's father.

All in all, a good comedy. I give it 4/5.

...at Bernie's.

There comes a time in every cinema aficionado's film-watching that he comes upon a film that's such an astonishing work of art and reminds us why we love films. To even attempt to describe my utter appreciation and amazement for this masterpiece would do a great dis-service to Goddard's directorial vision. Such a film, is Jean Luc Goddard's challenging magnum opus WEEKEND at Bernie's. 'Bernie's' is a cinematic tour-de-force. I must express my gratitude to Amazon.com for recommending such an astounding exemplar of imaginative filmmaking.

On a supplemental level, WEEKEND at Bernie's plays feast for the eyes and ears. Bountiful colors shine vibrantly while the characters try to get themselves out of some various zany situations. WEEKEND at Bernie's is the best dark comedy since Charles Chaplin's 1947 work of genius Monsieur Verdoux, which Orson Welles co-wrote. On a fundamental level, we a treated to a film that plays as a wonderful homage to the masters (Alfred Hitchcock, of course) film, The Trouble with Harry. The composition framing of WEEKEND at Bernies is dazzling, and has been imitated, but never duplicated. The cinematography is nothing short of spectacular. The milieu of the luxurious island is a highlight of the film. But my favorite part of WEEKEND at Bernie's is the stunning character development. The screenplay executed as a precise balance between farce and sadness has been constructed by the great Ted Kotchef. WEEKEND at Bernie's is a luminous commentary on life and death.

The word masterpiece as been thrown around haphazardly among so-called film critics to express their love and admiration for a movie...Including in my current assessment of WEEKEND at Bernies...Rarely has a film truly embodied everything that the word "masterpiece" stands for...When we go to the movies, we expect to laugh, to cry, to be scared, and to be entertained.... But for the first time, I felt something new... I felt humbled to have had the honor and privledge to experience Godard's stunning vision. I say the word masterpiece not to sound "pretentious" and "knowledgable," but because it's appropriate...WEEKEND at Bernie's...you ARE that word...

WEEKEND at Bernie's- ***** (of *****)

A Film by Ted Kotcheff

This is one of those movies I didn't actually expect to like, but did. The movie is also kind of dumb but is still funny and it works despite the dumbness of the plot. Here's the set up: Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Jonathon Silverman) are two employees that are rather low on the corporate ladder at an insurance firm. They notice a discrepancy that shows that one claim paid out four different checks for one person's death. They bring it up with their boss, Bernie (Terry Kiser) and when he sees that it is a scam, he rewards them with a weekend at his house/summer home. Here's the kicker: Bernie is really in on the scam and along with his associates, he puts out a hit on Larry and Richard. Instead, Bernie's associate has Bernie killed (Bernie was sleeping with the guy's wife/mistress).

This is when Larry and Richard arrive on the island. They discover that Bernie is dead, but are a little confused about how to proceed. Do they call the cops? What do they say? They are still freaked out by it when Bernie's neighbors start arriving for a party. Since Bernie looks pretty much alive (and wearing the sunglasses, he can be sleeping or looking around), they prop him up on the couch. Nobody catches on to the fact that Bernie is dead and it almost seems that Bernie is the life of the party (pun intended). For the rest of the weekend Larry and Richard pass off Bernie as being alive (even carrying him around between them).

Despite the premise of the movie, Weekend at Bernie's works. It is funnier than I expected it to be. Yes, it's a dumb movie, but it's also decently funny at the same time. A highlight of the movie is the guy who plays Bernie. Sure, he's dead for most of the movie, but Bernie also makes the movie, just how he looks and gets to react (it'll make sense if you see it). Bernie is a riot. I can't strongly recommend the movie, but give it a shot, you might be surprised.

I wouldn't say that this movie is great, but it does contain one scene in particular that had me in tears. This one minute (or less) scene makes the movie worth owning. It comes when our 2 main characters panic because they think they are about to miss the fairy out to the island where Bernie lives...

Boy, when I rented this movie, I had no idea whatsoever that it would be this funny.

When Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Johnathan Silverman) uncover an embezzlement scam at their office, they report it to their boss, Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser), expecting a promotion, not expecting that Bernie himself is the culprit. Bernie invites them to his beachhouse that weekend, planning to have them killed by a mafia hit man. But, the mafia bad guys have other plans, and they have him killed before Larry and Richard arrive. When they discover Bernie's dead, they at first want to tell the police, despite the fact that they may inadvertendly frame themselves. They soon decide to keep up the face the Bernie's still alive and kickin'.

Did I laugh? HELL YEAH!! WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S has got to be one of the funniest movies ever. It's hilarious to watch Larry and Richard desperately trying to make Bernie's corpse appear to still have a spark, like in the scene where they try to get on a boat with Bernie's body. How they make it appear that he's walking is hard to describe, and even harder not ot laugh at.

Another great scene, involving Bernie's girlfriend from NYC, who goes into a room where Bernie's body is waiting. She emerges from the room as a necropheiliac without even knowing Bernie was dead. This was somewhat overlooked by the critics, but it is worthy of positions held in the "greatest movies of all time list" by movies like VERTIGO or TITANIC, which aren't very good.

That's more than I can say for the sequel, WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S 2, but if you can laugh at things like a corpse jetskiing (so to speak), and I'm sure you can, than stop by BERNIE'S this WEEKEND. As I said above, it was the best WEEKEND of my life.