Ebertfest Recap -- Thursday -- Bernie (Also on readbuzz)

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The last film of Thursday’s Ebertfest was Richard Linklater‘s 2011 black comedy Bernie.

            

Roger Ebert raved of the film and so did buzz last July. Having been available in theaters and DVD for two years many theatregoers had probably already seen the film or, judging from conversations behind me, had Bernie on their list of movies to see. Neither group seemed disappointed as the Virginia Theatre filled with resounding laughter at the offbeat humor of the story set in a small East Texas town, hardly scarce of peculiar characters and point of views. 

Bernie is the true story of Bernie Tiede, a Carthage, Texas mortician who is convicted of murdering Marjorie Nugent, a wealthy elderly woman of Carthage. Linklater’s script is based on co-scriptwriter Skip Hollandsworth’s 1998 article, “Midnight in the Garden of East Texas.” The narrative follows a Dateline-esque structure where the townspeople serve as a Greek chorus of sorts to the drama of Bernie (played superbly by Jack Black) and Miss Nugent (Shirley MacLaine). The power of Black’s portrayal lies in the natural inhabitation of Bernie through his walk, effeminate Southern accent, and artistic forays into music and theater, which allow Black to show off his incredibly wide range as a pure performer. Black’s performance combined with the interspersed bits of comic relief make it impossible to not enjoy Bernie. Linklater’s ability as storyteller certainly shines through, as he is able to extract whatever inherent humor underlies this tragic event and turn the film into a joyous experience.  

Chaz Ebert introduced Bernie, giving an endearing speech, including a plea to the Virginia employees to allow the unfortunate pass-less Ebertfest hopefuls, standing in the cold rain, some shelter exclaiming, “You can kick them out if you don’t have enough seats, but at least let them come in and stand in the lobby” – a statement met with appreciative cheers and a testament to the community spirited nature of Ebertfest.

            With Ebertfest being keenly aware of the stuff film lovers adore, the invited guests Richard Linklater and Jack Black were welcome additional perks to seeing a great film in the newly renovated Virginia Theatre. Unfortunately, Champaign-Urbana’s stretch of horrific weather kept Jack Black in Los Angeles (who could blame him?), though he joined the post-film discussion via telephone aptly announcing his presence with, “It is I, the voice of Jack Black.” And how strange it was to hear the voice of Black over the loudspeakers with the actor/singer nowhere in sight. The experience became even more Wizard of Ozian, when Black briefly broke into “He Touched Me”, a gospel number from the film, with me, and probably the rest of the Virginia, silently urging him to continue, though to no avail.

            The discussion between Linklater, Black, and co-president/co-founder of Sony Classics Pictures Michael Barker covered various topics from Linklater’s conceiving the script in the late 90’s to the different themes raised by the complex story of Bernie. Spousal abuse, degrees of murder, and Bernie’s extensive prison sentence became lengthy points of discussion. The seriousness of some of the post-film discussion surely seemed somber in comparison to the hilarity that had ensued onscreen just two hours prior, but so goes the narrative power of film to raise issues beyond mere plot and story.

Nonetheless, Linklater and Black provided interesting insight into the preparation and production of Bernie. They recalled how the off-screen relationship of Black and Shirley MacLaine mirrored that of Bernie and Miss Nugent. Black also remarked about the “Old Hollywood” stories he became privy too, quoting the legendary MacLaine as saying, “This is nothing. The so-called stars of today. You should’ve seen Frank. Now that was a star.”  Linklater revealed that some of the best-received lines were adlibbed by the non-actors, a fact not surprising, as much of the quirky southern remarks often seemed far more natural than the written word.

Linklater and Barker appropriately concluded the discussion reminiscing about Roger Ebert – who had hailed Bernie upon its initial release two years ago and cried foul at the Academy’s failure to nominate Black for a Best Actor award – and the international conference call that turned into an improvised memorial upon learning of the critic’s passing. These final minutes of the Q&A served as proof that film critics, especially a great one, can make extraordinary and lasting contributions to the world of film. That fact needs no more evidence than Linklater’s sentiment about taking Ebert’s Citizen Kane class (a 15-hour frame by frame analysis) stating, “Forget film school. Just go to Roger Ebert’s commentary on Citizen Kane and you will learn everything you need to know about filmmaking.” I do believe Mr. Ebert would have rather enjoyed that compliment. 

You can see the video of the Richard Linklater and Jack Black discussion here.