Weekend at Bernie's

Starring: Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman, Catherine Mary Stewart, Terry Kiser, Don Calfa, Greg Salata, Eloise De Joria, Ted Kotcheff, Skeet Ulrich (extra, uncredited)
Directed by: Ted Kotcheff
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
1989

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After their criminal boss (Terry Kiser) is murdered, two young workers (Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman) pretend his corpse is alive to take advantage of his beach house for the weekend.

Review:

Tim: I'm still a bit perplexed as to how Weekend at Bernie's came into existence. I have to give writer Robert Klane credit- it takes a unique (and potentially troubled) mind to think of this concept. Two idiotic young businessmen spend a weekend pretending their boss is alive so they can stay at his beach house. Are you kidding me? What a bizarre, insane concept. This mostly involved desecrating his corpse in various ways to give the appearance of life. I just don't even know what to say to this. It's such an original but awful idea, you have to just kind of shake your head in awe. Then, not only was this script written, but Ted Kotcheff actually made the movie into reality. I'm not saying this is always a good idea, but this is one of the most original concepts from the 1980s.

The movie is helped immensely by the charismatic and energetic performances from Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman. This was critical to the film because their characters aren't the most likeable. They are quite frankly, idiotic, selfish, and criminals in their own right. They routinely abuse a corpse throughout this movie. That's super messed up. And, these are our protagonists. The movie can't quite shake the reality of this and I think it does hurt the end result. However, without McCarthy and Silverman, this movie would have been a disaster. They bring so much to their roles, have great chemistry, and infuse such humor into their performances that you can almost forgive them for their actions. Almost. Silverman plays more of the straight man and he's likeable enough as an actor for us to connect with his character to a certain degree. We certainly feel more sympathy for him than McCarthy's character. McCarthy seems to revel in his bad boy character, though. He's incredibly fun to watch. This was definitely the secret ingredient that makes Weekend at Bernie's work. The movie gives these two young actors plenty of screen time. Sure, their performances often stray into over-the-top territory. I don't think either of them are excellent actors. But, they are brazen enough and pour enough energy into their performances that you can overlook some of their deficiencies. I had fun watching these two actors working together.

Terry Kiser gives a good performance as Bernie. He's only animated for a short period of time, but the character of Bernie looms large, even after he shuffles off this mortal coil. It was perverse but humorous to see his dead body moved in various ways to give the impression he was still alive. I thought he gave a strong performance, all things considered. The rest of the cast is mostly forgettable. Anyone could have played Catherine Mary Stewart's role. She was okay, but forgettable. The rest of the cast felt in over their heads.

The film creates some innovative ways for these two knuckleheads to use their boss's corpse to trick people around them. None of this is especially believable. It's humorous but moronic. I will admit I had a good deal of enjoyment out of seeing what crazy shenanigans these two would get up to next. It's all problematic, but the film tries hard to play up the laughs. You can't really take any of this seriously, but thankfully, you're not meant to. The speedboat/water skiing scene is certainly a highlight, as is the jeep chase, but I felt equal amounts of entertainment in the smaller moments of the innovative ways these two bumbling guys made a dead body feel alive. It's all totally ridiculous, but pretty fun. The film tries to give us some detail into the lives of these guys and their hopes and dreams, but it never really connects at a deep level. It certainly always devolves into "look what these morons are doing with this corpse". The one key to keeping this light is the fact that the script establishes early on that Bernie is a terrible person. This was so critical to the film, so it's easier for us to feel less bad about what these two schmucks do to his body. None of these is "high art", but it was cleverly done.

I don't want to give the impression that Weekend at Bernie's is great. It's not. The whole concept is flawed, ridiculous, and troubling. However, it's also original, clever, and humorous. I think this is a good movie, but one that you don't exactly feel great about liking. I could see how people would easily hate this movie. However, I think Ted Kotcheff does a good job of keeping things light. That results in a movie unlike any you've seen previously. I had fun watching this messed up but funny film.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Weekend at Bernie's II, Pretty in Pink