Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Bernie

An ongoing conundrum: when a good movie is based on a true story, who deserves the credit?  The real-life individuals responsible for the events depicted?  Or the filmmakers?  Is it the tale, or the telling?

In the case of "Bernie," the answer has to be a bit of both.  Bernie Tiede is the rare individual interesting enough to hang a movie on, an incredibly generous man who committed one heinous act.  Danny Buck, the shameless, condescending prosecutor in Bernie's case, is an excellent antagonist. (His real last name is Davidson, but he goes by Buck.  The showy moniker is almost too perfect.)

Still, much credit goes to those who brought the story to life.  Jack Black shows excellent restraint as Bernie, showing off just enough of his talents for histrionics and singing without going over-the-top.  Matthew McConaughey has a lot of fun uglying himself up to play Buck.  Director Richard Linklater deserves high marks for including numerous interviews with people from the real-life Texas town where the movie is set.  The commentary gives the movie a down-home feel that prevents it from becoming another rote indie.

To the average viewer this may all be a futile accounting exercise.  Art can't be quantified; you can't assign statistics to determine who did what in a movie.  I confess that I can't give a reason why it should matter to you.  But I can say that no matter who gets the credit for it, you'll be charmed and entertained by "Bernie."

No comments: