Weekend at Bernie's (1989) User Reviews (152)

Silly and Funny

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 17 April 2019]

In New York, Larry Wilson (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard Parker (Jonathan Silverman) are ambitious employees of an insurance company. While implementing a computer system, they find a two-million dollar embezzlement and immediately report to their boss, the bon-vivant Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser). In return, Larry invites them to spend the weekend at his beach house in Hamptons Island. However, Bernie is the responsible for the theft and he asks his partner, the mobster Vito (Louis Giambalvo), to kill Larry and Richard. Vito assigns the hit man Paulie (Don Calfa) to kill Bernie instead since he is too greedy and is causing many troubles with the mafia and his girlfriend. Paulie kills Bernie with an overdose of heroin and when Larry and Richard arrive, they find their boss dead. But soon there is a party at his house and the guests do not notice that Bernie is dead. Among the guests, Jonathan sees his crush, the intern Gwen Saunders (Catherine Mary Stewart), and flirts with her. What will Larry and Jonathan do next?

"Weekend at Bernie's" is a silly but funny black comedy. The joke is always the same, the film is stupid but most of the situations are gross and hilarious and in the end the viewer will certainly laugh a lot. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Um Morto Muito Louco" ("A Very Crazy Dead")

An enjoyable comedy

[aefrench · 7/10 · 11 April 2010]

"Weekend at Bernie's" is one of those classic 80's movies that has a fan following. This is an instance where a viewer has to suspend belief when it comes to the plot, but if you can do that, you will find that the movie is funny.

Richard Parker and Larry Wilson are two young employees for an insurance company who discover an embezzlement scheme while reviewing financial data. The duo immediately go to their boss, Bernie Lomax, and inform him of their findings. As a result, Bernie praises their work, and invites Richard and Larry to his beach house for the weekend.

It turns out that Bernie is the one who has conducted the embezzlement, and he wants his gangster friends to get rid of Richard and Larry. A plan is formed to kill them. However, the leader of the gang changes everything after Bernie leaves and informs one of his hit men to take out Bernie instead.

Richard and Larry get to the beach and find their way to Bernie's house. Bernie is there, but has already been killed by the hit-man. Once they realize he is no longer alive, Richard and Larry panic, not sure of what to do. After this, a floating party invades Bernie's house, and the two do all that they can to make Bernie seem he is alive, and at the same time try to figure out what to do after the party leaves the house.

Jonathan Silverman and Andrew McCarthy were perfectly cast as Richard and Larry, respectively. The script is lowbrow, but does have many funny lines. Don Calfa deserves mention as the hit-man who kills Bernie. He plays the role very well and also garners laughs. And of course, Terry Kiser does a great job portraying Bernie, and he creates his share of laughs throughout the film.

"Weekend at Bernie's" is one of those films that can be watched over and over and still make someone laugh. As previously mentioned, you must suspend belief, and if you do that, you can enjoy this movie. I definitely recommend it.

silly fun

[mcfly-31 · 7/10 · 23 July 1999]

Lotta fun with McCarthy and Silverman as two guys who uncover a scam in the office. They present the info to their boss who's so grateful he invites them to his kick ass house for Labor Day weekend. When they show up they find him dead and decide it would benefit both of them to let the parties go on with everyone thinking Kiser is still kickin'. Contrary to what most say, the core of this film is not the dead body antics. The real attraction here is the rappor between McCarthy and Silverman, who play very well off each other because their characters are such opposites. And occasionally Kiser is thrown into the mix and the three make one of the more odder comdey teams. When they do drag him along, its pretty good stuff, with them trying to fake everyone out that hes walking or waving. And then the battering of the body, which is hard to not laugh at. When Bernies being dragged or bounced or dropped its perfectly silly. Even before the main action starts, theres some good stuff in the beginning dealing with Silvermans love life and McCarthys constant annoyance of him about it. So at almost every point in the film theres usually something to laugh at.

very enjoyable semi-black comedy

[billybrown41 · 11 April 2002]

Maybe I'm just stupid, but I love this movie. I still remember when it came out and maybe it's just nostalgia because I watched it so many times when I was nine years old, but I still enjoy watching it. It does a pretty good job at catching the look and feel of the late 80s. All the hairstyles and clothing are pretty dated but to me, that's all part of the fun.

It all starts when our guys, Richard and Larry, discover a $2 million insurance fraud scam in their company. When they report it to their boss, Bernie (Terry Kiser) he seems grateful and invites them to his beach house for labor day weekend. As it turns out, Bernie is the one doing the scamming and has hired a mob hitman to take them out. Little does Bernie know, that the mob has decided that Bernie has been a little too careless and they have decided to take him out instead. So, by the time Richard and Larry reach the island, they discover that Bernie is dead from what looks like a drug-overdose. Instead of calling the cops, the less than bright Larry, decides it better to pretend that he didn't die. This will work since all of the island partyers are pretty self-absorbed and clueless. This is where it starts getting funny.

Since the hitman is still on the island, he keeps seeing Bernie, who he thought he killed and keeps re-killing him. It's hilarious, because the boys really don't have a clue that the hitman is even around. Watching them lug a dead corpse around, making him look alive, is one of the highlights. The fact that all of the islanders believe he's alive is even funnier. One of my favorite parts of the movie was Andrew McCarthy's performance as Larry. His slacker part killed me and he has some really funny lines. What ever happened to him? Jonathan Silverman also does a great job with an underwritten part. He plays the ulcer-bound Richard who SO tries to be the moral center of the situation. Terry Kiser is incredible, as always and he plays a dead guy VERY well. Some of the stuff that he has to do, I really can't see anyone else pulling off as well. My favorite scenes came when Bernie was alive. The guy is such an unbelievable jerk, he's actually fun to hate.

Ignore the other comments on here, and go get this one. It's great for some laughs and I STILL get a lot out of it everytime I watch it. A great semi-black comedy. Go pick it up and look for the sequel. I enjoyed it as well, although not quite as much.

One of the great comic performances

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 25 March 2012]

Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Jonathan Silverman) discover a scam and report it to their boss Bernie (Terry Kiser), who invites them to his beach house for the weekend as a reward. Bernie actually plans to have them killed (he is the one who is doing the scamming), but when he dies at the start of the weekend, chancer Larry persuades worrier Richard that, with a little bit of effort, the whole weekend remains to be enjoyed - no-one has to know Bernie died just yet, right? Especially if he gets seen out and about...

This daft comedy is lifted out of the ordinary by one thing, and that is Terry Kiser's extraordinary performance as Bernie. Not while he's alive, mind you, but after he's dead. Kiser's remarkably physical performance as Bernie's corpse is extremely funny and raises this film to the level of minor classic.

Silly fun.

[pmtelefon · 7/10 · 30 September 2019]

"Weekend at Bernie's" is a fun movie. It has quite a few big laughs. It has a whole bunch of good will going for it as well. It has some very good performances including a terrific one by Terry Kiser. Kiser's performance should be studied in acting class. He's amazing to watch. The way that Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman interact with a Kiser is great work as well. Those three together are a joy to watch. "Weekend at Bernie's" always hits the spot.

What your doing is illegal.......

[FlashCallahan · 7/10 · 2 April 2012]

Richard and Larry are two best friends who discover that someone has been embezzling money from their company.

When they inform their boss, Bernie Lomax, he is so apparently pleased that he invites then to his beach house for a weekend of fun and leisure and women.

But once they arrive, they discover him dead! Richard wants to do the right thing and inform the authorities as quickly as possible, but Larry is determined to still try and have a weekend of fun and leisure and women.....

First things first, if you don't like the sound of two men walking around with a dead body, making it do admittedly stupid, but very funny things, steer well clear.

But if you can swallow your pride, and admit to the fact that you really want to see this, or have seen it just for the fact, that whenever the titular character falls, or gets 'hurt' in any way, it's a funny movie from start to finish.

A farce on many levels, the film works because it's just so bright and sparky.

The two leads are great, Silverman playing the straight guy, McCarthey playing the party animal, but both characters are very likable.

It's just one of those movies that puts a big grin on your face, forgettable the minute its over, but still a lot of fun.

Not an Oscar contender but hilarious none the less...

[pessimistic_girl · 7/10 · 4 August 2002]

Weekend at Bernie's may not be an intellectual masterpiece, or even remotely educating, but that doesn't matter! What does matter is that this movie is an absolute scream!

Larry (superbly played by Andrew McCarthy) is my fave but Richard (Jonathan Silverman) also manages to amuse me with his inability to make up his mind. And I have to salute Terry Kiser, the best "dead" body I've ever seen!

Ok it's already been pointed out that it isn't exactly the most realistic plot in the world. I mean, you usually would know if you were sitting next to a rotting, ice-cold corpse. But even so, it's a movie (!), and you don't really question sci-fi flics for being unrealistic do you? So why criticize this one for it.

The movie had a good build-up and showed an impressive flow of interesting characters, i.e. the party goers were a hoot. Also Larry and Richard show an amazing ability to work under pressure and come up with various clever solutions how to keep Bernie on the move.

What you essentially need to see Weekend at Bernie's is an open mind and a very strong sense of humour. Because of all the gags about dead bodies it may be offensive to some, especially those who get hung up on the need for realism. I however am not such a person therefor I continue to watch it and laugh my a$$ off.

My rating: 9½ / 10

Under rated comedy blast.

[actingeric · 8/10 · 8 August 2000]

Weekend at Bernies! Sure it is dumb. But the comedy is so smartly done that it makes it hilarious. I for one laugh my butt off every time I watch this movie. It is one of those movies that cheers you up if you are having a bad day. The duo of McCarthy and Silverman is almost flawless. They are wonderful to watch. Together they almost remind me of classic pairs like Laurel & Hardy or Abbot & Costello. If you just sit back and relax this movie can really tickle your funny bone. It even might make you `drop dead from laughing'. Oh.was that to corny.sorry. But honestly, this is a good film. Give it a try someday when you have nothing else to do or are having a party. (But beware just rent this one. The second one, although it has its moments, doesn't meet up to the original)

Unique in its Own Way

[The-Sarkologist · 7/10 · 8 June 2022]

For some strange reason this film seems to just keep on appearing in Modern pop-culture. In fact, I have no idea how many times I have heard off the cuff references to it over the years, though I have to admit I can't quite remember the context of these references. Anyway, I had somehow heard about it again which made me want to go an watch it, and fortunately I found it available for free on one of the streaming services, so I watched it.

The thing about this film that sets it apart from, well, pretty much every other comedy that I can think of is that it is about this guy who has been killed, but nobody actually realises that he is dead - they just think that he is passed out on drugs. In fact, he will make a number of movements that a corpse (or should I say mannequin) would make, and people will simply assume that he is still alive. Actually, I suspect half the reason is because all of his friends simply assume that he is always on drugs.

So, the story goes that a couple of employees at Bernie's company have discovered that there are some discrepancies with some of the payouts, so they bring it to his attention. It turns out that the person who is responsible for the discrepancies is Bernie himself, so he approaches his mob friends to arrange for them to be killed. It turns out that Bernie has upset the mob, so instead of killing the two kids, they decide to kill Bernie instead.

I won't necessarily say that the film is outright hilarious, but what I will say is that it is certainly original, and unique. The odd thing is that I wouldn't necessarily consider it a cult movie, or at least it isn't listed on Wikipedia's list of cult films, however apparently it did get a high rotation of the television networks, which is probably why this film has somehow entered into the collective conscience of out society. Oh, and also because there is such a uniqueness about it that nobody seems to have replicated.

THIS necessitated a sequel???

[thesar-2 · 3/10 · 28 July 2019]

30th Anniversary: 1989 - the Best Year in Cinema Marathon Film #50/100: "Weekend at Bernie's" (3/10 Stars, Released: 7/7/89, 1st Viewing.) Oh, wow. Sitcom movie 101. Admittedly, I found a few scenes funny, especially from the comedic talents from the actor playing Bernie. Cannot believe this necessitated a sequel, but 80s.

Hilarious

[Rose-35 · 10/10 · 30 December 2001]

This is one of the funniest films ever made. Sure, it's stupid, and it could never really happen, but it is hilarious. The 3 main actors are great, esp. Terry Kiser (Bernie). The boat scene is the best. Anyone with a sense of humor will love this movie.

"Good 80's Comedy!"

[gwnightscream · 6/10 · 25 May 2014]

Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman, Terry Kiser, Catherine Mary Stewart and Don Calfa star in this 1989 comedy. Richard Parker (Silverman) and Larry Wilson (McCarthy) are 2 New York guys who discover false policies written for the insurance company they work for. They inform their boss, Bernie Lomax (Kiser) and he rewards them by inviting them to his island beach house for Labor Day weekend. It turns out Bernie is the one stealing from the company and decides to have them killed. Bernie is killed instead before Richard and Larry arrive. They soon discover that Bernie is dead, but try making him look alive where he's still the life of the party. Stewart (The Last Starfighter) plays Gwen, Richard's co-worker & love interest, Calfa (Return of the Living Dead) plays Paulie, a mob thug sent to kill Bernie and the film's director, Ted Kotcheff (First Blood) also makes an appearance as Richard's father. This is a good 80's comedy with a good cast & score I recommend.

Slow and ultra predictable. Doesn't make you laugh.

[felixtherat · 1/10 · 28 December 2015]

This movie has a weird effect on your perception of time. Everything happens 10 seconds after you already know it's going to happen - but then is not quite as funny as you imagined it.

Apparently written/directed/edited by people who've never done comedy before, unless was simply a pacing problem due to lack of script - like a half hour episode that was padded out to be much longer. Every shot seems to have the pre- and post-roll frames kept in, like they didn't have any choice in editing due to a lack of material.

The two leads are untrained, unseasoned and unbearable, and the writer doesn't seem to have been allowed time to finish or given a script editor. Style doesn't even redeem itself for its age, as there are plenty of contemporaneous black comedies/dumb comedies from its period that are paced and have enough jokes to fill a movie - you know, comedy movies written by experienced comedy writers, performed by skilled comedy players - those guys you have to pay fees to.

A quick note on the baffling following this movie has - what's intolerable is not that some say they enjoyed it (each to their own, I've no problem with that), it's the hyperbole people use, praising it to the extent they give the impression they believe the memorability of the film was deliberate, as if the movie makers might count themselves amongst those who find the movie funny. Seriously, this movie paid mortgages, guys, it didn't make people proud (or laugh). The 2 leads barely worked again, and neither did the writer. Why? Because they suck. Obviously. Get a grip!

Bottom line - were you stoned (or 10) when you watched this? Then try watching it again - especially before coming here and telling people it's good.

I've laughed more at a funeral. Seriously. I'd tell a court that under oath.

Inane... but a classic nonetheless

[soundscene · 27 March 2003]

Using the word "classic" for this movie may be stretching things a little, but the fact that everybody I know has seen this movie -- and enjoyed it to some extent, is saying something. The concept is ridiculous. Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Jonathan Silverman) are invited to their boss, Bernie Lomax's (Terry Kiser), house for the weekend. Bernie winds up getting killed before they get there. The rest of the movie involves the hijinks that occur when Richard and Larry decide to pretend Bernie is still alive so they can enjoy their weekend in paradise. Much of the gags include Bernie's lifeless body being dragged about and posed. What's surprising is that much of the gags actually work. It's a one-joke movie that manages to sustain through the one and a half hours. Pay special attention to the boat scene -- on first viewing my sisters and I were roaring with laughter. Avoid the sequel "Weekend at Bernie's II" like the plague. Rather than inane and funny, the movie is just inane.

Bernie's the life(and death)of the party!!

[KUAlum26 · 6/10 · 14 June 2008]

The plot of this ersatz classic is almost universally understood,so I won't bother with recapping this little adventure epic where two working stiffs(JOnathan Silverman and Andrew McCarthy)find themselves propping up their stiff boss(Terry Kiser,who may've had the best performance of the film!)after he's found dead in his swank beach front home. Instead,I'll say that this movie is clearly a "guilty pleasure" of mine. I saw this back in Summer 1989 when it was first released,and I enjoyed it profusely then. I was also seventeen then,so I've sometimes wondered if I'd care for this much now(I'm not sure,but it seems I'd seen this intermittently in the years since,but I don't recall sitting through this in at least a decade). My answer is:yes,but only in the sense that it's great,seemingly brain-dead(pun unintended)slapstick that can cleanse the palate,particularly after watching dark,disturbing material or if one is need of a pick-me-up.

For some odd reason,the producers decided(And were able to get the stars to reunite)to make a sequel which was released in 1993. I have yet to feel much desire to catch it,since I felt,even nineteen years ago,that this wacky,breezy comedy had only one life left in it for real.

Go to your local video store or CD/movie exchange place and there's a good chance you'll run across a REALLY cheap copy of this. Feel free to indulge your daffier,undignified self and buy it... if you dare!

Who knew that being dead could be so much fun?

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 6/10 · 25 May 2014]

I remember seeing TV spots for this movie in Florida in 1989 and thinking that it made for a great concept. When I eventually rented the VHS tape a few months later it really appealed to my dark sense of humor and I ended up watching it a zillion times. In the 25 years since its release it has become very dated. It's not dated BADLY, but it has aged more than other films of the period.

Corporate slackers Richard and Larry (Ted Mosby prototype Jonathan Silverman and 80s person Andrew McCarthy) discover a $4,000,000 fraud hidden away in the cooked books. Their attempt to impress their boss Bernie Lomax (a lovably smug Terry Kiser) with their find leads to an invitation to his Hampton Island home for a summer weekend of babes, booze, and boats. The duo don't realize that they've stumbled on Bernie's embezzlement scam and that he intends to have them quietly killed by the Mob (the organized crime connections are never fully detailed or understood). Mob Boss Vito instead arranges for Bernie to be killed, thus washing his hands of him.

Upon arriving at Bernie's lavish home Richard and Larry discover that he ain't quite breathing and most definitely has ceased living. For a variety of reasons they plot to create the illusion that Bernie is still alive, which proves to be easier done than said as his vacuous, drunken neighbors are more interested in drinking his champagne and mooching parties from him than actually being friends.

Despite the dark subject matter Weekend at Bernie's plays it safe for the most part, never pushing past its PG-13 boundaries. The physicality of Kiser's performance is impressive as well as funny. You really do believe he is dead and he's brilliant at keeping a straight face (or a smirking one as he dies during a brief moment of pleasure) while being tossed and thrown around. You wouldn't think that playing a dead body would be hard but Kiser's comic timing and skill really pay off.

The production design and flat photography are what date this film so much. Although Ted Kotcheff had Wake in Fright and First Blood on his resume by this point he brings very little visual flair to the film and it looks very TV-ish. The poor score by Andy Summers never seems to work with any scene (I have a feeling that his friend Stewart Copeland would have done a better job) and some of the soundtrack choices grate on the ears.

What amazes me the most is that about 90% of the dialogue is (bad) ADR. I assume that the sound guy forgot to switch on the mic or something. I can accept it when it comes to dubbing over several F-bombs to keep the movie family-friendly but you'll be surprised at how often the words simply do not match the lips.

Skip the sequel. Enjoy this movie for what it is, though it could have been better if it were a few shades darker. And lookout for a hilarious cameo from the director as Richard's dad/butler.

A delight for necro fans and non-necro fans alike.

[Bio&Swede · 7/10 · 7 September 2000]

The plot of this film could be taken from the pages of any regular newspaper in the world. Dead man seems to be alive, but isn't. Infact the film is based on a real story that happened to two French men while vacationing in Hawaii. That is where the movie really shines.

This film should have been nominated for an Oscar, honestly.

A delight from start to finish. Non necrophiles will get a kick out of this too.

7/10

A memorable one joke film with humour that unlike Bernie......... is not dead!!!

[kooleshwar · 6/10 · 28 June 2006]

Let me be frank the only reason I rented this film was nostalgia and I must say I didn't really have many expectations from this film coming out of my experience with another film I rented for nostalgic value, The Pink Panther (I felt the humour had outlived its time).

The movie starts out promisingly enough with the stereotypical bumbling nerd and his wacky carefree friend lost in the big bad world of corporate America.

The encounter with the female temp and the meeting with Bernie provide a few memorable moments earlier in the film. In fact the opening sequence with the trip to beach itself sets the initial expectations high.

Catherine Mary Stewart provides the eye candy throughout the movie, 80s style, and also serves up a decent performance. hehe

The movie in fact follows through with one funny scene after the other taking a swipe at corporate America, the mafia, the glitterati etc.

Then Bernie dies,....... and the movie gets even funnier as one after the other we are subjected to people interacting with Bernie as if he were actually alive.

Hell I would like to go as far as saying that Bernie did better when he was dead then when he was alive.

The movie peaks when Bernie meets his mistress and gives one of the best performance of his lives. That scene will clearly be one of the most memorable scenes in comedy movie history.

However we do have a few memorable sequences such as the drunk bargaining, the parents house etc.

Unfortunately it all goes downhill from there, with the abusive, bratty kid providing the only relief, when we are subjected to scene after scene of the same variety (oxymoron).

This movie does the cardinal sin of the one joke movie and doesn't realise when to quit. Had this movie been 25 mins shorter it would have easily figured itself in the most memorable comedies of all time.

The movie is crude, stupid and slapstick but lovable, the actors give good performances given the limited premise of the movie. As expected the dead Bernie clearly steals the show.

I don't know but I felt an undercurrent of darkness in the comedy of this movie especially relating to Bernie's acts after his death and the way he was treated by others.

In all a good movie with great nostalgic value and worth renting when you can think of nothing else.

-'s one joke movie, doesn't know when to quit, pg-13 rating (i still cant figure out why if you are showing a sexual act but with no exposure it is OK to show to the kids), some characters caricaturish, second part far below expectations.

+\-'s undercurrents of dark humour, slapstick.

+'s single joke but bloody funny one, a host of memorable scenes specially in the earlier half, a few great one liners,decent performances, good eye candy, absolutely hilarious first hour.

Uproariously funny black comedy.

[manxman-1 · 9/10 · 28 June 2003]

Hilarious, totally off the wall black comedy about two buddies (Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman) whose boss, Bernie, has been bumped off by gangsters but whose death goes unrecognized the entire weekend by his self-centered beach friends. Utterly tasteless, goofy, ridiculous, wonderfully funny movie with loads of quirky characters. Andrew McCarthy at his most charmingly loopy and Jonathan Silverman terrific as his straight arrow buddy. Great turn by Terry Kiser as Bernie, who will not go away or play dead. Ridiculous situations that are just plain fun to watch. A movie to remember with delight and to enjoy at a repeat viewing.

Even dead Bernie still lives!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 22 December 2017]

One the most creative black comedy of the entire eights, supported by a clever screenplay this picture has great moments really, both leading roles has a good chemistry, but the highlight is no doubt own Bernie, a pure spirit of the madness, even death he brights over the movie, a fantastic performance on live or death, when you think the subject already drained, there's coming Bernie again dead, my favorite scene is about Bernie making sex, unbelievably funny!!!

Resume:

First watch: 1993 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7.25

Going to sue

[t-97996 · 1/10 · 19 December 2017]

*****SPOILER ALERT***** I tried to recreate this with my grandpa and now I'm in prison. They need to add a disclaimer that you shouldn't try this at home! Once I serve my 40-life sentence I'm going to sue the pants off of Bernie.

Classic Tragedy of 1980s Materialism

[MrBark · 9/10 · 20 May 2004]

Many will say Weekend at Bernie's is a comedy, but is it really? This review will contain SPOILERS, so discontinue reading if you do not wish to know the story.

The tragic anti-hero is Bernie, a man who seemingly has it all. He has a great NYC apartment, a house at the beach, a boat, a high-priced sports car, women falling at his feet, and a great toupee. He is the symbol of 1980s material success. Any of us would love to be in his position, right?

Perhaps not, for all great tragedies possess a fall from grace. Bernie is successful because of his involvement in the NYC organized crime underground. This combined with his lack of self-control in regards to the Don's girlfriend results in his untimely end.

The tragedy is this: in death, no one notices. Bernie's supposed "friends" continue to use his boat, party at his house, drink his booze, and yet no one realizes he is dead. The woman who indirectly caused his death defiles and molests his corpse without noticing. This is an insult not only to his person, but his sexual prowess as well. It would seem Bernie lacked any real emotional attachments. Instead, he plunged himself into the seedy world of 1980s materialism. It was this world that would not only cause his death, but would also insult his humanity through the implication that his life was irrelevant.

Indeed, Bernie became in death what he could not attain in life, a hero. While dead, Bernie's corpse protects two losers from meeting their own untimely ends at the hands of both the New York mafia and Neptune's realm. In death, Bernie was able to give pleasure to all those around him through his possessions and, in the case of his girlfriend, his body. However philanthropy and necrophilia aside, all of these redeeming acts are meaningless because when those around him find out that he is really dead, some do not believe while others express shock. However the shock is not from losing a dear friend, but from the realization that they were too absorbed in their material lifestyle to take notice of the recently departed.

The tale of Bernie is a tragic one. A man unloved in life and death, let his story guide you. For it is not the material success that brings one happiness and love, rather it is the depth of friendship.

Spend a Weekend with Bernie

[Zac_La_Porte · 7/10 · 23 March 2022]

Weekend at Bernie's is a very funny movie and definitely a very 80s movie, but it wouldn't be as much fun without the eventful aspect. This comedy is easily the kind of film you could describe as having a morbid sense of humour, obviously since most of it revolves around slapstick actions and events with a corpse. This movie is really only about two buddies carrying their boss's dead body around pretending he's still alive and walking.

Again, this movie would be so much less likeable if it didn't have it's sense of adventure. The entire plot is not set in just one house, it floats on the water and walks around in public, with the corpse. Sometimes the areas where the witty characters fool around in fall a bit bland, but that's usually when it begins moving around again. The concept is underrated and is undoubtedly worth checking out by those who appeal to it.

And if it weren't obvious from the start, this is a slapstick comedy. However, it's a fairly more violent slapstick comedy with verbal and visual jokes that actually work. The characters are quirky and fun, McCarthy and Silverman being in the spotlight, but the clueless hitman who runs around throughout the plot is stupidly hysterical. It's also hard to see how Weekend at Bernie's could craft a decent sequel, which happened not too long afterwards.

If you liked this review, check out the full review and other reviews at aussieboyreviews.

Too long for my liking

[CharltonBoy · 5/10 · 26 March 2000]

Weekend at Bernies is an average American comedy,short on laughs and lacking any subtle humour.It is about to workers who discover that their firm is being ripped off and are rewarded by their boss"Bernie" to a weekend at his beach house , while they are there Bernie is murdered . The rest of the film is about how the boys try to hide that he is dead. The people at the resort must be completly stupid as they believe that he still alive .The film carries on with this one joke for a long time and after the first 5 minutes it gets really boring. 5 out of 10