In general, the film community took Jack Black for granted. A consistent mainstay in movies, particularly comedies, for years, not to mention his wide variety of other talents notably as the lead singer of his band, Tenacious D. In the last handful of years, thanks to his appearance in family-friendly entertainment such as the Kung Fu Panda series, the Jumanji franchise, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Black has experienced a renaissance of sorts. When engaging in a retrospective of his career, one film of his, Bernie, ought to stand out from the bunch as perhaps the ultimate demonstration of his uber talent.

What Did Jack Black & Richard Linklater Make Before ‘Bernie’?
Image via Paramount Pictures

Bernie, based upon a bizarre true story, is a reunion of Jack Black and director Richard Linklater. Their 2003 film, School of Rock, remains the quintessential deployment of Black’s screen presence and acting chops, with the actor playing a slacker guitarist-turned-substitute teacher of a preppy private school with a heart of gold. His affable “man-child” complexity carried him through various roles in the 2000s. Linklater, who is exceptional at directing performances and smart casting selections, gave Black an off-kilter but complementary role as Bernie Tiede (Black), a mortician from Carthage, Texas who was convicted of murdering an 81-year-old widow in 1996. On paper, this is a jarring pivot for Black, but thanks to Linklater’s impeccable grasp of tone and his tight-knit relationship with small-town Texas, Bernie is the perfect Jack Black role and movie.

The 2011 film is structured like a documentary, with members of the community serving as talking heads discussing Tiede, how he impacted the community, and the shock of his impending conviction. The consistent throughline between each talking head is that, despite the substantial burden of proof that Bernie was guilty of the murder of Marjorie Nugent (Shirley MacLaine), the population of Carthage still stands by the local mortician. This is a tall task of a thematic device for a film to convey. How does Linklater pull off this difficult feat, and in turn, craft a nuanced black comedy and critical dissection of the disillusion of small-town social politics? The tightrope act that Bernie walks is carried on the shoulders of Jack Black’s performance.

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Why Is Jack Black Perfect as Bernie?
Image via Millennium Entertainment

In more ways than none, Jack Black’s screen persona resembles the public’s embracing of Bernie Tiede. The mortician, beloved for his upstanding Christian values, can recall everyone’s name in Carthage. In a time of mourning, there is no one better suited to be a funeral director, service preacher, or simply a shoulder to cry on. Bernie had that special touch of, as his mortician duties entail, making every passed individual look like a model in their post-mortem state. If anyone could be amicable with Marjorie Nugent, a wealthy recent widow with a reputation as a cold and unpleasant individual, it would unquestionably be Bernie Tiede. An inseparable bond between the two quickly transpired, until one day, when Bernie grew weary of Nugent’s nagging and pessimistic attitude, the friendly neighbor murdered her in cold blood.

This description appears to be a clichéd characterization of the angelic soul who inconceivably broke bad. Jack Black’s earnest portrayal of a figure who deceived an entire community through kindness is heartfelt and genuine — blessing the screen with a performance that could have easily been performed as a broad caricature of an obsessive Southern Bible-thumper in the wrong hands. Black is one with the Carthage community as an ambitious go-getter and devout servant to the pleasant livelihood of the town, but it is a stretch to classify him as a hustler thanks to his graciousness. A less-focused performance would have leaned into a conman quality of the character. By playing the card of foreshadowing a violent tendency of the character, viewers are immediately less convinced of Bernie’s benevolence and aurora over the community. Black’s receptive manner is so pronounced that, even after we witness his violent crime, audiences want to believe that this was somehow justifiable. For the betterment of his spirit, we wish he could be dismissed by the criminal investigation or exonerated by a court of law.

How Well Does ‘Bernie’ Capture the Nuances of the Real Story It’s Based on?
Image via Millennium Entertainment

Richard Linklater’s direction is beholden to Black’s finely tuned performance. Similar to the actor’s restraint, the director refuses to extraneously vilify Bernie Tiede beyond the depiction of the murder of Nugent. As a result, subconscious conflict lingers, as it is strenuous to turn one’s back on the titular lead. In retrospect, Linklater captures a ubiquitous complexity in the public consciousness that permeates throughout life on social media. Bernie is an influencer-like figure in Carthage, in that his local admirers are too caught up in their infatuation with his facade to accept the harsh truths of the person that exists internally. Linklater manages to execute this concept at both a critical and emotional level.

With the backdrop of this true-crime story, based upon a Texas Monthly magazine article, “Midnight in the Garden of East Texas” by Skip Hollandsworth, Bernie is quite radiant in its depiction of small-town social politics and collective community gossip. The talking head interviews are not merely a stylistic gimmick, but rather, they are integral to flavoring the film with an authentic depiction of the community and the power shared among the townspeople. While the film lulls viewers to a comforting warmth surrounding the town and the hospitable affectation of Bernie Tiede, it slowly reveals itself to be a damning realization of the tribalism that exists in a small town. Suddenly, Linklater creates a frustrating portrayal of cultural stubbornness — unable to turn off the blinders of Bernie’s upstanding Christian beliefs and accept him as a sociopath.

Through Richard Linklater’s sharp writing and directing that examines the overwhelming impact of religion in a small town and the subversion of the friendly Southern neighbor, the titular role in Bernie tests Jack Black’s limits as a dramatic actor — an attribute rarely seen with the likes of Peter Jackson’s King Kong. However, the role is committed to Black’s strengths and natural tendencies enough that this strays from being a desperate attempt at stunt casting. Perhaps without Richard Linklater’s explicit intention, the film is a piece of Black’s abilities and screen presence. While unmistakably charming and embracing of small-town America, Bernie is humbling critically of this dominant culture of Texas, which is where the director grew up. Throughout the runtime, Black nails Linklater’s tonal shifts and ambiguous characterization. A tall task indeed, but there should have never been any doubt of Black’s inherent charm and curiosity to fulfill his underrated performance as Bernie Tiede.