Weekend at Bernie's

I do not know what is supposed to be entertaining about this garbage. Maybe in 1989 a movie farce like this was risqué , sexy and funny. It just goes to show how movies have moved on. There are pretty girls aplenty in nice swimwear and the usual crowd of eighties guys who look like * stars. One of the main characters was obnoxious and the other boring. Yes, its funny pretending a corpse is alive, but not as the one and only joke all the way through the movie. Morons will howl at the Keystone Cops style capers, but they are not subtle or sophisticated. The movie was directed and edited well and the camera-work divine, but what a predictable yawn.

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")

It amazes me that there are so many people who like this movie; or wait, maybe "amazes" is a wrong word to use here... "concerns", or maybe "terrifies" is more like it. The movie is solely based on the one joke of a guy being dead, and no one noticing it. This might have worked if it was considerably shorter(like, an hour and a half shorter, if not more) but it just isn't funny when it's put into a two hour movie. Normally I love black humor, but this was just way too far out. The whole joke depends on everyone in the vicinity, who sees the body being total retards, and that just seems like a stretch. The plot is far-fetched and hardly funny(at all). The characters are walking, talking cliches. The actors all lack any charisma or on-screen chemistry(with each other). The humor relies solely on a lot of mix-ups, one more ridiculous and unrealistic than the other; yes, arguably, a lot of comedies use unrealistic scenes or plot items, however, the movie lacks any sort of realism at all, it might as well have taken place in outer space, that wouldn't have made it any more far-fetched. The whole "dead guy who everyone thinks is alive" is just not that funny, especially because when he was alive, he seemed to be walking and talking constantly, yet no one suspects anything when he suddenly stops reacting. The movie has so many ridiculous and unfunny scenes that it's hard to keep count of them. Some of the humor is also slap-stick, and while I've never liked slap-stick, I can honestly say that it has been done so much better, so many times. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone, unless I seriously loathe them, and want them to experience the horror of this pile of crap. Avoid at all costs, and I DO mean ALL COSTS. 1/10

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.

"Weekend at Bernie's" is a hilarious film about two losers (Jonathan Silverman and Andrew McCarthy) who stumble onto a plan by some unknown person in their company to steal from the corporation. They tell the boss, Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser), and it turns out that he is the culprit. Now he wants the two of them killed, but his wandering eyes make him the target of the assassin. Bernie invites the two losers out to his beach-house in the hopes of them being eliminated. However, he is killed instead and when Silverman and McCarthy discover his body they pretend like he is still alive so they can get the great weekend that their late boss promised them. A truly original idea carries this film which is sick in one sense, but amazingly funny in another. Silverman and McCarthy make a surprisingly effective comedy team. However it is Terry Kiser, in one of the most under-rated roles ever seen during the history of the cinema, that makes the film work as well as it can. His uncanny ability to play a stiff corpse for nearly the whole film is truly revolutionary. If there was ever a performance that was overlooked by the Academy, it may be Kiser's role here (do not laugh). Overall the film over-achieves and is well-worth watching at least once. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

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.

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.

I first saw this film at about 2:00am one morning and knew that I had to have it. Okay, so it's a one joke movie, but hey it is still incredibly funny. It is a film that encapsulates the eighties and the two lead roles are perfect. The actor who played Bernie's corpse deserves an oscar as although he doesn't say a single word it honestly seems he is dead!! Classic moments include Bernie waterskiing and Bernie making love to his girlfriend (he is of course dead in both scenes.) A must for anyone who wants a good laugh.

Greetings Bernie fans... Yep. I love this film...and, I love the sequel, too. I guess it helps that I am a big fan of both Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman...their chemistry throughout the two films is priceless, a great comedy duo. Terry Kiser couldn't be better as Bernie, given a role in which he really doesn't have to do anything...nonetheless, he gives us a hilarious performance. And, you also gotta love Catherine Mary Stewart...she's just great, and Don Calfa is also brilliant. The writer, Robert Klane (he co-wrote "NATIONAL LAMPOON'S EUROPEAN VACATION, previously) creates a wonderful story and atmosphere...and, he eventually helmed the direction on this film's sequel in 1993. Don't listen to that other airhead who reviewed this, with his "set your alarm clock" crap...what the hell does he know, anyway? Yes, this film is "stupid-comedy"...and, that's why the film works. A great summer movie. Recommended dosage: Repetitious viewings, ad nauseum. Take care!

This movie is great from start to finish. The characters are well developed and Andrew McCarthy(The Joy Luck Club) and Jonathan Silverman(The Single Guy) play wonderfully off of each other. The Dialogue was better then that of any modern made comedy I have seen. This is a dark comedy but for the family which is something I have never seen done before. This movie is unique and over the head of anyone who didn't like it.