A weekend to remember

 

A couple of weeks ago I was watching a video about stunt people when they mentioned a real blast from my past; Weekend at Bernie's (1989). I had completely forgotten about this crazy comedy so I gave it a re-watch to see if it still held up after all these years.

The movie stars Andrew McCarthy as Larry Wilson and Jonathan Silverman as Richard Parker, two cubicle slaves working at an insurance company. They discover that someone has been stealing millions of dollars from the company and the boss, Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser) is so grateful for their discovery that he invites them to his luxurious mega house on an island as thanks. Only, when they get there Bernie is dead and the guys fear that they are next unless Bernie is seen to be with them and alive. A morbid game of puppetry ensues.

In case you are thinking “Dude, spoilers!” let me just say that Bernie's demise is spelled out on the front cover, so it's no secret.

Weekend at Bernie's is a zany comedy of errors, and a lot of the humor comes from the interaction between clueless people and the titular corpse as well as Larry and Richards desperate attempts to make him seem alive. I laughed myself silly back in the day, and it is still pretty funny. As I watched it now, scene after scene came back to me, and Bernie's isn't really the kind of film that gets better with repeated viewings.

I did expect the humor to pretty dated but it wasn't too bad. It isn't even that sexist which unfortunately many older comedies are, it's more a case of everyone being over the top and silly. If anything it pokes the most fun at the excessive lifestyles of the wealthy.

If you haven't seen Weekend at Bernie's I say give it a shot. Turn off your brain and have a good time for an hour and a half. It isn't a masterpiece but it doesn't have to be. I'll include the trailer below. Just be aware that it's pretty spoilery.

They did make a sequel where Bernie gets reanimated by a voodoo ritual or something, but I haven't seen it and I don't intend to. The original is good enough for what it is.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time for more Eccentric Spheres and until then. Have a great week and stay safe!