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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")

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.

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.

Terry Kiser should have been nominated for an Oscar in this role, but sadly the Academy is somewhat conversative in these matters.

Andrew McCarthy has gone on to be a top-rate travel writer, but he left an indelible legacy with his role in this 80s movie that is still a pop culture reference to this day.

"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.

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)

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

Do you know anybody that laughs about the same joke for hours and hours? Me too and its not very pleasant. This movie basically assumes that every viewer is this person. T

Two young men in New York City find their boss dead in his office, and for some reason the boys decide to turn him into a marionette, just like King Friday and Lady Elaine Fairchild from Mr. Rogers. This is the whole movie, all 90 minutes is this joke over and over again.

It also takes way too long to get started. The first half hour spent far too much time on a building a plot that the film really had no use for.

Like I said, this premise would have been a terrific SNL skit. A movie? Not so much.

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.

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.

Ridiculous movie, so dumb and the "dead" acting is terrible lol a dumb movie to entertain dumb people.

Good thing it was only 1989...

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.

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!

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: 1995 / How many: 3 / Source: TV-DVD / Rating: 7.25.

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.

Larry Wilson (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard Parker (Jonathan Silverman) are best friends working under Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser). They discover a serious discrepancy in payouts to life insurance by the company. They don't realize that it's Bernie who's been committing the fraud. Bernie asks the mob to kill the two clueless friends but he is killed instead. When Larry and Richard find Bernie dead in his beach house, they decide to keep the illusion of him being alive to keep the party going.

It's a one joke movie, and it's not that funny of a joke. Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman have some fun carrying Bernie around. They work well together. They've got good chemistry. There are some chuckles but the joke wears thin.

A couple of cute, rambunctious, big city insurance hackers get invited to a swinging beach party, only to find their host dead of an apparent drug overdose. The End.

There's actually a lot of complicated plot tissue involving an insurance scam and some Mafia hit men, but talk about rigor mortis: forty minutes of valuable screen time is spent setting up the only joke of the film, with the balance of the story devoted to little else except a series of lame hide-the-corpse jokes. The film might have been attractively lame-brained if it weren't so generically bland, or had even a hint of comic timing. But as it stands (so to speak), not even a touch of necrophilia between the late Bernie and his clueless nymphomaniac girlfriend is enough to bring it (or him) to life.

This is one of the funniest movies ever. A classic. It gets better every time I watch. Sure it is stupid, but hilarious.

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

This film - which is one of the worst films of the 1980's - is not even worthy of a few cheap laughs. Avoid it at all costs!