Weekend at Bernie's

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Weekend at Bernie's

PG-13

1989

1h 37m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

54%

Tomatometer

26 Reviews

57%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Fun-loving salesmen Richard (Jonathan Silverman) and Larry (Andrew McCarthy) are invited by their boss, Bernie (Terry Kiser), to stay the weekend at his posh beach house. Little do they know that Bernie is the perpetrator of a fraud they've uncovered and is arranging to have them killed. When the plan backfires and Bernie is killed instead, the buddies decide not to let a little death spoil their vacation. They pretend Bernie is still alive, leading to hijinks and corpse desecration galore.

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Critics Consensus

Weekend at Bernie's wrings a surprising amount of laughs out of its corpse-driven slapstick premise, but one joke can only carry a film so far.

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Duane Byrge

The Hollywood Reporter

Bernie's is good old, knock-down slapstick with just the right dose of cruelty thrown in.

Jul 5, 2017

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

A classic of the dumb, hit-on-the-head comedy genre!

Rated: 4/5

Nov 24, 2002

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Weekend at Bernie's makes two mistakes: It gives us a joke that isn't very funny, and it expects the joke to carry an entire movie.

Rated: 1/4

Jan 1, 2000

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Mike Ryan

Uproxx

Weekend at Bernie's does a pretty good job of meticulously setting up why two numbskulls hang out with a dead body.

Sep 14, 2022

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Weekend at Bernie's is a suffocating, repeating, offensive funeral [Full review in Spanish].

Jul 11, 2022

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Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Irreverent dead-body comedy has plenty of iffy stuff.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 16, 2014

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Haley L

This is a cute fun silly movie. It's a favorite of mine from childhood. Still cute and funny watching it now. Gorgeous scenery and a fun soundtrack. I watch this movie every summer. A fun beach movie to watch during the summertime.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/10/25

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Kevin P

It’s funny, I’ve basically seen this movie several times throughout my childhood through the countless parodies that nearly every sitcom and children’s show has done at least once in one of their filler episodes. But to finally see the original that started it all was crazy to watch. The movie itself holds up surprisingly well and is really funny despite it’s one-joke gimmick thanks to the excellent chorography and comedic timing with the physical comedy and improvisational acting from the main leads (both of whom share great chemistry). Some good subversions too like Bernie’s initial plan to whack off the two leads due to his own embezzlement, his hitman turning on him out of convenience, and their utter shock when he’s allegedly still alive. Good commentary on oblivious yuppie culture as well. Despite the crude subject matter, the movie feels oddly comforting thanks to its sunny beachside setting and overall laid-back tone. It might be too repetitive or familiar to some, but personally I really dug the great physical comedy and charismatic leads, and I’d certainly say it’s worth the hype from the all the endless parodies.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/29/25

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Audience Member

Fun movie with great body humor and absurd jokes, thats the way I love it

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/16/24

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Farah R

Weekend at Bernie's elicits surprisingly many laughs for a silly slapstick comedy. It's a bold attempt to create a film with such an improbable premise. Yet, they executed it exceptionally well, resulting in one of the most hilarious and memorable comedies of the 80s.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/03/24

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Tavi G

One of the best movies from the 80's

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/12/24

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Stephen D

What kind of heartless, humorless social maladaptate doesn't like this movie? It's the quintessential eighties slapstick comedy, and a true classic that will stand the test of time. Docking a star because Kiser's performance was a little rigid. Yuk yuk yuk.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/13/24

Full Review

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Ted Kotcheff

Director

Andrew McCarthy

Larry Wilson

Jonathan Silverman

Richard Parker

Terry Kiser

Bernie Lomax

Catherine Mary Stewart

Gwen Saunders

Don Calfa

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Synopsis

Fun-loving salesmen Richard (Jonathan Silverman) and Larry (Andrew McCarthy) are invited by their boss, Bernie (Terry Kiser), to stay the weekend at his posh beach house. Little do they know that Bernie is the perpetrator of a fraud they've uncovered and is arranging to have them killed. When the plan backfires and Bernie is killed instead, the buddies decide not to let a little death spoil their vacation. They pretend Bernie is still alive, leading to hijinks and corpse desecration galore.

Director: Ted Kotcheff
Producer: Victor Drai, Bruce McNall
Screenwriter: Robert Klane
Production Co: Gladden Entertainment
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 9, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $29.4M
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Surround

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