Weekend at Bernie's

"Bernie may be dead, but he's still the life of the party!"

1989 1h 38m EN

😐

6.4

MID

🥫

52%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.4

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 1,181🥫52%Rotten Tomatoes●32Metacritic★6.4IMDB · 67,582

ComedyCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two young insurance corporation employees try to pretend that their murdered employer is alive by puppeteering his dead body, leading a hitman to attempt to track him down to finish him off.

“Bernie may be dead, but he's still the life of the party!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Andrew McCarthy
Larry Wilson
Jonathan Silverman
Richard Parker
Catherine Mary Stewart
Gwen Saunders
Terry Kiser
Bernie Lomax
Don Calfa
Paulie, Vito's Hit Man
Catherine Parks
Tina, Vito's Girl
Eloise DeJoria
Tawny
Gregory Salata
Marty

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ted Kotcheff
Writers: Robert Klane
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.6× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Weekend at Bernie's Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ted Kotcheff, shot by François Protat. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Andy Summers. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joan E. Chapman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman and Catherine Mary Stewart carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Bernie may be dead, but he's still the life of the party!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ted Kotcheff directs. François Protat behind the camera. Andy Summers scores. Joan E. Chapman cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.6× over at the box office.
237 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Weekend at Bernie's Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Ted Kotcheff, shot by François Protat. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Andy Summers. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Joan E. Chapman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman and Catherine Mary Stewart carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Bernie may be dead, but he's still the life of the party!".
9IMDB entry: tt0098627 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 11 themes, including "beach", "boss", "bad boss", "mission of murder".

The technical file

Cinematography: François Protat
Original score: Andy Summers
Editing: Joan E. Chapman
Production design: Peter Jamison
Costume design: Nancy Butz
Makeup / hair: Gunnar Swanson
Stunt coordinator: Conrad E. Palmisano
Runtime: 98 min · 1h 38m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,500,000
Box office: $30,218,387
Return: 465% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Weekend at Bernie's (1989)
Rotten Tomatoes: 52% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 32/100
IMDB rating: 6.4/10 · 67,582 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

1 nomination total

Part of

Weekend at Bernie's Collection

Weekend at Bernie's is a 1989 American black comedy film written by Robert Klane and directed by Ted Kotcheff. The film stars Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman as young insurance corporation employees who discover their boss, Bernie, dead. Discovering Bernie has ordered their deaths to cover up his embezzlement, with orders to refrain from killing them if he is around, they attempt to convince people that Bernie is still alive. The film's commercial success spawned a 1993 sequel, Weekend at Bernie's II.

Also by

Ted Kotcheff

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522022-07-21
★ 8/10
My go-to when I just want to sit back and relax, especially with the hot weather where I am (plus no A/C). Still a whole lot of fun and the dynamic between Jonathan Silverman and Andrew McCarthy was entertaining (and for playing a dead guy, kudos to Terry Kiser, RIP). Shame this is a Fox (Disney) title as this one deserves a special edition from Shout Factory... 3.75/5

Production companies