Review: Weekend at Bernie's (1989)

Sometimes I think I have no right to be a film blogger. There are so many ‘classics’ and ‘must-watch’s that I haven’t seen, and most of my film collection is post-2003, but my collection is growing and becoming more diverse over time, all thanks to this blogging community. I watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off not too long ago and Weekend at Bernie’s was swiftly moved to the top of my list. I think a new found love of 80’s comedies is beginning to grow inside of me!

Do I even need to explain the plot? So many other films and TV shows have referenced Weekend at Bernie’s that I could have written most of this part of my review before even watching it. Richard (Jonathan Silverman) and Larry (Andrew McCarthy) are invited to spend the weekend at their boss Bernie’s (Terry Kiser) beach house, seemingly as a reward for discovering a huge discrepancy in the company’s finances. It turns out that Bernie hires colleagues of his to murder Richard and Larry, but the deal backfires when they decide they’ve had enough and kill Bernie instead.

I really enjoyed Weekend at Bernie’s, more than I thought I would actually. I just love how it’s completely unrealistic, and yet still immensely enjoyable. Too often now I find myself watching nitpicking at films because a certain element just isn’t viable, yet Weekend at Bernie’s relies on that aspect for its comedy factor. I was waiting for someone, anyone to discover the fact that Bernie was in fact dead but it never happened!

This is a classic, I am a huge Andrew McCarthy fan anyway (Mannequin was one of my favourite movies as a kid).  The fact that the lead character is 'dead' is quite a large nitpick but it works for this!

The highlight of Weekend at Bernie’s for me was Terry Kiser playing the dead Bernie Lomax. I’m sure the movie budget would have been smaller if a dummy body was used instead, but Terry’s reactions to such minor things such as a character leaning on the soft he’s sat in provided so many laughs for me. My favourite moment is towards the end where Larry and Richard walk Bernie down the pier with their shoelaces tied together, it was just so funny to watch! Brilliant scene, I think if I watched this today I would still laugh as much as I did when me and my Mom used to watch it as a kid (she had a major crush on Andrew McCarthy so his films were a staple in our home!)

Since watching the movie I’ve been able to go back to friends, family, and now new work colleagues to tell them they can finally stop shunning me. A colleague at my new work place was so happy to hear that I’d seen it that we spent the next half hour at work discussing all the funny moments, and then he told me about the Brat Pack. I might have to dedicate a separate post to this but I’d never heard the term before. It’s basically a collection of actors and actresses who often starred together in a lot of 80’s movies. The result of this now is that I’ve scratched one movie off my ‘must watch’ list, and added at least another dozen. Doh.  Add the rest of Andrew McCarthy's cataglogue to this as well (Mannequin, Only You, Weekend at Bernies 2) and that is quite a list!!
This film is terrible really but awesome at the same time (not quite in the league with Sharknado), you have to watch it to love it.  McCarthy and Silverman have great chemistry throughout, one being the slacker and the other the ultimate worrier and logical one makes for great viewing.  I actually really would like to watch this again now and see if I love it as much as I did back in the day but if Allie's review is anything to go by I'm sure I will!

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by Weekend at Bernie’s, and if there is anyone out there who hasn’t seen it yet, please do so soon! You won’t be disappointed. Has anyone seen the sequel? I’d love to know what anyone thinks of it.  Yep, disappointing as most sequels are!!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 1 National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

Me and Allie are both HUGE Christmas fans, we were the first when we worked together to turn up in festive earrings and jumpers with Christmas countdown timers going and Michael Buble playing out of our computer speakers.  In which case, for our first Christmas with Flick Chicks we thought we needed to do something special and big!! I will never forget that Christmas Eve that we looked after the office and had a huge feast!

I'm really looking forward to watching some Christmas films I've never seen before. I have about 5 favourites that I watch every single year, and this is a brilliant opportunity to watch some forgotten-about films and new ones too!

So, we are preparing to cover 12 days of Christmas with Christmas movie reviews.  Every day between now and Christmas Day we will post a festive movie review.  We have already decided the movies, but we won't be telling you yet, don't want to ruin the surprise....

12 Days, 12 Christmas Movies, 12 Festive reviews....

Let the countdown to Christmas begin with our first review....

I waited until the second week of November before watching my first Christmas film this year. I think that's pretty good actually, but anyone I told seemed to look at me with a face of confusion and despair. That is, until I told them I watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

I was brainwashed from a young age with the original Vacation film, so much that as I grew older and watched it again for the nostalgia, I realised many of the little quips my family and I say all the time are actually from it! No long drive anywhere is complete in my family without a loud rendition of the Marty Moose song. 

Christmas Vacation is exactly what you expect it to be, a hilarious tale of Clark Griswald (Chevy Chase) trying to make Christmas perfect for his family. He's spent his Christmas bonus on the deposit for an outdoor pool before the cheque arrives, he spends all day putting lights up on his house, and is as welcoming as he can when Cousin Eddie and family turn up without a warning. Yes, Christmas Vacation is a truly typical Christmas film. Yet, it will always remain one of my favourites.

Can you believe I hadn't see this film (Allie had that look in her eye I get everytime she tells me she hasn't seen Ghostbusters!!) I've always heard about it at Christmas but have never been a huge fan of Chevy Chase so gave it a swerve.  I will admit that I was wrong as I really did enjoy it (while wrapping my Christmas presents and putting my tree up!).

Despite its over-the-top nature, everyone will relate to at least some of the elements in this film. We've all felt that frustration over the lights when there's a problem with just 1, yet none will work, and we've all gotten fed up of certain family members after spending far too much time with them! Usually about 10 minutes after their arrival...

Christmas Vacation gives us all of this and more, and Chevy Chase makes funny moments laugh out loud ones, which is why I love him so much. It was really strange watching this the other day whilst also marathon-ing Community, he's changed so much over the years!

Very entertaining and like Allie says very over the top BUT relatable in so many ways.  That relative turning up on your doorstop who you desperately don't want to see but announce they will be staying for the whole festive period - we've all been there, no?  I think I may have to give National Lampoons Vacation a go next... Oh my God, yes! Please invite me. I promise not to sing the Marty Moose song too much. Depending on what you define as 'too much'.

This is one of my go-to Christmas films and I'll watch it every year!  This may now be added to my must-watch Christmas films every year!