Bernie

Jack Black is a mild-mannered, East-Texas mortician who may or may not be romancing his way into the fortunes of a mean old widower (Shirley MacLaine) in this true-life crime story. Director-writer Richard Linklater (Dazed & Confused, School of Rock) treats this as a wryly morbid comedy, but the too-thin story is stretched out for far too long. Black delivers his most tightly controlled performance in years, but Linklater just can't get a handle on the story. He tries mixing in interview segments with actual people who knew the main characters, but the result is more gossipy than pointed. 104 minutes PG-13.