Weekend at Bernie's II (1993)

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Larry and Richard are blamed for insurance theft and fired in the process. Larry comes up with a dangerous scheme to not only get their jobs back but, but find money in the Virgin Islands to make them rich. Unfortunately for them, two bumbling buffoons (Steve James & Tom Wright) have conjured up a voodoo spell to bring Bernie back to life. It backfires when they mess up the spell and Bernie can only move when he hears music. Meanwhile, a company security officer (Bostwick) is after everything as well. This is the 3rd time I've seen this movie! That makes no sense, I know! I always feel that maybe I'm missing something. As a fan of the original movie, I've always been bemused about why they decided to go through with this movie. I know Andrew McCarthy's burgeoning, 80's career had hit the skids at this juncture, but it was an awful decision. Look. I really liked the original and I know it was a surprise hit. I don't think anyone clamored for a sequel though. Everything that made the original work so well is nowhere to be found here. It seems so forced and contrived that it's not even funny. Not only that, there was no need for a sequel! Everything was solved in the original! There is usually a hint of sorts that a sequel will commence. I didn't sense that in the first movie. It's filled with plenty of cringe worthy slapstick that is not funny in the slightest. The only thing I was mildly amused at were the gags at the morgue. They try to repeat the formula of the original, but it feels corny. There are only so many things you can do with a dead person before it gets stagnant. Not to mention the voodoo thing is very stupid. Jonathan Silver and Andrew McCarthy's act has worn very thin. McCarthy's cocky persona was fun in the original, but it's overbearing in the sequel. He mugs his way through a lot of it and doesn't seem too inspired. Silver is dull as the straight man. The chemistry they shared is gone. Terry Kiser's physical acting is remarkable, but him dancing to music gets old very quickly. It isn't his fault he had nothing to work with! He has no lines at all. Barry Bostwick is fine in his role. Steve James & Tom Wright do fine as the idiots, but they weren't very funny. Thank god they had the smarts to stop here! Hopefully McCarthy doesn't get any bright ideas about his glory days to try to get a sequel done. Bernie's dead! Watch the original and leave this movie in obscurity where it belongs3/10

It doesn't feel like overkill like a lot of critics has said about this sequel, to 1989's Weekend at Bernie. I love both the Bernie films. You really have to turn off your brain to enjoy them. They are really stupid and silly, but lots of fun. The film actually got a lot of quite loud laughs from me. Directed by Robert Klane, the movie leaves off from the events of the last movie. After returning from vacation with their recent deceased boss, Bernie Lomax (Terry Kiser); Larry Wilson (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard Parker (Jonathan Silverman) find themselves blamed for Bernie's theft of two million dollars and fired. They investigate even more and discover that the money is somewhere in St Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Meanwhile, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a voodoo witch doctor Mobu (Novella Nelson) is hired by mobsters to find the money Bernie stole as well. She sends two idiotic henchmen– Henry (Steve James) and Charles (Tom Wright) – to go to New York, get Bernie's body so they can use a voodoo ceremony to reanimate him, as an attempt to get Bernie to show them, where he hid the money. Unfortunately they mess up and Bernie can only move when he hears music, and they lost the body to Larry and Richard. Unbeknownst to Richard and Larry, a company security officer, Arthur Hummel (Barry Bostwick) who believe Larry and Richard knows where the money is, is also on their trail. Now it's a rat race to the hidden treasure, as the three groups try to outsmart each other, and claim the prize in the end. A lot of people thought, a sequel to an unlikely comedy would be impossible to make, without it, feeling old. Surprising, the producers actually pulled it off, and it is funnier that the original. Yes, the dark humor is tasteless and plot is ridiculous as hell, but still, it's funny as hell to watch. The slapstick humor is some of the best. I love the whole carriage scene. I was laughing my head, off. I love the cartoon opening to the film. It really establish, how cartoony the film will be. Too bad, it was kinda half-assed made. The animated studio that did it, didn't even bother to animate the crew's production titles. This creates for a really bad effect where the names are animated but the production titles are obviously added in. It's really off-putting. Like an old school cartoon, Bernie's body is never gory after all the violent acts that his body takes throughout the film. In many ways, you have to suspense your disbelief, to buy into the fact that Bernie doesn't rot away or fall apart in this film. After all, the film is full of dumb moments. It's funny, how much the movie tries to get away with logic. Good examples of theses, are how Bernie's body able to be flew to St. Thomas in the first place or how Bernie able to hear music through a normal Walkman in deep underwater. Others things like the whole voodoo curses are just weird. Why does a blood of a virgin stop a man from dying? How does a pigeon cause a dead man to dance? The movie makes little to no sense. Maybe, I'm looking too much into it, but the movie could be a metaphor for itself. The voodoo ritual represents the producers trying to bring the idea back to life. The movie theater where the ritual is performed represents the movie theater where the audience is sitting, because it's where the producers are trying to recapture the 'magic' of the first film. The people who fight over Bernie's corpse so they can find the hidden millions are representative of all the people trying to cash in on the success of the first movie. The beatings that Bernie receives are probably supposed to be reminiscent of 'beating a dead horse,' which has obvious significance. The acting in the film is mediocre at best. It's not the worst, but clearly, could had been better. The music score is pretty catchy. I love how the movie influence a dance movement. Inspired by the movement of the movie's namesake, a style of dance was created called "Movin' Like Bernie". Homemade movies went viral on the internet, from children to soldiers serving overseas. Even professional athletes began performing the dance. Overall: I have complicated feelings about this movie. The movie is not yet dead. It's still watchable. Check it out, if you want to.

you know,I'm a bit mystified.this sequel to the original has an even lower rating.for my money,this movie surpasses the first one.we have the three main characters,Richard and Larry(Jonathon Silverman,Andrew McCarthy)and of course,the dead guy,Bernie(Terry Kiser)however,the difference is this movie has a better story,and although it could still be called a black comedy,it has a lighter tone to it,and is hysterically funny quite often,thanks largely to Kiser,who brings a whole nother(i swear it's a real word)dimension to the dead guy.there are more pratfalls and physical comedy in this movie.there is a sort of running gag involvong Barry Bostwick's character,which is quite amusing.i won't say too much about the plot,except that it continues pretty much right from where the first one ended.also,this movie is not a rehash of the first,but rather goes in a different and very creative(in my mind)direction.as a matter of fact,i kinda was hoping a third one would be made,just to see what they could do with it.anyway,i give "Weekend at Bernie's 2" a strong 8./10

"The smell of a dead body." That is what I used to describe how bad this movie stunk. I can't believe they were actually considering a third installment based on how weak the premise was for this dud. Bernie is up moving around thanks to the workings of some voodoo doings. Just play the music and Bernie is on his feet and moving about! What a lousy concept. I was willing to dismiss the fact that Bernie would be smelling ripe and attracting the green flies, but to have him up and about at the sounds of reggae, that is just too much. Weekend at Bernies was no classic, but it was a funny movie that can be enjoyed for laughs. Weekend at Bernie's 2 just takes the whole concept a little too far. On a side note, MAD TV once did a trailer for a spoof called, "Weekend at Tupac's". That was funnier than Weekend At Bernies 2.