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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    Weekend At Bernie's

    Featured In Issue 188, July/August 2014

    Picture4.5
    Sound4
    WSR Score4
    Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
    (Studio/Distributor):
    MGM Home Entertainment
    (Catalog Number):
    M130164
    (MPAA Rating):
    PG-13
    (Rating Reason):
    (Retail Price):
    $19.99
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Single Layer (BD-25)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    96
    (Color Type):
    Color
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    A
    (Theatrical Year):
    1989
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    05/06/14
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Ted Kotcheff
    (Screenplay/Written By):
    (Story):
    (Music):
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer):
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor):
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers):
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers):
    (Academy Awards):
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
    (Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
    (Disc Soundtrack):
    DTS HD Lossless 2.0
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
    (Italian Language):
    (German Language):
    (Portuguese Language):

    When Richard and Larry (Silverman and McCarthy) find a discrepancy in the company books and bring it to the attention of their boss, Bernie Lomax (Kiser), they are certain that someone is trying to defraud the company. They are immediately invited for a Weekend At Bernie's beach house, where they are under the impression that they are to go over the figures in private...but Bernie plans on having them murdered. When they arrive at Bernie's place, he's D.O.A. of an apparent drug overdose. But these two houseguests aren't going to let a dead guy ruin their great weekend at the beach! So they tote Bernie around, attempting to convince people that he is still alive to avoid suspicion for his death. If you can't still occasionally crack a smile at this movie, there's something wrong with your sense of humor. (Suzanne Hodges)

    There are no special features.

    The previously reviewed anamorphically enhanced 1.82:1 DVD picture in Issue 99 had a soft, dated look, with a hazy appearance that affected finer details. Colors were a bit muddy, and fleshtones often appeared reddish. Contrast seemed a bit low, but shadow delineation was adequate. The source element was revealing of artifacts and film grain. This latest remastered Blu-ray Disc™ release exhibits a vibrant bright and richly hued color palette without a trace of haziness or muddiness. Fleshtones appear perfectly natural throughout, with healthy hues. Resolution is excellent, with fine detail and sharpness exhibited throughout. Contrast is impressive, with deep, solid blacks and shadow delineation. The natural film grain enhances the cinematic quality, for a wonderful visual experience that is reference quality. (Gary Reber)

    While the previous Dolby® Digital Surround soundtrack was rather bright, with an over-exaggeration of the upper-mids that made it difficult to listen to at length, this new remastered DTS-HD Master Audio™ version sounds nicely balanced, though, there is never any real low end. When properly decoded, there is a decent sense of atmospheric ambiance that extends to the surrounds. Dialogue sounds natural, with excellent clarity. The music score by Police guitarist Andy Summers is pleasing and nicely recorded. The soundtrack can sound very thin and grainy, and occasional low-level, high-frequency hums can be distracting. The overall soundtrack is engaging. (Gary Reber)

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    Dick Lew
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