Weekend at Bernie's (1989)

"Bernie Lomax would be the perfect host except for one small thing . . . He's dead".

Richard (Jonathan Silverman) and Larry (Andrew McCarthy) discover that "someone" is stealing money from the company they work for in New York. They take the proof to their boss and CEO Bernie Lomax. Bernie decides to repay them for their hard work and offers them a Labor Day Weekend getaway to his beach house in Hampton Island. Ready for fun and sun, the boys trade in their tacky suits and ties for plaid Bermudas (back in style right now) and cool shades. Shortly after popping open a bottle of champagne and meeting a hot, thonged next door neighbor, Richard and Larry find their host permanently passed out. While the serious Richard attempts to call the cops, the wild and reckless Larry begs to enjoy their vacation first. Rich neighbors begin drifting into the house drinking, partying, and talking "to" Bernie. No one even realizes he's dead!

Bernie hangs out with the boys for the weekend--including parties, boat rides, the beach, the pool, and even romance with the opposite sex. After Bernie's woman leaves his bedroom singing and laughing--satiated, Larry exclaims, "He gets laid more dead than I do alive". And staying alive is what the boys try to do for the rest of the movie while avoiding Paulie the thug, who wants to ensure that Bernie and "his friends" are really dead. This dark comedy relies on the talented, drop-dead acting of Terry Kiser, aka Bernie and the slapstick duo of McCarthy and Silverman. McCarthy, from Class, Pretty in Pink, and Less than Zero fame, takes on a different role from the preppy-hottie to messy-goof ball and succeeds. The one downfall of the movie is the lack of a soundtrack. There is a lot of Caribbean music that carries the scenes with ease, but it becomes too much at times. This was a missed opportunity to utilize the great hair-bands and rockers of this era. A bit of trivia: Fans of Friends will remember that this was Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) favorite movie of all time, although she was a little embarrassed to admit it. One of the last great movies of the 80s, Weekend at Bernie's is timeless. Check out the Weekend at Bernie's trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1str-3iRSw.