Weekend at Bernie's II (1993) User Reviews

Goofy sequel. Very early 90's style.

[insomniac_rod · 5/10 · 26 July 2009]

This sequel was more goofy-humor oriented than the original that had tongue in cheek humor mixed with black comedy.

In this sequel you can't forget about quality because you will get insanity instead. There is no need to tell that the plot is a total joke that deals reviving Bernie with voodoo. Could that work?! Well, it does but the results are not very favorable. We get silly situations mixed with the main character's stupidity surrounded by a goofy vibe.

This sequel should only be recommended for HUGE fans of the original. If not, stay away from it because it's not even half as funny as the original.

At least, Jonathan Silverman, Andrew McCarthy and Terry Kiser are back. They're the best thing from this almost-mess.

If nostalgia is a common denominator in your film experience, then you should watch it; otherwise, it should be kept as an obscure sequel.

Disappointing

[melsonv · 6/10 · 9 May 2002]

I watched this film for only one reason, which was that the original was fantastic. This story had a lot of potential which wasn't really used at all. Without as many laughs, and quite a bad story, I found this movie rather a let down. It was occasionally funny in places, but it's nothing special, and over all, disappointing. Stay with the first movie, it's much, much better.

Maximum antics, minimum laughter

[StevePulaski · 4/10 · 31 May 2011]

Bernie hasn't changed much since we saw him last. He is still deader than a doornail in Weekend at Bernie's II. After one very solid comedy, its name is now tainted with a sequel leaching off of it. Not a bad sequel, but far from a good one. After finishing the first film, I picked up the DVD for the sequel and thought "A sequel that comes four years after the first one, about the same dead guy? How the hell will they explain that one?" Well, this time the insurance clerks Richard and Larry (McCarthy and Silverman) are using their dead boss Bernie (Kiser) to find $2 million dollars in the U.S. Virgin Islands. After being resurrected by two voodoo artists, Bernie walks towards the treasure whenever music is played. His bow-legged, slumped over style of walking when dead has spawned a dance called Move it like Bernie.

Turns out the mob and a representative from the insurance company want this money too. So Rich and Larry need to get there before the money is stolen. It's the classic maximum antics, minimum laughter sort of the deal. Numerous events and antics keep happening minute after minute. But only one in five appear to be somewhat funny.

I must compare Weekend at Bernie's II to Dream a Little Dream 2. Both of the sequels were made years after the first to try to cash in on the first movie success. While both sequels aren't very good, at least Dream a Little Dream's sequel makes a bit more sense for existing since it's a comedy. With this, it's about two goofballs propping up a dead man and dragging him around like he is alive. Material wears thin and reality catches up. I find it hard to believe the girl in the conga line didn't notices he stinks.

The most fun I had was the end chase scene through the forest preserve, and even some scenes were sporadically funny. Seeing McCarthy and Silverman portray the characters they started was another amusing thing. Not to mention some great music to tie the film together. But ultimately, this film needs a reality check, a humor check, and a reason check. It doesn't satisfy enough to meet comedy minimums.

Starring: Andrew McCarthy, Johnathan Silverman, and Terry Kiser. Directed by: Robert Klane.

Seriously did the first movie need a sequel at all?

[Aaron1375 · 3/10 · 14 February 2010]

Andrew McCarthy and Silverman are back and in desperate need of a paycheck which is the only reason they could have ever wanted to appear in a sequel that was not needed or should have been made. The first film ended, the man was dead, the story was over, but they somehow create a very flimsy premise to bring everyone's favorite corpse back from the dead yet again. Yes, he is sort of brought back from the dead in this one as he walks yet again anytime he hears music, basically a zombie that does not crave human flesh, but music. The two dudes from the last movie are back too, and this time they may as well be criminals as they basically want to steal Bernie's corpse to try and access some stuff as Bernie may have some money hidden somewhere. They may as well be bad guys with their motives in this one. There are two guys who use voodoo to reawaken Bernie and a voodoo lady who puts a curse on them. Yes, it is as bad as all that. Still, there are a couple of laughs to be found here and there, just not enough to make this a good or okay or tolerable movie to watch. Like I said before, some movies should not have sequels to them and this is most certainly one of them. The first one was rather enjoyable to me, but even then they seemed to be stretching the premise thin, here it just breaks apart as the whole zombie thing is simply ludicrous.

Not The Best But Not That Bad Either!

[darkmanishere990 · 7/10 · 18 March 2006]

First of all, let me say that the first "Weeeknd At Bernie's" is a tough movie to "follow up." The premise (while by the end of the first movie it may have seemed worn out) was fresh for its time and the humor was totally there. As for the sequel, I was glad to see Richard and Larry still hanging out together. It was also nice to see that their characters didn't change much. Richard was still the brains behind the operation and Larry was still as crazy as ever. Yes the plot was kind of silly (to put it mildly) and the whole voo-doo thing was kind of lame. However, the 2 people chasing Larry and Richard added some new humor to this film that the first movie kind of lacked. Who made the movie? Well Bernie DUH! Bernie provides lots of good laughs with his silly dancing, and even though he is dead, he brought lots of life to this movie at times. Beyond that, the music in this film really helped it along. With the music, it really made you wish you could go on a vacation wherever the boys were at. To put it another way, the music REALLY helped this film. While this movie isn't the greatest comedy ever, it really does not deserve all the horrible things people say about it. Richard, Larry and Bernie make this film worth watching at least once. Now if only they would have made a soundtrack to go with the movie. And before you ask, yes the music was that good! :)

lifeless

[mcfly-31 · 23 July 1999]

What an awful follow up. Sure, you want the Bernie character lifeless but not his script. Klane, who wrote the first, does the same here and gets to direct. Camerawork is not his problem, its his laughless dialogue, something he had no trouble with in part 1. Here he depends too much on slamming Bernie about in a variety of ways. He gives McCarthy and Silverman no goofy lines to go along with the visual stuff like last time. The only real gag that netted a chuckle from me was the "Bernie Boogie," at least thats what I called it. When Kiser hears music his body starts moving about in a silly dance. But aside from that theres not much here.

How low can you go?

[SnoopyStyle · 2/10 · 15 December 2013]

It's right after the first movie, and Bernie (Terry Kiser) is now in the morgue. Larry (Andrew McCarthy) and Richard (Jonathan Silverman) is suspected of colluding with Bernie by the company's investigator Arthur Hummel (Barry Bostwick), and are fired. Meanwhile a couple of bad guys try to use Voodoo to get the $2million. They reanimate Bernie but only when rhythmic music is playing. Then they lose Bernie on the subway, and he's returned back to the morgue. At the same time, Larry and Richard discover where Bernie hid the money. Only Bernie needs to get it from the bank in person. That when they decide to get Bernie from the morgue....

The first one was a one joke comedy, and it was only passably funny. This one is even less than that. The only funny thing is the sight of Terry Kiser bopping around at the sound of the music. That last about 2 seconds. Then it gets stupider and stupider. This was never a smart franchise. I'm not talking about the characters, but rather the comedy. It's a one joke concept without much to back it up. But the stupidity in this movie really piles up. For example, it seems much more simpler to just try to pretend to be Bernie instead of dragging his dead body to the bank. It never quite improves.

Reality Check

[Hollywood_Yoda · 7/10 · 1 May 2019]

To all the reviewers who gave this film negative reviews and said it wasn't as good as the first, I'm sorry to say that you are wrong. It wasn't supposed to be like the first film at all. This film was meant to be more slapstick funny. I'll admit, it was low-brow humor, but it was still very funny.

Some of the plot devices didn't seem right, but until you watch the film in it's entirety and don't compare it to the original right away, it has it's good parts. The only part that didn't make much sense to me, until later, was the harpoon gun under the ocean. It took a few minutes to figure out why, but it gave a lot of laughs afterward.

sequel surpasses the original and moves in a very different direction

[disdressed12 · 8/10 · 29 April 2007]

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

Enjoyable film

[mjf-76239 · 7/10 · 8 February 2017]

I can't understand why the score for this movie is so low, if one were to watch Weekend at Bernie's 2 you would assume they watched and enjoyed the first. The second is a very similar style to the first and provides some good laughs through out. The main thing I like about this film is the fact that unlike a lot of sequels we pick up right where the first left off, none of this skipping forward in time nonsense. The three leads are brilliant, however I felt there were slightly less one liners in this one, which was a shame as my favourite aspect of the first was basically any joke that came out of Larry's mouth. Overall I would say if you loved the first one you will at the very least enjoy this film and if you weren't so keen probably give this one a miss. A strong 7/10

Andrew McCarthy in His Youth Guarantees a Bad Movie

[nafps · 1/10 · 3 September 2022]

Like so many of the 80s Brat Pack, he started off with zero to little talent, zero acting or comedic skills. He got by on his looks, being cute in a bland non threatening way, and that's it.

Any film of his in the 80s or 90s was awful, awful, just awful, and this one is no exception. Jokes you can predict hours before they happen, all of them unfunny, and liked only by the heavily stoned or people who think early Jim Carrey or that "Ernest Goes to..." guy were too intellectual for their liking.

It was only in this century, once his looks were gone, that he finally bloomed as an actor. See him on anything post 2000, but skip films like this embarassing garbage.

...............

It was funny, but I have seen funnier.

[strangegirl_2005 · 21 April 2003]

I thought it was funny when Bernie was dancing around without people knowing that he was dead. That is the only reason I remember that movie. It was okay. I am not too critical of comedies, because most are simply designed to make us laugh, and if they succeed without being overly cruel or vulgar, they are generally not bad movies to watch.

Full of more terrible ideas than any other movie in history. However, that might be the point.

[deputydoofus · 1/10 · 1 February 2000]

This has to be the most terrible movie EVER made. How terrible could it be? Well think of the first movie, think of a sequel that has no reason to exist. Add voodoo, chase scenes involving stealing the corpse, and a conga line with Bernie in the front. Think of the most terrible acting in history, irritatingly bad music, and the lack of any sort of a basic plotline. Oh, it's worse. It's much, much worse.

OK, they threw in the jokes that worked in the first one, most concerning the complete abuse of the corpse. However, this movie threw other ideas that don't make sense, such as voodoo for no particular reason whatsoever. This movie is particularly hilarious if you miss the scene where Bernie has voodoo stuff done to him. The scenes involving the dancing Bernie are so hilarious for no other reason besides they are so stupid.

Not only does it have one terrible idea, but it will surprise you with how many terrible ideas it was able to come up with. There ends up being about 8 different plotlines that make no sense, and you have no idea what the movie is about or where it is going.

This movie is terrible in every conceivable way. Why does the voodoo only make Bernie dance? Why did they bring Bernie to Hawaii? In the first movie, at least they were fearing for their lives. The scenes that involve acting are the most boring and show how terrible the actors really are. And it certainly is conceivable that Lysol will certainly make a corpse smell minty fresh. And think of how abused the corpse must the corpse be. They appear to have absolutely no respect for the dead. However, if you miss a couple of key scenes, this movie will provide the most uncontrollable laughs in your life. There are even a few genuine laughs as well, particularly those that include the mortician. Characters like him seem to know how terrible the movie is. They seem to know what the audience is thinking and base the laughs around that.

They must have known how terrible this concept was from the beginning, so they had to make it as terrible in every conceivable way. If I gave someone an assignment to make the worst movie ever made, and they came back with this movie, I'd pat them on the back and give them an A+.

My rating: 6/10(for it's camp value, and the laughs I had during my first viewing.)

What was the point?

[MoreThanAFan · 2/10 · 23 March 2010]

Weekend At Bernies (Part 1) has always been one of my all time favorite dreadful movies.. i class it as one of those films that are so tacky, they are kind of great...... Which is more than i can say for this sequel!

I just don't get the point of it. There is nothing new or different about this movie.. they achieved nothing by making a second film..

All i can think is, They thought a lot of money was to be made by making this... I wonder if it was worth it?

I guess if you'd never seen the original, this film would be OKAY.. In a bad way!... but as a follow up to the original.. it just kinda sucks.

Worst film I've ever seen

[do_you_know_who_i_am · 1/10 · 27 April 2002]

Words cannot express how poor this film is.

There is no plot, the acting is appalling, basically the whole film is the same joke, that Bernie comes to life when music plays, repeated over and over again.

With a running time of 97 minutes, it's about 95 minutes too long.

It might have been OK as a short sketch on a comedy show, but the premise is way too flimsy to work for that amount of time without boredom kicking in.

The guy who plays the corpse works very hard, but this really is a poor film, even by American standards.

Not awful.

[TheOneThatYouWanted · 7/10 · 21 January 2024]

This movie is better than the current ranking. Worth a watch.

Is this movie worth watching? Yes, if you watched the first.

How was the plot? Funny.

Was the budget enough? Yes.

What is this movie saying about our world? Lol.

What is your emotional response to this movie? Laughing.

What did this movie make me feel? Like watching another comedy. Smile.

What moments, character, or ideas resonated with me while watching this movie? The dancing.

What thoughts does this movie spark in me? A smile.

What themes are present in this movie? Death.

Why would someone want to watch this film? To laugh.

The word 'lame' doesn't even begin to describe it.

[slam163 · 1/10 · 16 September 1999]

It's tempting to view this film as a daring avant-garde experiment. I like to think that the director was trying to see if it was possible to take all the conventions of comedy film and produce something that was completely, utterly, entirely unfunny.

The answer, to judge by "A Weekend at Bernie's II", is a resounding 'Yes'. This may not be the worst film I've ever seen, but my brain seems to have repressed all memory of the others. "Weekend" hovers just on the borderline; bad enough that the thought still causes pain, but not quite so bad that my internal censors have obliterated it from my consciousness.

The plot involves a walking corpse, two protagonists who might just as well be walking corpses, a collection of villains who suffer a succession of 'comic' mishaps, and a pretty girl with nice breasts. There's some voodoo involved, a tropical location, and some money which all the characters (including the dead one) want to get their hands on. It's basically just a weak rehash of the standard hidden money and awkward unwanted object plots (in this case the awkward unwanted object is a dead body that exhibits rather more life than anyone else on the set), and primarily serves as a means to string together a series of slapstick set pieces. The slapstick is both entirely predictable and unfunny, and the humor as a whole seems to be pitched at the low end of the fourteen-year old level (i.e. 'smut lite' and people getting hit in the balls).

It's difficult for me to imagine what the director and the cast thought they were doing when they made this, or why they went ahead and released it once they'd made it. I doubt anyone involved with it earned very much, but surely between them they could have got together enough money to buy up all the prints and have them burned.

This is a movie that has nothing whatsoever to recommend it. It's not even enjoyably bad. It's just a non-movie in which nothing interesting or funny happens. I gave serious thought to walking out, which is not something I often do. If I'd seen it in a cinema, rather than on a long-distance bus doing a steady 60mph through the Mexican desert, I might even have done so...

Why?

[MovieFan983 · 6/10 · 16 January 1999]

Did it really need a sequel?? The answer is no, but although it wasn't needed, it was still funny sometimes, and i liked it somewhat. 6 out of 10. Rated PG for language and brief nudity.

Silly, funny and fun

[bavis12 · 10/10 · 17 January 2004]

Don't take this comedy seriously, it's a laugh a minute and has beautiful scenery. I love this movie. Follows the story of the first with two quys that still want Bernies money, but now he's dead. Doesn't matter they still take him along. With there screw-ups and the VooDoo and it's a laugh all the way through.

Good, fun...

[RosanaBotafogo · 7/10 · 9 March 2021]

Not as good as the first one, despite using the same formula, or probably the lag of almost 30 years does not help much, but the scenes of the dancing dead are hilarious, great performance by Terry Kiser, and his dancing bootie...

The smell of a dead body.

[magellan333 · 1/10 · 1 January 2006]

"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.

This is how bad this movie is...

[goosepoop357 · 30 July 2004]

I ordered a large pizza tonight from a well known pizza place (that will remain nameless to save its reputation) that was offering a free DVD with the pizza. So, from the limited selection, I decided on Weekend At Bernie's 2.

The DVD came in a paper sleeve. Not even a plastic jewel case. After watching it I realized that the movie didn't even deserve the sleeve. THAT'S how bad this movie is.

The premise is stupid, the dialogue is bad, and not even the slap-stick humor performed on a corpse was even smirk invoking. Others have said that the only laugh they got from this movie was when Bernie was dancing. Stand in front of the mirror and dance around like a complete moron. Do you make yourself laugh? Then you STILL won't like this movie. It's awful, absolutely awful.

As far as the careers of the people involved, just ask yourself one question: where are they now?

If you can answer that question, then you'll understand how bad this movie is.

Watching this movie is like having gangrene infect my eyes. Spare yourself the anguish. Let it collect dust in the video store and rent ANYTHING else.

No stars.

Shake Your Groove Thing, Bernie

[gavin6942 · 5/10 · 18 September 2006]

If you saw the first film (and why would you watch the second if not the first), you know this movie is about two guys who have a dead friend named Bernie, who they like to cart around in order to attract women. Now they are also joined by two men from the Virgin Islands who turn Bernie into a zombie.

The people I was watching this film with generally thought it was awful. I thought it was mildly entertaining. Of course, I was drunk and distracted by those around me (including some attractive young ladies). But unlike the guys in the movie, I couldn't impress my guests with a dead corpse.

Why did I like this movie? Well, every time the Virgin Islands men played music, the corpse of Bernie would do a little dance and walk around. I found this very interesting: a zombie Bernie! I don't know if it was voodoo or Santeria (guess I missed that part), but it was pretty much the only angle you could go with a sequel, unless you wanted a rotten, smelly decomposed thing being dragged around. And I liked it! They made the witchmen lovable and humorous! I could write a better review if I hadn't been drinking or being distracted by young ladies, but the general impression I got was that this film was fun and I really liked it. I would gladly watch it again or even watch a Bernie double feature.

Lost "Weekend"....

[Mister-6 · 1/10 · 25 September 1999]

Peter Wolf (former lead singer for The J. Geils Band) did the music for "Weekend at Bernie's II".

And he isn't the only one that's hard-up.

The only reason this particular sequel was made, I'll wager, is because they thought of some more "funny" jokes they could do with dead bodies. Too bad they couldn't think of anything good to do with the living ones.

No one, not McCarthy, Silverman, Beyer, Bostwick or James (remember him in the "American Ninja" movies? Long time ago, huh?) comes off very well. Not even as time wasters in-between the "comic" moments when Bernie (Kiser) is manipulated by voodoo or other means.

I thought the first film was bad enough, but it might as well be "Battleship Potemkin" compared to "II".

How bad is it?

Not even Jamaica looks good here.

That bad.

No stars. No, I won't do it.

Now will someone PLEASE bury Bernie before he makes another sequel??!?!!

A disappointment after the first.

[CrimsonRoger · 4/10 · 25 October 2003]

Okay. I have to admit that the first Weekend at Bernie's had to be one of the funniest inane movies I had seen to date. It was delightful in it's simplicity. It did not have a moral (really) or a point (really) or much of anything else for that matter. The only important thing is that it made me laugh uproariously.

Weekend II was well, disappointing. It WAS funny but not the side splitting laughter achieved in Weekend I, mostly, I believe, because most of the basic pranks had already been done, to death... pardon the pun. There was really nothing unexpected aside from Bernie's sudden hiccups of locomotion.