Bernie

Say what you will about the hit-or-miss quality of Richard Linklater’s career, but the guy seems to do his best work in Texas.

The filmmaker who rose to prominence with Austin-based cult favorites Slacker and Dazed and Confused during the 1990s knows how to portray that combination of small-town quirks and goofy Western charm that only the Lone Star State can offer.

Linklater returns to his home state with the endearing comedy Bernie, which is based on a true story almost too outrageous to believe.

Jack Black stars as Bernie Tiede, a mortician in the eastern Texas town of Carthage who is beloved by the locals because of his civic and church involvement. He strikes up an unlikely companionship with Marjorie (Shirley MacLaine), an affluent widow with an aggressive distaste for the world.

Her trust for Bernie leads him to eventually become her caretaker and personal assistant, which earns Bernie a share of her fortune but also turns into a full-time chore. Then the old lady turns up dead, and the county district attorney (Matthew McConaughey) turns to Bernie as the prime suspect. It only gets weirder from there.

Linklater collaborated on the screenplay with journalist Skip Hollandsworth, who chronicled the true-life exploits of Tiede in a Texas Monthly magazine article.

The film makes smart use of the mock-documentary style that includes direct-to-camera commentary by several Carthage residents and others who knew Tiede. To what degree these folks are portrayed by real actors is irrelevant. They’re frequently hilarious as they disseminate gossip and conspiracy theories regarding the scandal.

Meanwhile, Black (who also successfully teamed with Linklater in The School of Rock) offers a toned-down portrayal that ranks as one of his best, proving his versatility as an actor when he’s given material with some depth. He gives Bernie a mix of strength and vulnerability, able to mask a troubled soul with a persuasive and outgoing personality to the point where his exact intentions are never clear.

Bernie is a modest effort that needs a darker and edgier approach. Instead, it’s most noteworthy for it rural eccentricities more than anything.

The low-budget film has a very regional feel, and some of its peculiarities might be dismissed or scoffed at by audiences outside Texas. But the mystery and characters at its center are amusing regardless of geography.

Rated PG-13, 104 minutes.