Funny / Bernie

• It's very Black Comedy but Danny Buck's scheme to catch deadbeat dads by arresting them during a "Keep your hands on the truck" competition is made hilarious by Matthew McConaughey's performance as the DA who is so un-apologetically pleased to see his scheme work.
• The "Texas is really five states" scene is particularly funny for those of us who actually live in Texas mainly because everything he says is pretty much spot on.
• A Carthage resident describes Miz Marjorie as the kind of woman who would "rip you a brand-new three-bedroom, two-bath, double-wide asshole" if crossed.
• There's a dark scene that shows the gory aftermath of a car crash and the students' terrified face... then it's revealed to be elaborately staged by the principal as a lesson against drunk driving, complete with an actor playing Death with his Scythe. Bernie, of course, takes one of the "corpses" and bemoans the loss of life. The actor of the corpse clearly tries to stifle a laugh.
• One of the biggest laughs in the movie is the Mood Whiplash as Bernie kneels on the floor the garage, begging God to bring Marjorie back to life and wailing "What will I do, what will I do?" Smash Cut to a close-up of Bernie's beaming face as he and his community theater troupe rehearse a full-costume performance of "Seventy-Six Trombones" from The Music Man.