Richard Linklater's most impressive accomplishment with Bernie , his 14th (or so) full-length feature, might well be wrangling the outsized persona of Jack Black into a distinct, watchable character. The success of this endeavor, beyond the considerable credit due to Mr. Black himself, may have something to do with the responsibility of portraying a living person. That living person, Bernie Tiede, happens to be serving a life sentence in Texas. In 1996, Tiede murdered his 81-year-old employer and companion, Marjorie Nugent. Among images of the real-life principals of the case we see during the closing credits is a photo of Black meeting Tiede. At the outset of Bernie , there is the faux folksiness of a title card which reads, "What you're fixin' to see is a true story." Given Mr. Linklater's typically impressive handling of actors, professional and amateur alike, as well as the gentle comedy which ensues, it's hard to say whether one should ta...