"Bernie" is a dark comedy about a relationship in a small East Texas town between a fussy, but beloved assistant funeral home director (Black) and the town's domineering grande dame (MacLaine). The film is based on "Midnight in the Garden of East Texas, an article published in Texas Monthly magazine in 1998. The article chronicles the life of Bernie Tiede, who transformed the town of Carthage with his generosity and who then, to the disbelief of Carthage residents, was arrested for a serious crime".