Reel to Real Movie and TV Locations: Weekend At Bernie's (1989)

Weekend At Bernie's is a hilarious black comedy from the late '80s. Uptight Richard and laid-back Larry uncover insurance fraud at their company. Grateful for the find, their boss Bernie invites them to his totally awesome beach house Labor Day weekend for fun in the sun. Turns out Bernie is behind the fraud and is offed by the thugs he's associated with. Richard and Larry spend the rest of the weekend passing Bernie off as alive to enjoy what was promised to them. Misunderstandings and hilarity ensue, especially the waterskiing scene, which still makes me laugh out loud. And we'll just pretend the sequel remains six feet under.

Fun Bernie Fact: "Bawnie's" girlfriend played Vera in Friday the 13th Part III (1982) while Bawnie himself played Dr. Crews in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

Weekend At Bernie's was filmed in New York, NY and Wrightsville Beach, Kure Beach and Bald Heald Island, NC

Location: Richard & Larry Meet Up For Work
Address: Central Park West at 72nd St, New York, NY

Location: The Attempted Mugging
Address: Gapstow Bridge, Central Park, New York, NY (enter at E 61st)

Location: Richard & Larry Walk to Work
Address: Conservatory Water, Central Park, New York, NY (enter at E 72nd St)

Minus the water...

This area is also seen in Cruel Intentions (1999), Stepmom (1998) and Gimme A Break! (1981-1987)

Location: Richard & Larry Grab Lunch
Address: Park Avenue at 52nd St, New York, NY

Location: Richard & Larry "Catch" Ferry
Address: Bridge Tender Marina, Wrightsville Beach, NC

This area is also seen later when Larry and Richard leave on Bernie's boat and throw the anchor. I was pressed for time, so I didn't get to the other side, but it looks the building on the far left in the photo below is where they speed past in the Porshe golf cart...

It is also speculated that Bernie "waterskiing" was filmed around this area as well...

To catch the ferry to "Hampton Island," which is really Bald Head Island, NC, you need to travel about an hour south to The Southport Ferry Terminal located at 1650 Ferry Road in Southport, NC. If you're a fan of I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), be sure to check out those locations before you board...

My ferry ride was not as exciting as Larry and Richard's...

But on the ride back, the sky looked really cool...

Location: Hampton Island Dock
Address: 1301 Ferry Road SE, Bald Head Island, NC Bald Head Island Ferry Landing

The lighthouse is hidden by the trees, so you can get a better comparison shot on the dock...

After docking, you'll soon come to where Bernie parks the most prestigious golf cart...

Location: Bernie Lomax's House
Address: 1610 Fort Fisher Blvd, Kure Beach, NC Fort Fisher State Recreation Area

The most popular location from Weekend At Bernie's is obviously Bernie's house. But if you go looking for it, you'll never find it. The pimped- out 80's dwelling bathed in pastel was built specifically for the movie and torn down right afterwards. Kure Beach is about a half hour south of Wrightsville Beach, where Larry and Richard catch the ferry. Since I had a long list of locations to hit, I didn't bother heading down since the exact spot isn't known and I'd be taking a picture of open land, but maybe on the next trip...

Location: The Lighthouse
Address: 101 Light House Wynd, Bald Head Island, NC Bald Head Island Lighthouse

The top floor of the lighthouse was under construction so I couldn't go up any further...

Location: Bernie's Neighbor's House
Address: South Bald Head Wynd & Starrush Trail, Bald Head Island, NC

Thanks to the woman who works at the lighthouse, I was clued in to another location - Bernie's neighbor who painted the Mazarati black for him. It's on South Bald Head Wynd, the main road around the island. So I rented a bike (you might want to shell out a few more bucks and rent a golf cart) and headed out there...