AllMovie

Jet black and unrelentingly nihilistic with only a touch of sentiment, this comedy tells the story of a mildly retarded 30-year-old who leaves the orphanage where he was raised to learn the truth about his parents. In his mind, they died somewhat romantically, perhaps at the hands of the Mafia or maybe they were kidnapped.... The truth is, Bernie's impoverished parents left him to die in a project dumpster when he was only two weeks old. Eventually, after meeting assorted savory and unsavory characters, Bernie learns the truth and finds his parents. The reunion is horribly unpleasant and during a struggle, someone is raped and loses vital appendages. Later Bernie gets involved with a heroin addict trying to escape her tyrannical, jobless and crippled father.