The first "Weekend at Bernie's," released in 1989, stretched its one-joke premise to wire-thin extremes:

Two insurance employees (Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman) discover that their their boss, a thug named Bernie (Terry Kiser), has embezzled $2 million. They go to his lavish digs, where they witness his murder, and then spend the rest of the film trying to make it appear that he's not really dead.

As a result, the film overdoses on dead-guy-bonking-into-things gags but somehow does manage to get some laughs.

The sequel, imaginatively titled "Weekend at Bernie's II," never actually goes to Bernie's at all. But at least it's a two-joke movie.

In addition to the dead-guy-bonking-into-things gags, there is also a voodoo spell cast over Bernie, which causes him to get up and dance every time he hears music. This joke is also beaten into the ground . . . so to speak.

The biggest difference here, however, is that the sequel gets no laughs whatsoever.

Silverman and especially McCarthy seem even more stupid, sexist and obnoxious this time out, as they take Bernie's body to the Virgin Islands to look for the missing $2 million.

In pursuit is bungling insurance investigator Barry Bostwick, looking like a low-rent Frank Langella. But then, no one looks good in this picture.

At one point Bernie is shown dancing under the sea, an accurate metaphor for the film itself — which is also dead in the water.

"Weekend at Bernie's II" is rated PG for comic violence, profanity, vulgarity and plenty of female near-nudity on the beach.