The Jerk

12/14/19791h 34m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ A rags to riches to rags story. ~

Overview:

After discovering he's not really black like the rest of his family, likable dimwit Navin Johnson sets off on a hilarious misadventure that takes him from rags to riches and back again. The slaphappy jerk strikes it rich, but life in the fast lane isn't all it's cracked up to be and, in the end, all that really matters to Johnson is his true love.

Director:

Carl Reiner

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$4,000,000.00

Revenue:

$100,000,000.00

Key words:

blow
neominstrelsy
phone book
sharecropper
tennis court

Cast

Steve Martin

~ as ~

Navin R. Johnson

Bernadette Peters

~ as ~

Marie Kimble Johnson

Catlin Adams

~ as ~

Patty Bernstein

Mabel King

~ as ~

Mother

Richard Ward

~ as ~

Father

Carl Gottlieb

~ as ~

Iron Balls McGinty

Dick Anthony Williams

~ as ~

Taj

Bill Macy

~ as ~

Stan Fox

M. Emmet Walsh

~ as ~

Madman

Dick O'Neill

~ as ~

Frosty

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

Wuchak
Written 6 year(s) ago
7
Steve Martin’s breakout comedy

A homeless mentally-challenged man (Steve Martin) shares his amusing tale of rags-to-riches-to-hobo with flashbacks. Catlin Adams plays a stunt rider at a carnival who has the hots for Navin (Martin) while Bernadette Peters plays a more important woman in his life.

“The Jerk” (1979) has several laugh-out-loud scenes like the eventual confrontation between Patty (Catlin) and Marie (Peters), but there are also some flat, overlong parts, like when Navin departs the mansion in the last act. “Forrest Gump” (1994) was obviously inspired by “The Jerk” and made a more serious, popular picture. Jim Carrey also took a lot of inspiration from Martin and “The Jerk” to forge the even funnier “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” (1994).

The movie runs 1 hour, 34 minutes and was shot in the Los Angeles area.

GRADE: B