The Jerk
After discovering he isn’t truly black like the rest of his family, the amiable, bumbling Navin Johnson embarks on a riotously funny misadventure that sweeps him from rags to riches—and back again. The slapstick, good-natured fool strikes it rich, but life in the fast lane isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and in the end, what truly matters to Johnson is his one true love.
Director(s)
Rob Reiner
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Amazon Video
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Wuchak
***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
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The Jerk FAQs
Rob Reiner is the director of The Jerk.
The cast of The Jerk includes Pepe Serna as Punk #1, Ken Magee as Carnival Rube, William Schallert as Judge M.A. Loring, Dick O'Neill as Frosty, Carl Reiner as Carl Reiner the Celebrity, Gailard Sartain as Guy with Cracked Airplane Seats (uncredited), M. Emmet Walsh as Madman, Steve Martin as Navin R. Johnson, Benjie Bancroft as Bailiff (uncredited), Gene LeBell as Con Man, Lenny Montana as Con Man, Sonny Terry as Blues Singer, and more.
The duration of The Jerk is 1h 34 mins.
Yes. You can watch the The Jerk trailer on this Fanbiz page on Fanziz.
You can watch The Jerk on Amazon Video (Rent). Check this Fanbiz page for the latest platforms.
The Jerk was released on 14 Dec 1979.
The Jerk is listed under Comedy on Fanbiz.
The Jerk has 1 review on Fanziz, with an average rating of 7.0/10. One reviewer wrote: "***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..."
