The Jerk (1979)

★ 6.9 1h 34m IMDb
Comedy

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.

The Jerk

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Cast

Steve Martin
Steve Martin as Navin R. Johnson Age 80 · Waco, Texas, USA Stephen Glenn 'Steve' Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer. He was born in Waco, Texas, and raised in Southern California,...
Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters as Marie Kimble Johnson Age 78 · Queens, New York City, New York, USA Bernadette Peters (born February 28, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, per...
Catlin Adams
Catlin Adams as Patty Bernstein Age 75 · Los Angeles, California, USA Catlin Adams (born Nira Barab; October 11, 1950) is an American actress, acting coach and film director..
Mabel King
Mabel King as Mother Died 1999 · Charleston, South Carolina, USA Mabel Elizabeth King (née Washington; December 25, 1932 - November 9, 1999) was an American actress and singer. She is known for her role as Mabel "Mama" Thomas on the ABC sitcom What's Happening!! fr...
Richard Ward
Richard Ward as Father Died 1979 · Glenside, Pennsylvania, US Richard Ward, (March 15, 1915 – July 1, 1979) was a gravel-voiced African American actor on the stage, television, and in films, from 1949 until his death. Though best known through his TV appearances...
Director Carl Reiner
Cast Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams, Mabel King, Richard Ward, Carl Gottlieb, Dick Anthony Williams, Bill Macy, M. Emmet Walsh, Dick O'Neill

Audience Reviews

Wuchak 7/10 Feb 25, 2019
***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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