The Jerk (1979)

6.9 ? Dec 14, 1979 1h 34m

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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.

Overview

Genres

Comedy

Release Date

December 14, 1979

Rating

6.9 /10

Runtime

1h 34m

Official Trailer from YouTube

Steve Martin

Navin R. Johnson

Bernadette Peters

Marie Kimble Johnson

Catlin Adams

Patty Bernstein

Mabel King

Mother

Richard Ward

Father

Carl Gottlieb

Iron Balls McGinty

Dick Anthony Williams

Taj

Bill Macy

Stan Fox

M. Emmet Walsh

Madman

Dick O'Neill

Frosty

Maurice Evans

Hobart

Helena Carroll

Hester

Ren Woods

Elvira

Pepe Serna

Punk #1

Sonny Terry

Blues Singer

Brownie McGhee

Blues Singer

Jackie Mason

Harry Hartounian

Sharon Johansen

Lenore Hartounian

Gene LeBell

Con Man

Carl Reiner

Carl Reiner the Celebrity

Wuchak

7.0/10

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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