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The Jerk (1979)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
14 December 1979 (USA) moreTagline:
From rags to riches... to rags. morePlot:
A complete imbecile struggles to make it through life on his own, until a strange invention makes him unbelievably wealthy. full summary | full synopsisNewsDesk:
(12 articles)
Apatow Credits Martin For Teenage Comedy Boost (From WENN. 21 May 2009, 6:30 PM, PDT)
Martin Shrugs Off Bad Reviews
(From WENN. 14 February 2009, 6:10 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Steve Martin Carries the Film to the Top moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Steve Martin | ... | Navin R. Johnson / Cat Juggler / Pig Eye Jackson / Engineer Fred (also as Pig Eye Jackson) | |
| Bernadette Peters | ... | Marie Kimble Johnson | |
| Catlin Adams | ... | Patty Bernstein | |
| Mabel King | ... | Mother | |
| Richard Ward | ... | Father | |
| Dick Anthony Williams | ... | Taj Jonson | |
| Bill Macy | ... | Stan Fox | |
| M. Emmet Walsh | ... | Madman | |
| Dick O'Neill | ... | Frosty | |
| Maurice Evans | ... | Hobart | |
| Helena Carroll | ... | Hester | |
| Ren Woods | ... | Elvira Jonson (as Ren Wood) | |
| Pepe Serna | ... | Punk #1 in Blue Chevy | |
| Sonny Terry | ... | Blues Singer | |
| Brownie McGhee | ... | Blues Singer (as Brownie McGee) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
94 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Iceland:L | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1980) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Norway:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PGFilming Locations:
Devonshire Downs - Devonshire Street at Zelzah Avenue, Northridge, Los Angeles, California, USA moreFun Stuff
Trivia:
Stanley Kubrick was a big admirer of this film. Stanley would often recite lines from the film to cast and crew on his films and he once invited Steve Martin over so they could play chess. moreGoofs:
Revealing mistakes: When the new phone books arrive, Navin finds his name on a right-hand page in the phone book. However, when the madman randomly chooses a name to be his victim, he points to Navin's name on a left-hand page. moreQuotes:
[first lines]Navin R. Johnson: Huh? I am not a bum. I'm a jerk. I once had wealth, power, and the love of a beautiful woman. Now I only have two things: my friends and... uh... my thermos. Huh? My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi.
more
Soundtrack:
Pick A Bale Of Cotton moreFAQ
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Steve Martin's out-of-this-world performance is the main calling card of this hilarious comedy. Martin stars as a moron who has been raised by a poor African-American family. One night after hearing some music on the radio, he decides that it is time for him to go find his place in the world. What follows is a poor man's "Forrest Gump". Martin gets into some odd situations and goes from the bottom of the social ladder, to the top, and then to the bottom again. This is a flat-out comedy that is a laugh-a-minute romp. 4 stars out of 5.