IMDb > The Jerk, Too (1984) (TV)

The Jerk, Too (1984) (TV) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
3.2/10   155 votes
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Director:
Michael Schultz
Writers:
Carl Gottlieb (character)
Steve Martin (character)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Jerk, Too on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
6 January 1984 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy more
Plot Keywords:
User Comments:
Comedy minus the comedy more (9 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Mark Blankfield ... Navin Johnson
Ray Walston ... Diesel
Robert Sampson ... Van Buren

Patricia Barry ... Mrs. Van Buren
Barrie Ingham ... Carl the Butler
Stacey Nelkin ... Marie Van Buren (as Stacey Nelkin)
Jean LeClerc ... Count Marco
Thalmus Rasulala ... Crossroads
Pat McCormick ... Dudley
Bill Saluga ... Shoes
Mabel King ... Mama Johnson
Lina Raymond ... Cheetah Johnson

William Smith ... Suicide
Peter Schrum ... Ugly Eddie (as Pete Schrum)

Lainie Kazan ... Card Player
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
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Runtime:
USA:95 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Finland:S
Company:
Share Productions more

Fun Stuff

Movie Connections:
Follows The Jerk (1979) more

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User Comments

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28 out of 33 people found the following comment useful.
Comedy minus the comedy, 5 February 2004
Author: Papa_Legpa (hallofeyes@aol.com) from United States

I can't believe this movie exists.

Me and my friends ran into it on TV and watched the whole thing.

This movie really does address problems of the first "Jerk". For example, the first Jerk didn't have enough silly crosseyed faces. Thankfully "the Jerk Too" makes up for this in plentiful amounts. Also the original "Jerk" had too many jokes. Luckily, "the Jerk Too" knows when to draw the line. The jokes fly by at about one every 20 minutes, whew, just enough time to catch your breath in between laughing so hard! At the crosseyed faces!

Why is this movie so dark? I don't mean grim or gothic. I mean they seemed to only have key lights and left out the fill lights. Every scene has pitch black backgrounds, where you can only see the actors in the foreground. Ever notice how movies with a lot of pitch black makes you want to go to sleep? Or at their best, make you feel like they are hiding something, something mysterious or scary. This is how the Jerk makes you feel -- sleepy and afraid.

The music is bizarre. The first half of the movie is a horrible 70s comedy soundtrack...wacky light hearted music that comes and goes whenever it feels like it. It usually covers up the long montages of city scapes that take up a lot of time in script-deprived films like this. BUT THEN the music starts turning more into an 80s sound...pumping bass and fake heavily reverbed drums. Very odd.

The most fascinating scene was the classic Hobos vs. Bum dramatic monologue towards the end of the movie. Sure, there aren't ANY jokes in this very long scene, SURE, it doesn't help further the plot, it has nothing to do with the main character, and it brings up issues that were otherwise completely absent from the rest of the film. But on it's own, without the context of the bad movie, it's a pretty interesting scenario. I just can't figure out what it's doing in this movie.

Basically when a bunch of hobos are together and planning a way to rescue the jerk, one hobo declares opposition to the plan. "Why should I help him, nobody helps us!" The lead hobo then goes on a VERY lengthy speech about the difference between a hobo and a bum. It is VERY repetitive and adds NOTHING NOTHING NOOOOOTHING to the film. IT'S SO WEIRD.

So to sum up : No jokes, no lights, a lot of "Hobo #3" character development in one scene.

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