The Jerk (1979)

A simpleminded, sheltered country boy suddenly decides to leave his family home to experience life in the big city, where his naivete is both his best friend and his worst enemy.

Director:

Carl Reiner

Writers:

Steve Martin (screenplay), Carl Gottlieb (screenplay)

Stars:

Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steve Martin	...	Navin / Cat Juggler (as Pig Eye Jackson also)
Bernadette Peters	...	Marie
Catlin Adams	...	Patty Bernstein
Mabel King	...	Mother
Richard Ward	...	Father
Dick Anthony Williams	...	Taj
Bill Macy	...	Stan Fox
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Madman
Dick O'Neill	...	Frosty
Maurice Evans	...	Hobart
Helena Carroll	...	Hester
Renn Woods	...	Elvira (as Ren Wood)
Pepe Serna	...	Punk #1
Sonny Terry	...	Blues Singer
Brownie McGhee	...	Blues Singer (as Brownie McGee)

Storyline

Navin is an idiot. He grew up in Mississippi as the adopted son of a black family, but on his 18th birthday he feels he wants to discover the rest of the world and sets out for St. Louis. There everyone exploits his naivete, until a simple invention brings him a fortune.

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Plot Keywords:

fish out of water | eyeglasses | mississippi | told in flashback | cat juggling | 

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Taglines:

He was a poor black sharecropper's son who never dreamed he was adopted.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bill Murray filmed a cameo that was deleted. On the Saturday, December 15th, 1979 broadcast of Saturday Night Live (1975), Murray jokingly reviewed The Jerk (1979), saying: "I was in the movie but cut out of it. That doesn't influence my opinion. The movie is a dog. There's something missing. I don't know who it is, I can't say."

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Goofs

When Navin fills up the tank of the lowriders' car, he leaves the hose in the car and walks away. When he returns, the hose has been replaced back on the gas pump.

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Quotes

[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...

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Crazy Credits

Pig Eye Jackson - Cat Juggler (Steve Martin)

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Alternate Versions

On many commercial-TV airings, much of Patty's sexually suggestive dialog is edited out completely.

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Connections

Referenced in Flash Forward: Funny Like Me (1997)

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Soundtracks

Pick A Bale Of Cotton
Sung by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (as Brownie McGee)
Words and Music by Leadbelly (as Huddie Ledbetter)
Collected and Adapted by John A. Lomax and Alan Lomax

User Reviews

Paved The Way For Stupid Comedy On Film For Decades To Come

After watching the recent Martin & Short net released performance I felt it was time to revisit Martin's first foray into film, The Jerk. At the time The Jerk first dropped Martin was on a roll. The film continued that. A unique piece of celluloid humor whose audience was, shall we say, generous. It is somewhat hard to imagine the time now, but Martin plugged into it. This is a comedy that actually did well in the mainstream at the time and went on to become a bit of cultish type thing. That is to say it doesn't really age well in many ways, but there's Martin at the center. Then and now he makes it a movie to watch. He's completely unique and absolutely irreverent for any time. Watching him is like watching a one-off talent. He put many of his already successful stand-up gags plus delved deeper. The supporting cast was just as edgy with a nice fit. This is one stupid movie making absolutely no apologies. If you in for a cent, you're in for a pound...meaning if in the first ten minutes if you get it then you're going to be watching to the end with those little belly laughs that drop like rain. So, in the end, this many years later this is a film for those with the broadest sense of humor. Those who celebrate crazed stupidity as a form of brilliance. I'd say it was somewhat important as it paved the way for more modern comedies like the Farrrely Brothers later made. Not a film for the masses anymore, if you're a fan of obtuse comedy it definitely warrants another watch.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 December 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Jerk

Filming Locations:

N Rosemead Blvd & N Halstead St, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,935,025, 16 December 1979

Gross USA:

$73,691,419

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$73,691,419

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Aspen Film Society

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min 34 min (Super 8-version in 2 parts)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1