The Jerk
Tags: absurd, cult, entertaining

Plot synopsis:
Navin R. Johnson, a homeless man, directly addresses the camera and tells his story. He is the adopted white son of African American sharecroppers, who grows to adulthood naïvely unaware of his obvious adoption. He stands out in his family not just because of his skin color but because of his utter lack of rhythm when his adopted family plays spirited blues music. One night, he hears the staid Roger Wolfe Kahn Orchestra song called "Crazy Rhythm" on the radio and his feet spontaneously begin to move with the urge to dance; he sees this as a calling and decides to hitchhike to St. Louis, from where the song was broadcast. On the way, he stops at a motel, where a dog wakes him up by barking at his door. Navin thinks the dog is trying to warn of a fire. He wakes up the other hotel guests to rescue them, but everyone realizes it was a false alarm.
Navin gets a job (and a place to sleep) at a gas station owned by Mr. Harry Hartounian. He is thrilled to find that he is listed in the local phone book, as his name is "in print" for the first time. Not long after, a gun-wielding lunatic randomly flips through the phone book and picks "Johnson, Navin R." as his next victim. As the madman watches through his rifle scope, waiting for a clear shot, Navin fixes the slippery glasses of a customer, Stan Fox, by adding a handle and a nose brake. Fox offers to split the profits 50/50 with Navin if he can market the invention, then departs. Seizing his chance, the crazed sniper shoots but misses. The lunatic chases Navin to a traveling carnival, where Navin hides out, eventually getting a job with SJM Fiesta Shows as a weight guesser. While employed there, Navin meets an intimidating daredevil biker named Patty Bernstein and has a sexual relationship with her, finally realizing what his "special purpose" (his mother's euphemism for his penis) is for. He then meets a woman named Marie and arranges a date with her. Patty confronts them, but Marie knocks her out. While courting, Navin and Marie walk along the beach and sing "Tonight You Belong to Me"; Navin plays the ukulele and Marie the cornet. Navin and Marie fall in love, but Marie reluctantly leaves him because of his lack of financial security. She writes a note and slips out while Navin is in the bath.
At an emotional and financial low, Navin is soon contacted by Stan Fox with exciting news: his glasses invention, now called the Opti-Grab, is selling big and he is entitled to half of the profits. Now extremely rich, he finds and marries Marie, and they buy an extravagant mansion. Their life becomes one of splendor and non-stop partying. However, a motion-picture director (Carl Reiner, playing himself) files a class action lawsuit against Navin. Reiner claims that the Opti-Grab caused his eyes to be crossed and his resulting poor vision caused the death of a stunt driver in the film he was directing. Nearly ten million other people have the same vision complaint (including the judge and jury foreman), and are awarded $10 million in damages. Bankrupt, depressed, and now homeless, he is abandoned by Marie and is soon living on the streets. His story now told, he resigns himself to a life of misery and memories of Marie, but to his amazed joy, she suddenly appears, along with Navin's family, and some more good news: having carefully invested the small sums of money he sent home throughout the film, they have become wealthy themselves. They pick him up off the street, and he and Marie move back home into the Johnsons' new house — a much larger but identical version of their old, small shack.
The story ends as the entire family dances on the porch and sings "Pick a Bale of Cotton"; Navin dances along, now having gained perfect rhythm.

Review: Johnson, the white son of a black family, Steve Martin leaves home to find "his special purpose."  By the end of the movie, we all know what that was...to entertain his fans the way he has!
The naive, ambitious Navin Johnson is the role that Steve Martin was born to play.
The Jerk - 4.5/5 Country: US Language: English Year: 1979 Rating: R Director: Carl Reiner Starring: Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Mable King, M.
Emmet WalshREVIEW BY JOHN ULMERSteve Martin had basically gained a burst of fame before starring in Carl Reiner's wacky comedy "The Jerk." Martin was fresh off hosting "Saturday Night Live" a few times, and had made a few albums and stand-up gigs.
Unlike comedies like "Blast From the Past" where the main character is treated bad and doesn't realize it because he/she is innocent and has no idea what to expect from life, Martin gets treated bad and doesn't realize it because he is stupid, not only because he is innocent.The Jerk starts out working at a gas station.
It was a fine comedy, but not great at all.Steve Martin brings his character to life.
That's why I can usually expect solid laughs from a Martin vehicle.Director Carl Reiner does a few out-of-place cuts in "The Jerk," just like he did in "The Man with Two Brains," but I think that it worked overall.
But like I said, that is what makes it so original and stupid.The film loses some steam halfway through, and the jokes sometimes fall flat, but overall the comedy is one of the best of its genre.
Steve Martin plays a simple-minded man who strikes it rich and then falls back to the low-class way.
The jerk is his only movie that feels like Steve martin stand up.
I saw "The Jerk" several times on the screen when it first released and then I have watched it either as a video or on TV (the butchered version, where the dog "Shithead" gets changed to "Stupid", etc.).
And after the movie was over, it occurred to me that, if my grandson liked this story-of-a-loser's-life-as-told-by-the-loser, he would at least enjoy "The Jerk", which uses a similar plot device.
(By the way, even a classic comedy such as "Blazing Saddles" has become dated due to its lame ending.)And I noticed that some reviewers actually find "The Jerk" to be a racist movie.
It's not about the big laughs, but the little things that make "The Jerk" special.Steve Martin stars as Navin Johnson, a man who grew up thinking he was black and eventually sets out to find his greater purpose.
It's all very original and will definitely appeal more to people who appreciate what makes each joke funny.So the writing, which is mostly Martin and the acting, which is mostly Martin, are the aspects of the film most worthy of praise.
The purpose of a comedy movie (apart from making money!) is to make people laugh.
It was sheer dumb luck that while reading Steve Martin's autobiography earlier this year I saw his film The Jerk was being shown on TV.
With a penchant for Twinkies and Tab cola, something was amiss and only when he heard a strange new song on the radio, one his white body could dance to, does he realize he needed to see the world and show it his "special purpose".I really think I wouldn't have enjoyed my time with this character if I hadn't read Martin's book first.
The Jerk marks his first major film role, the lead part in his own movie, something that shows how powerful he was based on record sales alone and no real reputation for acting on screen.
The Jerk (1979) stars Steve Martin as Navin R Johnson, the adopted son ofblack sharecroppers...problem is, he has no idea he's adopted!
Some reallyfunny scenes, especially with Jackie Mason, M Emmit Walsh, and the girl at the circus...Bernadette Peters looks GREAT btw...Its a shame Steve Martin is "Mr. Serious" now, would love him to make a screwball comedy again...mindless fun, with some very funny lines "You should not call that dog lifesaver, you should call him sh*thead!"  worth checking out...
I honestly cannot decide which Steve Martin film is my favourite between The Jerk, Man with Two Brains and Planes, Trains and Automobiles, because I love all three and he is wonderful in all three.
Still, this one is funny and Martin was on a roll then as he had a couple of other good movies during this time too in "The Lonely Guy", "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid", and "The Man With Two Brains".
Seriously the movie's title is kind of funny as the guy is not really much of a jerk as he is just a simple guy trying to find a job and help out his family.
The movie is at its best as he plods from one job to another, it gets a bit weaker near the end as he gets a lot of money, though it is still funny there too especially when he writes one letter telling his family about all the stuff he wanted and now has.
One of Martin's best movies...if you liked him as Ruprecht the Monkey Boy, you'll love him as Navin Johnson.
Complete with cameo appearances by 3 Reiners, this Reiner-directed classic is the basis of many modern comedies (though most fail to live up to what this movie did 23 years ago).My ex-girlfriend's roommate stole the VHS from me (what a JERK!), but my friend got me the DVD for Christmas, so I'm ok now.See it...and then see a doctor and get rid of it...oh, yeah, I forgot to mention, the movie has more one-liners than all Arnold movies combined ;-)A great one:  "I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and upon the slitted sheet I sit.".
The Jerk(1979) showcases the "wild and crazy guy" period of Steve Martin's career.
I love comedies and watch a lot of movies, but this one was pretty bad.
I've never failed to laugh at Steve Martin before, (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels was soooo funny) but this film is dire!
Steve Martin plays Navin Andrews, a man who was raised by a black family in Missouri.
He then proceeds to tell us of his life and the story goes from there, taking off into all sorts of weird and wacky places with strange characters and events, where hilarity always ensues.Steve Martin is what makes this movie without a doubt.
But Navin delivers all the laughs as Steve Martin bumbles around as one of the most entertaining characters I've ever seen in one of these screwball comedies.
The Jerk is funny from start to finish and definitely never tries to take itself seriously, but it is really a film you have to put yourself in a much lighter and less intellectual state of mind to watch and enjoy.
Along the way,he finds love in an equally dull but extremely cute beautician(Bernadette Peters).MArtin's full-on commitment to character and Carl Reiner's cooperative direction make this film a delightfully odd and fitfully funny.
The only reason this film was rated R at the time were a couple of scenes that were pretty wild back then, but tame now.The tongue-in-cheek humor makes this move a classic.
Carl Reiner shines as director and Steve Martin & Bernadette Peters shine as Navin Johnson and his future bride.
The film has similar events(you can't help but laugh) at Steve Martin's style and skill at being comedic in whatever he does.
The Jerk was the first movie Steve Martin was ever in.
Steve Martin makes a movie funny.
This movie had many, many memorable lines, like the one above, and the scene where the crazy guy is shooting at him nd Navin thinks he's shooting the cans.
The Jerk is a comedic classic that shows that comedy film makers these days have absolutely no talent and have to use toilet humor to pull a chuckle out of its audience.
God bless the Aspen Film Society.Thanks to Steve Martin and the aforementioned society, they have given the movie-going public more honest-to-goodness laughs than any other film society known to man."The Jerk", Martin's first starring role, shows him at the peak of his form, as a "poor black child" who goes out into the world to make a better life for himself, finding along the way mad gunmen, punks who drive off with churches tied on their bumpers, circus work, dogs that aren't as smart as he'd like to think and true love in the form of Bernadette Peters (that's the form I'd look for it in, too.).There are too many laughs to count and they all work, thanks to Martin's earnest delivery and Reiner's good director's eye for comedy.
The one-liners are hysterical, the sight gags are great and it even has a story line!Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters singing a love song while he plays the banjo...cute moment.
This film is classic Steve Martin, putting his whole schtick right out on the line for all to see.
Make no mistake, this movie is completely absurd.That's probably why it's so funny.A cult classic among my friends, "The Jerk" tracks the life of Navin R.
Johnson from "poor black child" to wealthy businessman to a homeless guy who owns a chair, a paddleball game, and little else.Steve Martin excels both in physical comedy and snappy one-liners, and just when you think you've seen it all, this movie manages to get even sillier.An excellent supporting cast, and a wild story manage to keep this as much of an entertaining film as it was back in the '70's.
The Jerk has been praised as not only one of Steve Martin's best comedic efforts, but also one of the funniest of all motion pictures.For me that is really hard to believe.
This is the best Steve Martin movie ever!.
This is the best Steve Martin movie ever!.
This is the best Steve Martin movie ever!.
It is only this way because this film is vintage Steve Martin..
'The Jerk' is one of Steve Martin's first major feature films and today it shows the starting point of his fantastic movie career.
Even the cameo by Jackie Mason is hilarious.The script is a bit familiar but the dialogue and slap-stick routines and scenes are brilliantly choreographed by the director, writers and actors alike.Overall, this is a classic comedy film with some great laughs and can be enjoyed by all..
As many films as Steve Martin has done,it is this one,his first feature film,that most people remember because this is Steve in his prime and at his wildest and funniest.It contains one of the greatest mixtures of physical and verbal humor that I personally have ever seen.Martin's chemistry with Bernadette Peters is nothing short of great.It is,ironically,a smart comedy about someone who is not so smart.In fact,he is a total imbecile who stumbles onto the big time only to trip and fall on his rear back into the small time.One of the funniest moments is the brief appearance of the film's director,Carl Reiner,playing himself as a victim of Navin Johnson's defective invention.I think the key to a good comedy is giving the viewer a mixture of things we have never seen before that are fresh and new,and adding that to the old stuff that we have seen before and putting your own unique twist to them.The Jerk does this with flying colors..
Johnson is an unbelievably stupid man.He is an adopted son of a black family and he doesn't get he is adopted.Then at his 18th birthday he realizes he wants to see the world.So he leaves Missisippi behind and heads to St.Louis.Soon he has all he's ever dreamed of, including the girl.In this case that girl is Marie Kimble.Carl Reiner is the director of The Jerk (1979).Mr.Reiner also has a funny cameo there.Steve Martin had a huge success with this comedy, which he was also writing.Bernadette Peters plays the woman opposite him.They make a fantastic couple.Other talents seen in this movie are Jackie Mason (Harry Hartounian), M.Emmet Walsh (Madman) etc.There are many funny gags in this movie.I can see a little of Jerry Lewis in Steve Martin's comedy especially in this movie.There is that same physicality there.This movie was made for Mr.Martin.He raises it from mediocrity..
Sometimes, a delightful and droll Ealing comedy is nice, other times a classic Hollywood film like BRINGING UP BABY does the trick, and sometimes I really just enjoy a good stupid laugh.
Plus, like all great comedies, it does well with repeated viewings (I've seen this film four times).
A glasses invention then turns things around and makes him filthy rich, but then things reverse.Everything about this movie is hilarious, especially with Steve Martin and his performance.
The Jerk hearkens back to his days as "Wild & Crazy" Steve and remains laugh-out loud funny.I sometimes wonder what kind of personality Navin Johnson has.
In today's movies with one-dimensional characters, Navin Johnson's personality is rich with development.The film, about Navin's crazy experiences with independence, finding love and making a fortune is a laugh riot from start to finish.
It still has that vibrancy like it did in 1979.If you long to see the Steve Martin of old, his sparkling debut as a leading man is the film to see.
"I was born a poor black child." "All I need is this lamp." You've probably heard them, too, but if -- like me -- you've put off watching this movie because you were afraid it would be stupid, well, you're right.
There is a lot of love in this movie, and most of the comedy is refreshingly original and genuinely funny.
The Jerk played by Steve Martin goes from being a nobody to a successful businessman and again to being a bum .
Second best Steve Martin movie.
Just finished watching this second best Steve Martin movie after the evergreen "planes, trains and Automobiles".
Steve Martin plays the role of a dumb man who is brought up by a black family.
In his first starring role in a feature film, Steve Martin proves how Good he's been ever-since he appeared on the Silver-Screen.
" I was born a poor black child."Every male from that era would agree that this was and still is one of the best comedies ever written which boosted Steve Martin's career into a whole new era.The one lesson I will always take from this movie is the difference between "Shit and Shinola"..
Watching Steve Martin in The Jerk, I cannot help but be amazed.
a comedy with parts far greater than the whole, a near impeccable Steve Martin movie.
While the Jerk isn't one of my all-time favorite comedies, and I have seen it only a few times over the years, each time the scenes I laughed at before are still funny, if not funnier, and other bits come out as well.
I read that Martin and Peters were dating at the time of the movie, and I think watching that scene -- it's obvious the two cared deeply about each other.
"The Jerk" marked Steve Martin's breakthrough as a comedy actor in the U.S. Watching it now, it's not hard to see why.
This movie is about a Navin Johnson (Steve Martin) who was raised and adopted in a poor,black Mississippi farm.
He later finds success as he leaves the family and when he invents a special type of glasses.The thing that holds this movie together is Steve Martin's stupidity in the movie.
This film is a decent Steve Martin comedy.7/10.
One of Steve Martins favorite jokes in the movie, as Navin hitches his first ride..
Steve Martin carries the whole movie by himself (Except for M.
Only see this movie if you are drunk, high, or a Steve Martin fan..
Steve Martin's first feature film is apparently 'The Jerk', and thankfully I grew up on most of his other comedies, so I'm still a fan of him.
This is not a good Steve Martin movie, and I found it very irritating rather than funny.
His character barely served a purpose, and Jackie Mason added nothing to the movie, whereas Peters only added a little more.The humor is slightly dated in 'The Jerk' and it's just not very funny at all.
Reiner's choice of shots and his direction is not very good, and his later films with Steve Martin are much better.
Even though the humour is dated, I think 'The Jerk' still lacked the visual gags, witty banter, and humorous unexpected situations that made other comedies of that time so successful in my eyes, and I don't know whether its because of Martin's character himself or the direction of the movie that made it weak.
Not a classic, not vintage or an excellent Steve Martin comedy.
Not even a good Steve Martin comedy.
The Jerk is a fantastic movie with a very well written storyline and a brilliant comedic cast.This movie is the beginning of Steve Martins career,it was his first big comedy film,and despite the several great projects he has done since then,this is still his finest role,his character is extremely stupid yet lovable and this journey we go on with him is ridiculous in a very good way.The film is consistently funny from start to finish,there honestly isn't one scene where I didn't laugh at least twice and every time I watch this the same jokes get me every time as well as parts that I couldn't remember.Hilarious and very clever,I would definitely recommend the Jerk to anyone looking for a good comedy.
This isn't just some comedy which you summarise as "funny", it is more than that it's a "good" film.I've never been much of a Steve Martin fan, but he sure nailed it here.
The only reason I rarely watch comedies, is because I like more serious films, and this one is both, so you can imagine how much I loved this one.
I love Steve Martin as the Jerk.