Year: 1979
Director: Carl Reiner
Country: US
Language: English
The difficulty of transitioning from stage to screen has often been a great burden to many talented comedians, even though one would think the silver screen ought to be an easy transition. George Carlin, one of the most interesting on-stage personalities, has a fairly poor filmography. His most notable cinematic role was a small part in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Steve Martin's film career has been a mixed bag, but at least he has The Jerk on his resume.
Navin (Steve Martin) is an idiot. He grew up in Mississippi as 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 to St. Louis. There everyone exploits his naivety, but then a simple invention brings him a fortune
A classic rags to riches story - except with the physical comedy styling of Buster Keaton mixed with the crude humour of the Farley Brothers (There's Something About Mary). When Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb and Michael Elias were writing the screenplay for The Jerk, their stated goal was to include at least one joke on every page and it's fairly safe to say they succeeded.
Even though some jokes are dated and will make you roll your eyes, others manage to stand the test of time and even become funnier with time. I particularly liked the joke about Steve Martin excited to work for MUCH less than 1979 minimum wage. For all its silliness, The Jerk has great heart as well. The romance between Navin and his sweetheart feels genuine and when the characters hit hard times it's fairly easy to empathize.
The Jerk is a decent comedy, but often the plots meanders for too long in order to set up a joke that doesn't add anything to the film. Its beloved by many moviegoers, but for me it's a few steps short from being "great". Still, there's a good time to be had.
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