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The Jerk
1979 94 min United States of America R 16+
★7.0
Comedy
Director: Carl Reiner
Trailers
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EN
EN
Description
After discovering he's not really black like the rest of his family, likable dimwit Navin Johnson sets off on a hilarious misadventure that takes him from rags to riches and back again. The slaphappy jerk strikes it rich, but life in the fast lane isn't all it's cracked up to be and, in the end, all that really matters to Johnson is his true love.
Budget:
$4M
US Gross:
$73.69M
Worldwide:
$100M
Starring
Steve Martin
Actor
Bernadette Peters
Actor
Catlin Adams
Actor
Awards
1 win & 1 nomination total
Key opinion
The Jerk is widely regarded as a wild, absurd, and seminal comedy that launched Steve Martin's film career. While some viewers find its pacing uneven and its humor occasionally jarring, it remains a beloved, quirky classic that balances slapstick farce with a surprising undercurrent of pathos.
| Acting | Steve Martin delivers a breakthrough, iconic performance that defines the film's unique blend of pure naiveté, absurdity, and underlying sadness. | |
| Direction | Carl Reiner's direction successfully elevates the film from simple gag-based comedy to a structured, energetic, and distinctively surreal farce. | |
| Emotion | The film's tone is polarizing, as audiences are divided between finding the mix of sentimental melodrama and grotesque humor charming and coherent versus finding it occasionally flat or confusing. | |
| Pacing | The pacing is viewed inconsistently, with some finding the humor swift and relentless, while others feel the film suffers from overlong, sagging segments. |