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.
Ratings
Curator score: 4.4/10
IMDb: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Metacritic: 61
TMDB: 6.9/10
Director
Carl Reiner
Production
Universal Pictures, Aspen Film Society
Cast
Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams, Mabel King, Richard Ward, Carl Gottlieb, Dick Anthony Williams, Bill Macy, M. Emmet Walsh, Dick O'Neill, Maurice Evans, Helena Carroll, Ren Woods, Pepe Serna, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Jackie Mason, Sharon Johansen, Gene LeBell, Carl Reiner
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A wildly silly, high-velocity comedy that still lands because Steve Martin plays Navin with total sincerity. Its joke density, absurd set pieces, and deadpan escalation make it a landmark of broad American comedy, even if some race-related material feels dated now.
Best for
fans of absurdist comedy
viewers who like joke-a-minute pacing
people who enjoy deadpan performances in ridiculous situations
fans of late-70s studio comedies with a cult edge
Skip if
you’re sensitive to outdated racial humor
you prefer grounded or character-naturalistic comedies
you dislike broad, highly exaggerated slapstick
you want a modern comedic sensibility
Overview
The Jerk is one of those comedies that feels like it’s inventing its own rules as it goes, and that’s a big part of the pleasure. Steve Martin’s performance is all innocence and momentum: Navin doesn’t just stumble into chaos, he practically generates it by existing. The movie keeps finding new ways to turn stupidity into structure, and the result is a surprisingly elegant machine built out of nonsense.
Worth noting
What makes it endure is the confidence of the comic timing. The film swings from sketch-like bits to a sincere romance, then back into total lunacy, and somehow those shifts don’t break the spell. The famous gags are famous for a reason, but the smaller throwaway lines and visual bits are just as important to the movie’s rhythm.
Bottom line
Some of the racial material is of its era and won’t play equally well for everyone, which is worth noting. But as a showcase for a major comic persona at full power, and as a template for how far a studio comedy can push absurdity while still feeling emotionally legible, it remains a standout.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Patrick Willems (4★) · 1801 likes
More movies should have a part where the director shows up as himself and sues the main character
demi adejuyigbe (4.5★) · 900 likes
“How did you find me?”“I don’t know. This was the first place we looked.”
So fucking great. Pissed it took me this long and a comic legend’s death to watch it, I always mentally filed this under “broad 80s comedies that would’ve been funny as a child but probably aren’t as good now.” The only thing that “isn’t as good now” is some iffy race stuff, but I laughed out loud much more than I expected, and found it… more
Aidan Fealy (4★) · 700 likes
I know we've only known each other four weeks and three days, but to me it seems like nine weeks and five days. The first day seemed like a week and the second day seemed like five days. And the third day seemed like a week again and the fourth day seemed like eight days. And the fifth day you went to see your mother and that seemed just like a day, and then you came back and later on… more I know we've only known each other four weeks and three days, but to me it seems like nine weeks and five days. The first day seemed like a week and the second day seemed like five days. And the third day seemed like a week again and the fourth day seemed like eight days. And the fifth day you went to see your mother and that seemed just like a day, and then you came back and later on… more
demi adejuyigbe (4.5★) · 678 likes
“Federal regulations, sir.”
Underrated element of this movie is the way M. Emmet Walsh runs down the alleyway while chasing Navin. Unbelievable amount of perfect lines in this movie, and unbelievable how much the earnest pivot to “Tonight You Belong To Me” works. Shame a thing like this would probably never exist today (because no major comedian has the personality or creative interest!) But who knows, maybe one day El Tonto will get released and the star-based no-hyphen Comedy of errors will return.
DaOConnman (5★) · 558 likes
I am a simple man who wants only one thing out of a comedy: 20 jokes per minute.