Description: That wild and crazy guy, Steve Martin, makes his film-starring debut in the wacky comedy hit The Jerk. Steve portrays Navin Johnson, adopted son of a poor black sharecropper family, whose crazy inventions lead him from rags to riches and right back to rags. Along the way, he's smitten with a lady motorcycle racer, survives a series of screwball attacks by a deranged killer, becomes a millionaire by inventing the "Opti-grab" handle for glasses - and shows why he's one of the hottest comic performers in the world.
Amazon.com essential video: Carl Reiner (Where's Poppa?) brought comic Steve Martin to the screen in this mostly funny 1979 movie about a relentlessly stupid but innocent man, whom we get to know from childhood (where it never occurred to him that he was white as he was raised by a family of black sharecroppers) to romance (where he doesn't quite know what to do with Bernadette Peters). Martin is game as the moron, and this is the kind of film with funny moments people still talk about. --Tom Keogh
Was this ever funny? I hadn't seen this since my early teens; the year that it was released 30 years ago. I suppose that I hadn't thought to watch it again since then. But, I now know why: I rented it earlier this week with my 15 yr. old son, as we were trying to pick out a flick that might entertain. My pick, my fault: this movie is so over abundantly unfunny that I felt like I had betrayed my son. Thank gawd he's a gracious human being. Was this movie's humor really legitimate at some time; is it still? Was it necessary to release a 26th anniversary edition? Or, was that out of the studio's feeling of some "loyal obligation"? Seriously, Fans: watch it at least everyday for a couple of weeks and then honestly ask yourself whether this comedy wasn't taking advantage the movie viewing public during Steve Martin's hey-days, rather than putting out legitimate comedy. I can't remember a time that his movies ever caused me to laugh. I have a vague memory that `Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid' may have... but, I don't wanna chance it. He was great in 'The Spanish Prisoner', however, which is a thriller/drama. Check that one out instead.
Never Got It . . i ordered this movie over a month ago and still never recieved it. .
a classic... That I shopped, bought, delivered and have never watched... but if the time should come when I would like to see a previously seen movie, I now have one.
Martin In His 'Wild & Crazy' Days This is very popular movie in its day in which I saw twice at the theater! Years later, watching it on DVD wasn't the same. Oh, it was still funny but just not the "hilarious" movie I always remembered it as. Maybe its reputation and memory exceeded its value, or maybe it's funnier when you are younger. The movie didn't change; I must have.
Whatever, there is still a lot of good laughs in year, subtle and slapstick variety. Now I laugh more at the subtle things. Almost all the characters in here, beginning with Steve Martin's "Navin R. Johnson," are totally wacky. Bernadette Peters, by the way, never looked prettier.
This was in the earlier days of the ratings system and that PG rating would be at least PG-13 today. It still fun to see it after a long absence. Martin was on a roll back in those days, "a wild and crazy guy," and it's good that he's still entertaining us 30 years later, although in a more subtle way. Hey, he's getting older, too.
Never received. I have been very disappointed as I never received this dvd and was told it was an lost item in the mailI never got any reply when I sent to find out why I did not receive another.I am not willing to pay for another one and am disappointed to the way this was handled. Thelma
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
