Movies - The Jerk

Home > Listing Index > Movies > The Jerk (film)

	Movies - The Jerk

The Jerk (1979) is Carl Reiner's rags-to-riches-to-rags film comedy of belated self-discovery. This is Steve Martin's first starring role in a feature film and was also written by him as well. The film also features Bernadette Peters, M. Emmet Walsh, Jackie Mason, and Trinidad Silva. Reiner has a cameo appearance and his son Rob Reiner has an uncredited bit part.

In 2000, readers of Total Film magazine voted The Jerk the 48th greatest comedy film of all time.

Plot summary

Navin Johnson (Martin) is the adopted white son of black sharecroppers, who grows to adulthood naïvely unaware of the fact of his adoption, then goes into the world to make his fortune.

The characters include a variety of ethnic stereotypes: simple-minded rural blacks, redneck whites, Hispanic con artists, greedy Jews. However, the stereotypes are so blatant that their inclusion in the film could be considered as the filmmakers' ironic comment on the evils of stereotyping.

Quotes

"I was born a poor black child."
*Navin Johnson

"There's something about those songs.. They depress me."
*Navin Johnson, in reference to blues

"You mean I'm gonna stay this color?"
*Navin Johnson, when informed that he is adopted

"Page 73, Johnson, Navin, R.! I'm somebody now! Millions of people look at this book every day! This is the kind of spontaneous publicity, you're name in print, that makes people. I'm in print! Things are going to start happening to me now."
*Navin, after having his name published in the phone book for the first time.

"He hates these cans!"
*Navin Johnson, responding to a sniper trying to shoot him and hitting oil cans

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The Jerk (film) ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article The Jerk (film); it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay