The Jerk
An innocent Mississippi adoptee stumbles through exploitation, romance, and sudden wealth in a wildly quotable Steve Martin screwball comedy.
Overview
A hapless man sets out to find his place in the world, only to stumble into unexpected fortune and chaos.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- None
- irreverent
- witty
- crude
- comedy night
- retro movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a crude but highly quotable comedic showcase for Steve Martin, with sweetness and strong chemistry tempering its uneven gag-driven structure.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Navin's naïve reactions and Steve Martin's exaggerated physical and verbal performance drive the film's comic rhythm.
Navin's simple invention unexpectedly makes him wealthy while businesses and strangers exploit his sudden fortune.
Navin leaves his adopted family in Mississippi for St. Louis and is repeatedly manipulated because he lacks worldly experience.
Navin's journey moves from family departure to wealth, exploitation, and displacement before reaching its resolution.
Films like The Jerk, and why
Airplane!
shares broad screwball energy, escalating gag structure, and irreverent character comedy
The Nutty Professor
features an innocent, socially maladjusted protagonist navigating exploitation through exaggerated physical and verbal comedy
Dumb and Dumber
combines crude humor, romantic sweetness, and a comic outsider's improbable rise and fall
Being There
pairs deadpan absurdity with a foolish protagonist and a satirical rags-to-riches trajectory
Movie Details
- Director
- Carl Reiner
- Release Date
- 1979-12-14
- Runtime
- 94 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (935)
Cast
- Steve Martin
- Bernadette Peters
- Catlin Adams
- Mabel King
- Richard Ward
- Carl Gottlieb
- Dick Anthony Williams
- Bill Macy
- M. Emmet Walsh
- Dick O'Neill
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- YouTube TV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Jerk about?
- An innocent Mississippi adoptee stumbles through exploitation, romance, and sudden wealth in a wildly quotable Steve Martin screwball comedy.
- What is The Jerk like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Jerk as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is The Jerk violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Jerk.
- What did critics think of The Jerk?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a crude but highly quotable comedic showcase for Steve Martin, with sweetness and strong chemistry tempering its uneven gag-driven structure.
- Which films are like The Jerk?
- Films with a similar feel include Airplane!, The Nutty Professor, Dumb and Dumber, and Being There.
- How long is The Jerk?
- The Jerk runs 94 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Jerk?
- In United States, The Jerk streams on YouTube TV.
