The Jerk

Starring: Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters
Directed by: Carl Reiner
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
1979

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A complete moron (Steve Martin) traces his roots from being born in a poor black family to achieving vast amounts of wealth and losing it all.

Review:

Tim: Do you remember when Steve Martin was funny? Neither do I. If you want to try and remember, I recommend going back to this film, his first starring role. Martin has a few incredibly funny moments and is decent throughout the movie.

This is an average film that is helped by a few really funny gags and some very funny scenes. My personal favorite is the man shooting at Martin, who believes the man simply hates canes- just watch it, it is classic. And, who could forget Martin's dog, Shithead?

The film fails in that it is simply a conglomeration of absurd events, held together by the thinnest string. Some work really well, while others can be downright sleep-inducing. I really wonder why this movie is called The Jerk. I wouldn't say Martin's character is a jerk, at least with my definition of the word. "Moron" comes to mind as a better noun to use.

This movie suffers in a similar manner that most comedies do- it is hard to keep up funny jokes throughout the entire movie. Add in the fact that there is little or no plot to fall back on, and you are going to have problems.

The Jerk isn't the funniest movie I've seen, but if you love comedies and have nothing better to do some afternoon, this might not be the worst way to spend an hour and a half.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles; Parenthood, Father of the Bride