The Jerk

Rating:
Summary: Rags To Stitches
Review: After making a name for himself as a stand-up comedian, leading to memorable appearances as host of Saturday Night Live, "wild and crazy guy" Steve Martin took the plunge to star in his first film. Teaming with TV legend Carl Reiner proved pure magic in 1979's The Jerk. A classic comedy that has lots of funny moments--throwing viewers for a loop from the get go.

Navin Johnson (Martin), a not so-bright white boy raised by a family of African American sharecroppers led by Mother (Mabel King) and Father (Richard Ward), somehow manages to reach adulthood without ever discovering he was adopted. His parents finally tell him the truth on his birthday and, shocked by the news, he decides to head off to the big city to face his future. Although he embarks on his journey with much optimism, Navin soon learns the cruel ways of the world as his crazy invention--a device to stop one's glasses from sliding--leads him from rags to riches and back to rags. Along the way, he meets and falls in love with Marie Kimbal, (Bernadette Peters) who decides that Navin is the man for her.

Given the politically correct climate in which we find ourselves today, I doubt this film could be made today.Martin is very funny in this no-holds-barred broad slapstick comedy, who has great chemistry with Peters. The film also includes great smaller roles for M. Emmet Walsh as a process server, Bill Macy as Stan Fox, and Dick O'Neill as Navin's boss Frosty. The script, by Martin, Carl Gottlieb, and Michael Elias, is filled with memorable bits, including a dog whose name would probably cause your mom to scold you, if she knew you said those kind of words.

The DVD extras are disappointing. I would have liked to see a special edition version of The Jerk. The theatrical trailer, talent bios, filmographies, and production notes just don't cut it. The presentation of the film itself is also a bit of a letdown. It doesn't look as good as it should--given the nature of the DVD format.

Despite those faults, The Jerk is Martin at his best, from early in his career.


Rating:
Summary: ONCE AGAIN UNIVERSAL RUINS ANOTHER DVD RELEASE
Review: I have really come to the end of my rope concerning Universal DVD releases. Why hasnt this film been cleaned up and at least out out on a widescreen format? Their is no excuse for this. They are by far the biggest and the worse dvd distributor in the market. They continually release dvd after dvd with framing errors-no digital transfers-no extra features---grainy dirty negatives without any concern about preserving these films. Its pathetic.To add to all of this they will release these films then pull them over and over again how many more re-releases of one film can you produce?Why? your not adding anything but new crappy artwork for the cover.Whens the last time the original cut of the Blues Brothers has seen the day of light??Now The Jerk is also among your lame releases. GREAT film HORRIBLE release done by the worst in the biz. Simply put UNIVERSAL SUCKS.

Rating:
Summary: Movie Magic
Review: This is why this movie is still one of the best:

Navin R. Johnson (Speaking to Marie in bed while she sleeps): 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 the sixth day, in the evening, when we saw each other, that started seeming like two days, so in the evening it seemed like two days spilling over into the next day and that started seeming like four days, so at the end of the sixth day on into the seventh day, it seemed like a total of five days. And the sixth day seemed like a week and a half. I have it written down, but I can show it to you tomorrow if you want to see it.

Also...

Pizza in a cup.
Navin's special purpose.
He hates cans!

Bernadette Peters' amazing delivery of these two lines:
"Do you have a balloon?" and "It's not the money. It's all the stuff."

And, the funniest moment of this movie, hands-down is when Navin "outsmarts" the guys at the gas station by pretending they won a prize, and his subsequent conversation with the authorities in a very non-Navin, suave and quintessentially Steve Martin-like delivery.

Jesus, writing this review makes me wish I was watching it right now. In my heart, I am.

Rating:
Summary: Opti-Grab/Mirror Vision by Garry Hixon
Review: I really am the true marketer of the Opti-Grab, I am Garry Hixon of Mirror Vision Inc. and I make a good little fortune selling little gimmicks like this, I'll tell you what, whoever you are that invented this, if I make any money from it, I'll give you half, you probably have a patend on it right? No one could have one because it has been revealed, people will buy anything, look out for my 0-iron golf club, the first club with absolutely no loft at all. The Opti-Grab by Garry Hixon, I like the sound of that! Why couldnt I sell it! I know people would buy it and it would be so easy to do! Look out for the opti grab, the optigrab by Garry Hixon, will be in sunglass stores soon! This is a good movie, its about this guy who has the opti grab, and Garry Hixon brings it to market, it becomes real, and I make millions, but I dont lose it because I'm not the jerk , I'm Cinderella, the real Cinderella story, God bless you Steve Martin, love Garry Hixon, Mirror Vision Inc.

Rating:
Summary: HYSTERICALLY FUNNY!!!!!
Review: THIS IS A FUNNY MOVIE. THIS IS A FUNNY MOVIE ABOUT STEVE MARTIN GROWING UP IN A BLACK FAMILY. LATER ON HE LEAVES AND GOES ON HIS OWN AND MAKES A BETTER LIFE FOR HIMSELF AND BECOMES FILTHY RICH AND THEN BECOMES POOR AGAIN. BERNADETTE PETERS IS ONE OF HIS CO-STARS AND SHE FALLS IN LOVE WITH HIM. AND HE HAS A DOG NAMED STUPID. THIS MOVIE IS SO FUNNY I LOVE IT IT IS A MUST HAVE IF YOU LIKE STEVE MARTIN THEN YOU WOULD LIKE THIS MOVIE!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Oh the horror!
Review: This movie is NOT at all like the people reviewing claim it is. For one, it's about a man who is hunted by a psychotic lunatic to picks his name out of a phone book. Terror ensues as the man lays waste to anything in his path while trying to relentlessly murder a helplessly innocent man. If you're looking for good, wholesome comedy, I recommend, John Carpenter's The Thing or the immortal classic holiday film, Halloween...

Now I've got to get back to watching the Jerk, I'm only a half hour into it...

Rating:
Summary: One of Steve Martin's Most Memorable Roles
Review: Steve Martin's debut in motion picture film after a successful career doing skits on 'Saturday Night Live' and on stand-up tours. Steve Martin's collaboration with director-writer Carl Reiner would bring many other memorable comedy films to the big screen for audiences to watch and laugh.

Steve Martin is Navin Johnson, an innocent dullard son of poor Black sharecroppers in the South who just can't seem to have any beat or rythm in his blood. Navin has high hopes though, and so goes out to see the big world by hitching a ride to take him several blocks away. After realizing how big the world really is, Navin finally comes to the big city to make a life for himself. He's soon thrilled to see that he's someone important when his name appears in the phone book. Navin eventually explores love with a woman played by Bernadette Peters. He also learns the values of entrepreneurship after he innocently invents a contraption for glasses called the Optigrab. Fortune finally arrives but poor Navin is just too slow to deal with the greed, dishonesty, and other life misfortunes that pervade the world. After many trials and tribulations, he realizes that his family and friends are all that matters.

A very touching comedy about fool's luck and childish innocence in an otherwise depraved world. This is one of Steve Martin's most memorable film roles and is worth watching many times for tons of laughs and giggles.

Rating:
Summary: If You Ever Need Cheering Up
Review: Then this is the movie for you. That is, if you have any sense of humor whatsoever. There are so many funny, memorable scenes in this movie - like when he's standing right outside his parents' fence hitchhiking or when the guy is shooting at him - "These cans! He hates these cans!" "The new phone book is here!" "I'm somebody now!" The Jerk is one of the best comedies ever made. If you want to laugh, if you can laugh, buy or rent this movie!