The Jerk
A rags to riches to rags story.
1979 | 94m | English
Popularity: 2 (history)
| Director: | Carl Reiner |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb, Michael Elias |
| Staring: |
| After discovering he's not really black like the rest of his family, likable dimwit Navin Johnson sets off on a hilarious misadventure that takes him from rags to riches and back again. The slaphappy jerk strikes it rich, but life in the fast lane isn't all it's cracked up to be and, in the end, all that really matters to Johnson is his true love. | |
| Release Date: | Dec 14, 1979 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Carl Reiner |
| Writer: | Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb, Michael Elias |
| Genres: | Comedy |
| Keywords | blow, neominstrelsy, phone book, sharecropper, tennis court |
| Production Companies | Universal Pictures, Aspen Film Society |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $100,000,000
Budget: $4,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jul 29, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Steve Martin | Navin R. Johnson |
| Bernadette Peters | Marie Kimble Johnson |
| Catlin Adams | Patty Bernstein |
| Mabel King | Mother |
| Richard Ward | Father |
| Carl Gottlieb | Iron Balls McGinty |
| Dick Anthony Williams | Taj |
| Bill Macy | Stan Fox |
| M. Emmet Walsh | Madman |
| Dick O'Neill | Frosty |
| Maurice Evans | Hobart |
| Helena Carroll | Hester |
| Ren Woods | Elvira |
| Pepe Serna | Punk #1 |
| Sonny Terry | Blues Singer |
| Brownie McGhee | Blues Singer |
| Jackie Mason | Harry Hartounian |
| Gene LeBell | Con Man |
| Carl Reiner | Self |
| Larry Hankin | Circus Hand (uncredited) |
| Howard Hesseman | Carnival Worker (uncredited) |
| Rob Reiner | Truck Driver Picking Up Navin (uncredited) |
| Gailard Sartain | Guy with Cracked Airplane Seats (uncredited) |
| Lenny Montana | Con Man |
| William Schallert | Judge M.A. Loring |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Carl Reiner | Director |
| Victor J. Kemper | Director of Photography |
| Debbie Evans | Stunts |
| Conrad E. Palmisano | Stunt Coordinator |
| Steve Martin | Screenplay |
| Carl Gottlieb | Screenplay |
| Diane Peterson | Stunts |
| Theadora Van Runkle | Costume Design |
| Ron Spang | Editor |
| Penny Perry | Casting |
| Jack Elliott | Original Music Composer |
| Bud Molin | Editor |
| Michael Elias | Screenplay |
| Jack T. Collis | Production Design |
| Richard C. Goddard | Set Decoration |
| April Ferry | Costume Supervisor |
| Geno Havens | Casting |
| Jeannie Epper | Stunts |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Peter Macgregor-Scott | Associate Producer |
| David V. Picker | Producer |
| William E. McEuen | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 23 | 38 | 15 |
| 2024 | 5 | 26 | 52 | 18 |
| 2024 | 6 | 18 | 28 | 8 |
| 2024 | 7 | 22 | 35 | 13 |
| 2024 | 8 | 16 | 28 | 10 |
| 2024 | 9 | 12 | 16 | 8 |
| 2024 | 10 | 15 | 26 | 8 |
| 2024 | 11 | 15 | 36 | 8 |
| 2024 | 12 | 13 | 28 | 8 |
| 2025 | 1 | 16 | 40 | 9 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 14 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | 920 | 941 |
***Steve Martin’s breakout comedy*** A homeless mentally-challenged man (Steve Martin) shares his amusing tale of rags-to-riches-to-hobo with flashbacks. Catlin Adams plays a stunt rider at a carnival who has the hots for Navin (Martin) while Bernadette Peters plays a more important woman in his ... life. “The Jerk” (1979) has several laugh-out-loud scenes like the eventual confrontation between Patty (Catlin) and Marie (Peters), but there are also some flat, overlong parts, like when Navin departs the mansion in the last act. “Forrest Gump” (1994) was obviously inspired by “The Jerk” and made a more serious, popular picture. Jim Carrey also took a lot of inspiration from Martin and “The Jerk” to forge the even funnier “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” (1994). The movie runs 1 hour, 34 minutes and was shot in the Los Angeles area. GRADE: B