keneda-05512 The jerk is one of my favorite comedy movies of all time. It is a movie that shows the life of a guy that's not exactly the smartest but has a purpose and throughout the movie he uncovers it. And it is an all over good, funny, and interesting.

AudioFileZ After watching the recent Martin & Short net released performance I felt it was time to revisit Martin's first foray into film, The Jerk. At the time The Jerk first dropped Martin was on a roll. The film continued that. A unique piece of celluloid humor whose audience was, shall we say, generous. It is somewhat hard to imagine the time now, but Martin plugged into it. This is a comedy that actually did well in the mainstream at the time and went on to become a bit of cultish type thing. That is to say it doesn't really age well in many ways, but there's Martin at the center. Then and now he makes it a movie to watch. He's completely unique and absolutely irreverent for any time. Watching him is like watching a one-off talent. He put many of his already successful stand-up gags plus delved deeper. The supporting cast was just as edgy with a nice fit. This is one stupid movie making absolutely no apologies. If you in for a cent, you're in for a pound...meaning if in the first ten minutes if you get it then you're going to be watching to the end with those little belly laughs that drop like rain. So, in the end, this many years later this is a film for those with the broadest sense of humor. Those who celebrate crazed stupidity as a form of brilliance. I'd say it was somewhat important as it paved the way for more modern comedies like the Farrrely Brothers later made. Not a film for the masses anymore, if you're a fan of obtuse comedy it definitely warrants another watch.

raoulbpk St. Louis? No, Navin Johnson. One of Steve Martins favorite jokes in the movie, as Navin hitches his first ride.

a-m-kuhne This movie has some pretty good ideas, but you definitely need to turn off your brain while watching it. The pacing is weird, and the way the plot sets up things is really random, which is not necessarily a bad thing. In "The Jerk" it unfortunately is though. Steve Martin and all the other actors can be so over the top, that it ruins the fun in a scene. I know this is supposed to be a dumb movie, but look at other movies. Naked Gun etc. are much better at executing everything, and the actors aren't unbearable to watch or listen to. It would seem that the makers of this movie had a lot of brilliant ideas, but did not have the talent or time (or both) to put it together. I'm not really a fan of Steve Martin, but I'm not really too familiar with him either. In "The Jerk" he reminds me of Jim Carrey. I am rarely able to watch a Jim Carrey movie because a lot of his roles are so obnoxious, and Steve Martin is too in this movie. You never really get to feel anything for the characters, and you even hate them sometimes because of their poor acting. I can see why people like this movie, but it is not something for me at all.