Film

The Jerk

1979 · 1h 34m · Comedy

A rags to riches to rags story.

IMDb

7.1

Rotten Tomatoes

82%

Metacritic

61

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.

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

• Carl ReinerDirector
• Steve MartinScreenplay
• Carl GottliebScreenplay
• Michael EliasScreenplay
• David V. PickerProducer
• William E. McEuenProducer
• Victor J. KemperDirector of Photography
• Jack ElliottOriginal Music Composer
• Bud MolinEditor
• Ron SpangEditor

Trailer

Release date

December 14, 1979

Status

Released

Original language

English

Runtime

1h 34m

Rated

R

Budget

$4,000,000

Revenue

$100,000,000

Genres

Comedy

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