[.ca] The Jerk [HD DVD]

Amazon.com Essential Video:
Carl Reiner (Where's Poppa?) brought comic Steve Martin to the screen in this mostly funny 1979 movie about a relentlessly stupid but innocent man, whom we get to know from childhood (where it never occurred to him that he was white as he was raised by a family of black sharecroppers) to romance (where he doesn't quite know what to do with Bernadette Peters). Martin is game as the moron, and this is the kind of film with funny moments people still talk about. The DVD release has production notes, bios, highlights, theatrical trailer, closed captioning, full-screen presentation, and optional Spanish subtitles. --Tom Keogh

weirdly funny:
Steve Martin shows a lot of comedic flair in this, one of his first films (he later tones it down and hones it in later works, which is all I had seen up to this point, so this was very strange in how over-the-top he is.) Steve plaves Navin, a white boy adopted by a large loving African-American family, who honestly believed he would turn black on his 18th birthday (which is when his family reveals to him that he is adopted, although they had hoped he would figure it out beforehand.) Determined to make his way out in the world, Navin takes on a series of unrelated jobs that turn out poorly --- gas station attendant (in which he demolishes a church), carnival employee (where he has his first carnal knowledge and his first romantic love -- with two very different women), and later becomes a billionaire through some very odd means. But at heart, he's just a simple country boy who wants to fit in back where he came from. He's not a bum, he's a jerk! All he has are his friends and a thermos.

hilarious:
steve martin plays naven johnson a simpleton whiteguy who doesnt know hes from a black family he invents slip free glasses that pinch your nose called the optigrab and gets famous and cocky i hurt my side firsttime i ever saw this movie when he goes o dear lord cat juggling buy this is u havent seen it

Where's the widescreen version?:
A classic but demand a widescreen version.

Not that bad but martin's done better:
This movie is too inaccurate and revolves around different storylines leaving it to be too annoying and the different charecters in this movie like, the dad and the police, what the hell are they doing in this movie, not too much detail put into this movie, worst cast in the world and bad coustumes. 3.5/10.

If You Ever Need Cheering Up:
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!