Continuing with our foray into classic films, this time we’ve opted for something a little lighter, with Steve Martin’s The Jerk (1979), dir. Carl Reiner – a goofball, slapstick comedy, and Martin’s first lead role in a feature film.
Lauren’s verdict:
The movie opens – a man sits dishevelled in an alley, clearly having reached rock bottom, in a drunken drawl he begins to tell us his life story, and about how he ended up in such dire straits. The man introduces himself as Navin (Steve Martin), and begins: “It was never easy for me. I was born a poor, black child”.
(oH No.)
Raised by a loving black family on a farm in Mississippi, Navin’s always felt different. Overwhelmed by this feeling on his birthday, Navin runs into his room crying. When his mother comes in to comfort him, she carefully admits Navin’s not their natural-born son. The movie then sets the comedy tone when a clearly 35-year-old, grey-haired Navin chokes out “You mean I’m going to stay this colour?”
The next day, his world upended, Navin decides to venture out into the real world to make something of himself. His family sees him off with loving hugs and a very valid concern that his well-meaning naivety might not get him very far. What follows is a hilarious story about a world unprepared for a plucky, country boy armed with a thermos and good intentions. We watch as Navin works his way from gas station attendant, to carnie, to multi-millionaire. The film, all the while, compelling us to walk the line between Navin’s glorious optimism and his relentless stupidity.
In The Jerk Steve Martin manages to dominate the comedy spectrum – as a king of one liners, and as a master of complex, dialogue-driven, gags that will leave you cackling. Navin’s love-interest Marie, played by Broadway star Bernadette Peters, is a perfect match. Saccharine sweet and as foolish as Navin, Marie manages to replicate Martin’s comedic timing perfectly, leaving their romance feeling innocent and genuinely touching. Navin’s rags to riches (to rags again) story is goofy and fun, but in the end, honestly shows us the unyielding power of a loving family.
5/5 Pizzas in a Cup™️ 🍕🥤
Jeremy’s verdict:
The Jerk is the silliest, goofiest, and most absurd comedy I have seen in many years. Navin (Steve Martin) leaves his home and family on his birthday one year, when he realises he doesn’t quite fit in (he’s white and the adopted son of a black family – the gag being his mother needs to tell him this). His adventure begins as he hitch-hikes off to St. Louis to make a living and find his way in the world. What follows is a narrative that traces key moments in Navin’s adventure – love, work, riches and fame – and fills the gaps in-between with scenes and situations primed for Martin’s perfect physical, slapstick humour. There were few moments where I wasn’t laughing.
Along the way, Navin’s two companions are Marie (Bernadette Peters), a woman he meets and falls in love with while working at a carnival, and his dog – “Shithead” – who earns his name when Navin mistakenly believes he’s alerting him to an apartment fire (hearing Martin yell “Shithead, c’mon!” with such a straight face is hilarious). We follow Navin on his journey from working at a gas station to fame – and discover that as the titular lead, Navin is less of a jerk, and instead embodies both innocent naivety and idiotic foolishness in spades, which are the perfect foundation for Martin’s silliness and physicality.
The film feels like a precursor to the kind of absurd humour I loved as a child, like Steve Oedekerk’s Kung Pow (2002), which I still defend to this day as a work of comedic genius, and Hot Rod (2007) from Akiva Schaffer and The Lonely Island guys. It seems clear how some of their humour and style is indebted to what Martin and director Carl Reiner did here.
The Jerk’s only dated downfall is when Navin at one stage yells the n-word – having grown up believing himself to be black, he is outraged at the suggestions of business associates/mobsters who want to keep black people out of a housing development, and beats them up in response. It’s something which obviously would not fly as a joke made today – such that some current edits of the film have cut it out – and despite the heart of the joke, it made me feel reflexively uncomfortable in a way people may not have back when it premiered.
What is worth noting is that the jokes related to Navin’s adopted upbringing are at his expense, and his family are portrayed as some of the most lovingly kind and supportive characters in the film. The jokes don’t punch down on them. At his birthday dinner early on, we see Navin’s mother bring out his favourite meal: “Tuna fish salad on white bread with mayonnaise, a Tab, and a couple of Twinkies”.
When Navin gets upset and leaves for his room, his mum follows him and tells him the truth of his adoption. His response?
You mean I’m going to stay this colour?
It’s a testament to this film’s sense of humour that my entire list of notes for this review just contained jokes I wanted to remember. Navin and Marie’s kiss on the beach. The Cup of Pizza they eat on their date. Martin’s masterclass delivery about how long they’ve known each other for. He and Peters are adoringly sweet together on screen, and their chemistry adds a beautiful anchor to the film’s story. But the slapstick and physical humour – it’s where this film shines, and it’s on par with the laughs I got when my dad introduced me and my brother to Monty Python when we were kids. Absolutely glorious.
4.5/5 Pizzas in a Cup™️ 🍕🥤
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