The Jerk

"A rags to riches to rags story."

Dec 14 1979 R 1h 34m

Comedy

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.

Plot

Navin is an idiot. He grew up in Mississippi as the adopted son of a black family, but on his 18th birthday he feels he wants to discover the rest of the world and sets out for St. Louis. There everyone exploits his naivete, until a simple invention brings him a fortune.

Written by

Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb, Michael Elias

Directed by

Carl Reiner

Cast

Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Aspen Film Society, Universal Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

1 win & 1 nomination

Trailers

The Jerk | Official Trailer (Universal Pictures) HD

Scores

# of Votes

66,046

Average Rating

7.1 out of 10

Metascore

Popularity

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