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The Jerk

1979

Carl Reiner

Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams, Mabel King ...

6.0

824

Comedy Navin Johnson, a none-too-bright white boy raised by a family of black sharecroppers, somehow manages to reach adulthood without ever discovering he was adopted. His parents finally tell him the truth on his birthday and, shocked by the news, he decides to head off to the big city to seek his fortune. Although he embarks on his odyssey with Candide-like optimism, Navin soon learns the cruel ways of the world as his crazy invention--a ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Janet Maslin The New York Times	"[It] is by turns funny, vulgar and backhandedly clever, never more so than when it aspires to absolute stupidity"	POS
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"'The Jerk' is all gags and very little comedy (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"	NEG
United Kingdom	Phelim Kine The Guardian	"[Martin's] charm and timing makes this cleverly constructed movie seem fantastically loose and easy."	POS
United Kingdom	Time Out	"The trouble with retard comedy is that it rapidly degenerates into banana-skin jokes; but at its best, 'The Jerk' manages to move its central character away from the merely moronic to a truly hysterical Pollyannaism"	NEU
United Kingdom	William Thomas Empire	"Loud and ludicrous, 'The Jerk' is a strong contender for the funniest film of all time (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Josh Modell AV Club	"Martin's goofball performance, the best and broadest of his comedic screen career, is enough to carry 'The Jerk' through."	POS
United Kingdom	Tom Hutchinson Radio Times	"Has Steve Martin made a funnier film? Fans of this insist he hasn't (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS

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