A rags to riches to rags story.
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.
The Jerk (1979) is a comedy film directed by Carl Reiner, released on December 14, 1979 with a runtime of 1h 34m. It stars Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams and Mabel King. Viewers rate it 6.9 out of 10 across 931 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for The Jerk before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for The Jerk.
Trailer
Clip
Featurette
Steve Martin
as Navin R. Johnson
Bernadette Peters
as Marie Kimble Johnson
Catlin Adams
as Patty Bernstein
Mabel King
as Mother
Richard Ward
as Father
Carl Gottlieb
as Iron Balls McGinty
Dick Anthony Williams
as Taj
Bill Macy
as Stan Fox
M. Emmet Walsh
as Madman
Dick O'Neill
as Frosty
Maurice Evans
as Hobart
Helena Carroll
as Hester
Directed by Carl Reiner, written by Steve Martin, Carl Gottlieb and Michael Elias, produced by David V. Picker and William E. McEuen.
Average viewer score of 6.9/10 from 931 ratings.
***Steve Martin’s breakout comedy*** A homeless mentally-challenged man (Steve Martin) shares his amusing tale of rags-to-riches-to-hobo with flashbacks. Catlin Adams plays a stunt rider at a carnival who has the hots for Navin (Martin) while Bernadette Peters plays a more important woman in his life. “The Jerk” (1979) has several laugh-out-loud scenes like the eventual confrontation between Patty (Catlin) and…
Reviewed on February 25, 2019
2026
1990
2014
2012
2012
2020
1995
1961
2016
1985
2004
1996
2019
1994
2008
2003
2017
1992
2020
1991
2021
2019
2022
Movie
1940
2017
2021
2020
2019
2009
1941
Movie
1976
1987
2020
2021
2020
2012
2017
1976
The Jerk (1979) is available to stream on YouTube TV, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of The Jerk (1979) includes Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Catlin Adams, Mabel King and Richard Ward. The film was directed by Carl Reiner. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
The Jerk was released on December 14, 1979 and runs for 1h 34m.
The Jerk (1979) holds an average rating of 6.9 out of 10 from 931 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy comedy films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official The Jerk trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
