Naïve Navin Johnson embarks on a journey to discover his 'special
purpose' in life and encounters some interesting characters and
unusual adventures in his tale of going from rags to riches...to
rags.
CRITIQUE
Steve Martin, in his big-screen film debut, creates a comic
character, Navin Johnson - self-proclaimed 'poor black child', one of
cinematic comedy's funniest characters in yet a sadly dated comedy as
well. Martin, who became a huge stand-up sensation to the point of
selling out arena concerts not unlike Led Zeppelin after a stint for
over a decade as a professional comedy writer for the likes of The
Smothers Brothers and Sonny & Cher, was becoming a pop comic icon with
his regular guest hostings to-the-point-of-being-an-honorary rep
"Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time" on NBC's juggernaut alternative comic
ensemble "Saturday Night Live", and the next logical step seemed to be
the big screen. And boy did he ever!
Eschewing his arrow-thru-the-head, banjo-strumming bunny ear
wearing "wild-and-crazy-guy" stigmata for a neo-Jerry Lewis-like tale
about a schmuck who suddenly finds himself in The Big Bad World (face
it Chaplin pretty much invented the genre) and finding his
naïve-borderline-idiotic demeanor a tough act in facing Life's hurdles
ultimately living the American Dream: getting rich overnight and then
losing everything in the process, the American Nightmare.
Sight-gags, one-liners and physical shtick predominate the slim
storyline but there are some laugh out loud moments notably Martin's
Navin discovering 'rhythm' amongst his adoptive black family in rural
Mississippi (doing this material today would be so anti-PC for a cheap
laugh) prompting him to seek his 'special purpose' (more on this
later) and hitchhiking with his newly found dog ShitHead to a gas
station run by none-other-than Jewish Borsch Belt relic Jackie Mason
(I know, a Jew running a gas station! Unheard of!) and finding himself
the unsuspecting target of a deranged gun nut (hilariously played by
gifted character actor M. Emmet Walsh) including a scene of being
assailed by bullets and assuming the assassin 'hates these cans' when
the failed marks of oil cans are shot out (and eventually a Coke
machine: "More cans!!") This scene has even been given tribute in
recent years to a showcase in the late, great tv sitcom "Freaks &
Geeks" where Martin was considered a god and homage in a quieter,
happier moment prior to carnage in "Black Hawk Down" (!)
Navin winds up finding his 'special purpose' (aka his member)
getting a work out with a carnival act, a punk roadie named Patty (Catlin
Adams) who sexes up the virginal Navin to the point of blind ecstasy
but sees the light in the pretty, porcelain (and rather nimbly
flexible skin) shape of Marie (at-the-time-of-filming-main-squeeze
Bernadette Peters), whose Kewpie doll kookiness makes a fine bedfellow
for our hero, in his unexpected rise to riches.
That venture turns out to be a on-the-spot repair job on a gas
station client's slippery eyeglasses resulting in the Opti-Grab, a
handle attached to the bridge of the glasses - which sadly become the
cause celebre in a class action lawsuit by none-other-than Carl Reiner
(who directed and would become a frequent film collaborator with
Martin showcasing both of their absurd talents to the hilt) who has
become cross-eyed!
Martin gives the most of his ridiculous role with no compunction of
looking foolish (something that has been missing with each year since
with his frequent success in film over his career) proving limber and
spastic as well as self-deprecatingly sweet.
What makes the film dated is the laughs are now seemingly forced
and offer nothing except pure silliness, crude vulgarity and stupidity
which has actually spawned some interesting followers including The
Farrelly Brothers, Pauly Shore, Jim Carrey and Tom Arnold (a truly
mixed bag). But it is #84 on the AFI Greatest Comedies so there ya
go.
THE VIDEO
The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture is sharp-eyed clear
especially for a low-budget Hollywood
comedy that offers no eye-candy or striking camera work per se.
THE AUDIO
Better than average and what would be expected with standard Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround. Optional English captions and Spanish and French
subtitles are available.
THE EXTRAS
Shockingly few (would it have killed at least Reiner to do a
commentary since Martin is often in more demand) including the
trailer, production notes and a video banjo lesson
and deleted scene of the notorious 'cat juggling' entitled "The
Lost Filmstrips of Father Carlos Las Vegas De Cordova".
FINAL THOUGHTS
Showcasing a comic genius at the rise of his successful period in
his salad days of being an ass while being nostalgic for the clown
instead of the Renaissance comedian, The Jerk: 26th
Anniversary Edition DVD comes recommended but not necessarily to
buy as an addition to one’s private video collection.
