It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

After watching the recent Martin & Short net released performance I felt it was time to revisit Martin's first foray into film, The Jerk. At the time The Jerk first dropped Martin was on a roll. The film continued that. A unique piece of celluloid humor whose audience was, shall we say, generous. It is somewhat hard to imagine the time now, but Martin plugged into it. This is a comedy that actually did well in the mainstream at the time and went on to become a bit of cultish type thing. That is to say it doesn't really age well in many ways, but there's Martin at the center. Then and now he makes it a movie to watch. He's completely unique and absolutely irreverent for any time. Watching him is like watching a one-off talent. He put many of his already successful stand-up gags plus delved deeper. The supporting cast was just as edgy with a nice fit. This is one stupid movie making absolutely no apologies. If you in for a cent, you're in for a pound...meaning if in the first ten minutes if you get it then you're going to be watching to the end with those little belly laughs that drop like rain. So, in the end, this many years later this is a film for those with the broadest sense of humor. Those who celebrate crazed stupidity as a form of brilliance. I'd say it was somewhat important as it paved the way for more modern comedies like the Farrrely Brothers later made. Not a film for the masses anymore, if you're a fan of obtuse comedy it definitely warrants another watch.

So, someone here challenged people with his review to say what isn't hilarious about this film and that it's grade (7.2) is highly underrated. I read that review before watching the movie and eagerly anticipated a masterpiece of comedy.Before watching the movie i skimmed through some of the scenes, actually I planned on doing that, but the very first scene caught my attention. It's the scene where Martins first employer guides him to the room in which he will be staying. I'm specifically talking about the bathroom scene before entering the "real" room. The employer says something about the room not being that great and Martin just takes over the spotlight saying something among these lines (this is not an exact quote because I'm too lazy to re watch the whole scene to give you exact quotes): "Are you crazy!? I freaking love it! Just look at it, the toilet is right here. And this must be the kitchen! No."I found this to be a very witty use of sarcasm and I laughed my ass off. I knew that I was going to enjoy this movie from the bottom of my heart. "This must be the kitchen." Oh boy that line killed me. I stopped my skimming and started watching the movie.You can't imagine my disappointment when I realized Martins character isn't anything like I had imagined. I thought he was quite smart and sarcastic but he was just a normal idiot. The first thing that crossed my mind was:"Oh gee, what if that scene wasn't sarcastic and the moron actually thought it was the kitchen. Nah, that can't be true. That would mean that this movie sucks."And oh boy, did the movie suck. I couldn't even finish watching it because he only scene I found funny was when his black father told him:"Look son, this is s***." And that is only cause he used the word s***. I ended watching it after the bathroom scene (actually after the employer guided him to his "real" room) just to check for real if it was sarcasm. After seeing all that I'm 100% positive that the grade 7.2 is highly overrated cause this movie doesn't even come close to funny (if you're into intelligent humour) and therefore I'm giving it a 1.If you like dumb humour when the main character is a moron and just does stupid things, this is the movie for you. Otherwise don't even try to watch it.

Imagine that Steve Martin, raised by a black family, has to have the family tell him that he is not biologically theirs. Really? How asinine can this become, especially when he has a dog named Stupid who is anything but that.The film picks up with the entry of Bernadette Peters and how the two go from a rags to riches way of life, only to lose it all.There are some funny situations with Jackie Mason and a lunatic who pulls Martin's name out of the phone book at random with the intention to kill him. Some groups who advocate for mentally challenged people may find the film offensive.

Didn't find this funny or charming at all. Steve Martin who is so great in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, great comedian, great timing and all, so I thought I might like this. But The Jerk seems to be more old-fashioned 1940's American wee-he silly kind of humor that I do not understand at all.If that's your cup of tea then go ahead!Minor spoiler: Something that boggled me was why this jerk person seemed to alter between mildly dumb to complete and utter retard? It was like he started out a real complete nonfunctional retard then moved into a phase where he was just mildly immature, back and forth, and then at the end a complete retard again? Was that part of the humor?None of the movie made any sense to me. Very old fashioned even by 1979. Not funny.