The Jerk: 26th Anniversary Edition DVD Review:

When Steve martin made his film debut with The Jerk, which he also had a part in writing, he was already known for his comedic ability on stage as a stand-up comedian. The Jerk opened up a whole new world for him, allowing the freedom of creating all sorts of strange characters. Although The Jerk is not the best Steve Martin film, there is a certain amount of nostalgia behind it and some irrefutably hilarious scenes.

Steve Martin is Navin Johnson, although for years I thought it was Nathan, a young homeless man telling the story of his rise and fall. He began as an adopted son of a large but poor black family but when he decided to explore the world he came upon love and fortune as well as an adventure. How Navin manages this is a mystery because he is mostly just a bumbling but likable fool. Strange coincidences nearly get him killed as easily as they make him a millionaire.

No scene is as memorable as the one which was chosen for the cover of the DVD, with Martin holding a chair, lamp, paddle ball, and other assorted items with his pants around his ankles and a bathrobe on. Not many films can get away with putting a picture from one of the last scenes in the movie on the cover of the DVD, but there would have been no better choice for The Jerk.

The DVD menu is flashy and somewhat obnoxious, but I suppose it is fitting for a comedy like this. It does seem somewhat sloppy however, and the resolution of the clips which play at a very fast speed doesn’t seem to be top notch. On top of that there are very few special features for a film as popular as this. It is being sold as the 26th Anniversary Edition but there are only three special features. The first is a lesson for playing “Tonight You Belong To Me” on the ukulele which may have been fun if Steve Martin had been the one teaching the lesson, but he is not and it ends up seeming forced. How many people would really buy a DVD for a ukulele lesson?

The second feature is deleted footage from Father Carlos Las Vegas De Cordova, which includes fish teasing and other fun jokes to go with cat juggling. The last is probably the best and it is simply a theatrical trailer. This obviously is not a DVD to buy for the special features.

The film is another story completely, with completely restored audio which is available in surround sound for the first time. The picture could have been restored slightly more, although it looks about as good as can be expected in 26 years.



Ryan Izay