The Jerk, Too

"He’s not stupid. He’s a jerk!"

1984 1h 32m EN

💀

4.5

SKIP

★4.5TMDB · 4

ComedyTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Navin Johnson heads to Los Angeles to attend the wedding of his pen pal, Marie. On the way, he runs across a gang of hobos whose leader, Diesel, takes him to Las Vegas after learning of his skills at poker.

“He’s not stupid. He’s a jerk!”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Mark Blankfield
Navin Johnson
Ray Walston
Diesel
Robert Sampson
Van Buren
Patricia Barry
Mrs. Van Buren
Barrie Ingham
Carl the Butler
Stacey Nelkin
Marie Van Buren
Jean LeClerc
Count Marco
Thalmus Rasulala
Crossroads

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Schultz
Writers: Rocco Urbisci, Ziggy Steinberg
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

42 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Jerk Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Schultz, shot by Joseph F. Biroc. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Frank Denson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jack Gleason shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mark Blankfield and Ray Walston and Robert Sampson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He’s not stupid. He’s a jerk!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0087499 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Schultz directs. Joseph F. Biroc behind the camera. Frank Denson scores. Jack Gleason cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

142 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "The Jerk Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Michael Schultz, shot by Joseph F. Biroc. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Frank Denson. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Jack Gleason shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Mark Blankfield and Ray Walston and Robert Sampson carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "He’s not stupid. He’s a jerk!".
8IMDB entry: tt0087499 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 4 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph F. Biroc
Original score: Frank Denson
Editing: Jack Gleason
Costume design: Judy Truchan
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Jerk, Too (1984)

Part of

The Jerk Collection

The Jerk (1979) follows naive Navin R. Johnson (Steve Martin) as he leaves his poor Black family, becomes a millionaire with the "Opti-Grab" invention (which makes people cross-eyed), loses it all, and finds true happiness back with his family and love, Marie, embracing his simple roots and gaining rhythm, while its sequel, The Jerk, Too (1984), sees Navin trying to go straight but getting pulled into a Las Vegas casino heist.