Navin Johnson (Steve Martin) has has spent his entire life in the same small Mississippi town, and always felt a little different from the rest of his family of poor black sharecroppers. However, now that he’s becoming a man, Navin’s parents (Mabel King, Richard Ward) decide it’s time to tell him the truth, that he’s not their natural born child, and that he was left on their doorstep as a baby. Navin is a bit surprised by this news, “You mean I’m going to stay this color?!”, and decides it’s time for him to explore the bigger world out there. So the naive and simple-minded young man sets off on his adventure. Along the way he finds a new pet dog named Shithead, gets a job a gas station where he not only befriends owner Harry Hartounian (Jackie Mason) but also becomes the target of a would-be assassin (M. Emmet Walsh), and meets wealthy investor Stan Fox (Bill Macy). He also joins a circus where he discovers his “special purpose” with stunt woman Patty Bernstein (Catlin Adams), and meets the girl of his dreams, Marie (Bernadette Peters). However, when he starts to experience fame and fortune, the sweet, innocent Navin changes into, well, a Jerk.

The Jerk is one of those films that you’re either going to love or hate. It will go from slapstick physical humor, to witty banter, to some of the most unbelievably stupid, ridiculous and inappropriate things you’ve ever seen in a movie (cat juggling!). But it remains a lot of fun throughout. Martin plays this delightfully naive idiot, whose heart is always in the right place, but he just doesn’t have the intelligence or life experiences to understand that he’s doing things all wrong. Throughout the film, Navin is constantly sending money back to his family, and writing letters to let his family know what he’s been up to. The juxtaposition between what is being narrated based on Navin’s own interpretation of events, versus what is actually happening often leads to some really hilarious moments.

This film was obviously a vehicle to help Steve Martin transition from stand-up to feature film star. There are several pieces of his stand-up routines woven into this character, but it never feels like he is doing bits. Navin is just a crazy, over-the-top character, and all of the craziness just seems to work. The film still holds up quite well after 40 years, though there are a few scenes involving the use of the N-word that would never fly if this movie was being made today.

For this 40th anniversary Blu-ray release, Shout! Factory has remastered the film from a brand-new 2K transfer, and the results look fantastic—you would never know the movie was nearly 40 years old! The picture looks bright, clean and crisp, with a minimal/pleasant amount of film grain. The release provides both 5.1 and stereo audio tracks. While I didn’t notice any extensive use of the stereo or surround channels, dialogue remains clear, and the musical selections in the film’s score/soundtrack sound great.

Shout! Factory usually does a wonderful job with the supplemental material on its Shout Select line of Blu-rays, and this release is no exception. The disc contains a brand new 26-minute retrospective interview with star Steve Martin & director Carl Reiner, a new 25-minute retrospective interview with co-writers Michael Elias and Carl Gottlieb, a 7-min ukelele tutorial, 4 minutes of additional film strip footage, and a collection of trailers and radio spots. The disc comes packed in a standard Blu-ray keepcase with a slipcover. Like many other Shout Select releases, the insert inside the cover is reversible, giving the viewer a choice in how to display this title in his or her collection. The alternate view for this title can be seen below:

What’s Included:

Film: (1:33:58)

• 1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Surround, English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo
• Subtitles: English SDH

Extras:

• A Conversation with Steve Martin and Carl Reiner (26:35)
  In this brand new featurette, star Steve Martin and director Carl Reiner sit down for a retrospective discussion about the film. Martin talks about transitioning from stand-up to starring in film, and creating his original presentation short, The Absent Minded Waiter. The two men also discuss rewriting the original script and adding a love story, working with Bernadette Peters and Jackie Mason, playing the ukulele, shooting at the Wrigley mansion, a cut scene that got a film reviewer fired, and more.
  
  
• A Conversation with Co-Writers Michael Elias and Carl Gottlieb (24:40)
  In this brand new featurette, co-writers Carl Gottlieb and Michael Elias sit down for a retrospective discussion about the evolution of the screenplay. Some interesting things they talk about are how the initial idea for Navin growing up with a black family came about, working with Carl Reiner, the film’s cast, deleted scenes, sneak preview reactions, and more.
• Learn How to Play “Tonight You Belong To Me” (7:04)
  After some screens/tones to help you tune your ukulele, Ukulele Gal reads a letter from Navin asking for instructions on how to play “Tonight You Belong To Me”. She then demonstrates how to play the song, followed by the scene from the film in which the song appears. Presented in 4:3 letterboxed format.
• The Lost Film Strips of Father Carols Las Vegas De Cordova (4:20)
  More footage from Carlos “Las Vegas” de Cordova’s film strip, which includes rounds of fish teasing, plant abusing, and pet dressing. Presented in 4:3 full frame format.
• Theatrical Trailer (2:30)
  Presented in 4:3 full frame format.
• Teaser Trailer (:33)
  Presented in widescreen format.
• Exhibitor’s Trailer (2:29)
  Steve Martin hypes the film to theater owners. Presented in widescreen format.
• Radio Spots (3:03)
  Collection of 1 60-second and 4 30-second radio spots.

Final Thoughts:

The Jerk is a hilarious Steve Martin comedy that is completely ridiculous and over the top, but always a lot of fun. It also features an wonderfully talented supporting cast. Shout! Factory has does an excellent job with this release—the picture looks amazing for a 40-year-old film, and the disc features two brand new retrospective interviews with the film’s star/creators, among other bonus material. This release is a must own for fans of the film, and highly recommended for Steve Martin fans or anyone looking for a crazy classic comedy.