Steve Martin had done a lot of standup and TV appearances prior to The Jerk but this movie really proved he could lead a feature film — to date he has been in more than 50 movies, including voiceover work.
The Jerk is a straightforward story of a young white child raised by a loving black family in the South. When he hears jazz on the radio for the first time, he gets the strong urge to finally leave home and explore the world, amassing a fortune and then losing it just as quickly. Bernadette Peters plays his sweet love interest Marie, and they are great together onscreen. His family, including Mabel King and Richard Ward, are only in the movie briefly but they are very funny with what they are given to work with.
