Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that The Jerk is a 1979 Steve Martin comedy that is -- while certainly one of Martin's best and best-loved movies -- filled with frequent profanity as well as the use of racial slurs. Although the use of racial slurs is used to heighten a scene in which mob goons are trying to keep minorities out of real estate in more upscale neighborhoods, the nuance of the scene might be lost on younger viewers. In an extended scene, a young boy is shown wearing a T-shirt that reads "Bull S--t." There is some sexual innuendo: Navin's adopted mother had referred to his penis as having a "special purpose," and he finds out just what that means when he loses his virginity to a tough-acting, foul-mouthed motorcycle stuntwoman. The stuntwoman's trailer is shown from the outside rocking up and down. A crazed gunman is shown pursuing Navin with a rifle and scope, trying to kill him from a distance. Characters are shown drinking, smoking cigarettes, and, in one scene, smoking a joint. Although The Jerk is one of the all-time great comedies, the content and raw material for the comedy make this best for mature teens and older.
Sexual
Content
A domineering motorcycle daredevil woman seduces Navin, and the camera shows her trailer bouncing up and down. She gets Navin's name tattooed on her rear end and makes a reference to "putting a rubber on it." Most of the sexuality is intimated, as when Navin is heard (from an exterior shot) saying, "This is like a ride." He writes home that he has discovered what his mother meant about his body part's "special purpose" and that he plans to have sex as often as possible.
Violence
A crazed gunman points a rifle and scope at Navin with intent to kill him. Patty hits Navin, and Marie punches her out. The wife of Navin's butler is executed by firing squad (not shown) as a penalty for an early bank withdrawal. Navin karate-chops three racist financial advisors and hurts his foot on one ("Iron Balls" McGinty). Within the film, the offense that is perceived as the most horrific is the juggling of kittens for fun and profit. Toward the end of the film, a sports car is shown losing control, driving off a cliff and exploding -- the result of a movie director becoming cross-eyed.
Language
Frequent profanity: "s--t," "ass," "bastard," "goddamn." Toward the end of the movie, mafia goons refer to African Americans as "jungle bunnies" and use the "N" word, which inspires Navin to say that he also is an "N" word since he was raised by an African American family. Navin names his dog "S--thead." A young boy in an amusement park is shown in an extended scene wearing a T-shirt that reads "Bull S--t." Navin's first girlfriend calls his second girlfriend a "gash."
Social
Behavior
Love and family are far more important than material possessions. Although Navin is a "jerk" who is often oblivious to what's going on around him, he cares for his friends and family, even going so far as to send what money he can back home to his adopted family.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
In the beginning of the movie, Navin is sitting outside next to disheveled homeless men passed out with bottles of alcohol at their sides. Navin is given a bottle of booze from his adopted brother for his birthday. Characters are shown smoking cigarettes. A petty criminal in the backseat of a car is shown smoking a joint and offers it to Navin. Later in the movie, after Navin has become successful, he and his girlfriend are shown drinking wine in a fancy restaurant and then are surrounded by drinkers at a disco party. In his mansion, white and red wine are dispensed from twin water coolers.
