The Jerk (1979)
1 question
Directed by: Carl Reiner
Starring: Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Mabel King, Catlin Adams
Revealing mistake: When the sniper is shooting the cans, the close-up of the first can shows the metal peeling out as though the bullet had come from inside instead of outside.
More quotes from The Jerk
Trivia: Director Rob Reiner has a cameo as the truck driver who takes Navin to the end of the fence.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.
Answer: Navin self-applies the "Jerk" epithet early in the film, using it not in the sense of someone obnoxious or mean (as it is used in most cases), but in the sense of a stupid person. He's saying he blames himself and his lack of intelligence (though, as you say, it is usually simple naïveté) for ending up where he is (broke, homeless).