The Jerk (1979)

I'd never seen this movie but have saw it sitting on video store shelves for nearly two decades now. I mistakenly thought the premise was that Martin was some sort of jerk, maybe an egoist, loudmouth, etc. In fact, that's not (quite) the case, Martin plays essentially the most gullible, naive man I've seen in cinema. From the first scene I knew I was in for something different, as Navin R. Johnson (Martin), now a bum living on the street, began retelling his story stating, "It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child." For those that don't get the inherent humor, or have never seen Steve Martin, he's about as white as rice.

They don't make comedies like this anymore. Nowadays, they'd (most likely) toss Seth Rogan or someone into the lead role, add in some contemporary music to boost soundtrack sales, boost up the foul language and toilet humor, etc. But here, they allow the film to rely on Martin and his immense comedic strengths. His timing is suburb. From the moment he hitchhikes away from his Mississippi home, everywhere he lands, from working as a gas station attendant, to traveling with a carnival, losing his virginity in a trailer to a punk rock stunt woman, we are kept interested and laughing by Martin's portrayal of lovable loser Navin.

It doesn't have the emotional heft of Martin comedic gem Planes, Trains & Automobiles, which I recently watched and wrote about, but does offer a hefty dose of quality laughs and moments. Navin's first love Marie (Bernadette Peters in a fantastically understated and cute performance) helps anchor the second-half of the film. As stated before, the film doesn't offer much in the way of an emotional punch, but there is one scene I found quite beautiful, as Navin (playing the ukulele) and Marie walk along the beach at night singing "Tonight You Belong to Me", ending sweetly with Marie doing a cornet solo.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)

I first saw this movie back in 2007 and afterwards I felt a sense of guilt it’d taken me so long to see it. The next time was in the dead of a frostbitten, midwestern winter. I sat alone shivering in my car, one of two people who’d braved the cold to watch a John Hughes marathon at the local drive-in movie theater. I recently received it as a gift on DVD and immediately popped it in for a third viewing.

This is your ideal comedy. If there were such a thing as an LPC (laughs per minute) rating, I’d wager this film would rate in the upper-percentile of all comedies. The story is pretty straightforward: Neal (Steve Martin) is trying to get home for Thanksgiving, things take a decidedly bad turn, leading to a hilarious series of misadventures with fellow traveler and shower ring salesman Del (John Candy). Flights are canceled, trains brake down, cars erupt into flames, etc. While their perilous journey is tons of fun, the most satisfying aspect of this film is watching two certified comedy legends, Martin and Candy, at their absolute best. Martin plays the stuffy, straight man opposite Candy’s messy loudmouth. The performances are so pitch perfect, with absolutely impeccable timing, extraordinary chemistry, and so on, that both actors truly shine, and for my money Candy’s portrayal of lovable loser Del Griffith is one of cinema’s all-time great comedic roles.

The film is incredibly funny, but make no mistake, it also has tons of heart. It’d be difficult to narrow down my favorite moments. One smaller scene I really like, towards the end of their uncanny voyage, Del and Neal are up late in a cheap motel, drinking a variety of miniature bottles of alcohol, eating chips, laughing and bonding over the hardships they’ve survived. This film is full of terrific moments. I urge everyone to seek it out. It’s arguably John Candy’s greatest performance and amongst John Hughes’ best work.