Steve Martin's effortless charm is on full display in "The Jerk", his first star vehicle, and the opening in a notable line of movies with Carl Reiner.
Like Caddyshack, the plot structure is a little aimless (somewhat saggy in the middle) but the majority of jokes land gracefully. Martin's playing a lovable dimwit (like, impossibly stupid) that bumbles his way into love and wealth and loses both just as easily. The murderous M. Emmet Walsh is completely random, yet results in one of the film's most memorable lines ("He hates these cans! Stay away from the cans!"). Even I was surprised how hard I was laughing through some of this. Even when you know what's going to happen, it's still funny. And a big part of the fun is watching the comic situations build, with usually facepalming results.
You're just not ready for how dumb this guy is, and then it hits.
Like Caddyshack, the plot structure is a little aimless (somewhat saggy in the middle) but the majority of jokes land gracefully. Martin's playing a lovable dimwit (like, impossibly stupid) that bumbles his way into love and wealth and loses both just as easily. The murderous M. Emmet Walsh is completely random, yet results in one of the film's most memorable lines ("He hates these cans! Stay away from the cans!"). Even I was surprised how hard I was laughing through some of this. Even when you know what's going to happen, it's still funny. And a big part of the fun is watching the comic situations build, with usually facepalming results.
You're just not ready for how dumb this guy is, and then it hits.