
The Jerk
Steve Martin’s stand-up act combined equal measures of the stupid and the cerebral; he turned dropping your pants into a philosophical statement. By 1979, his remarkable on-stage success had gained him enough clout to write and star in his own film. Directed by his old friend Carl Reiner, The Jerk, is an often hilarious series of vignettes that expand on Martin’s post-modern stand-up routines while harking back to Paramount’s silly/surreal screwball comedies of the early 30’s. Produced for a lowly 4 million dollars, the film cleaned up at the box office earning over 73 million by year’s end.
About Larry Karaszewski
Larry Karaszewski and his writing/directing/producing partner Scott Alexander are best known for writing unusual true stories. Their current release is “Dolemite is My Name” featuring Eddie Murphy as Rudy Ray Moore. The duo previously created the hit television miniseries “The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” for which they won the Golden Globe, Emmy, PGA and WGA Awards. They also won the Golden Globe and WGA Award for the film “The People vs Larry Flynt.” Other movies include the Oscar winning “Ed Wood” (WGA nomination), “Big Eyes” (Independent Spirit nomination), “Auto Focus" and “Man on the Moon.” The team has been inducted into the Final Draft Screenwriting Hall of Fame. Larry is also a Governor for writers branch, co-chair of the International Feature Film category, and a Vice President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.