(Photo by Universal / courtesy Everett Collection. Thumbnail: Paramount Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection)
At the height of his wild and crazy stand-up fame in the late 1970s, Steve Martin called it quits, took off for Los Angeles, and funneled his routine and material into his debut starring movie. A savvy career move, you might call it, because that movie turned out to be 1979’s The Jerk, a classic comedy of sweetly stupid anarchy, and a box office smash that counted Stanley Kubrick among its most ardent fans. Martin and director Carl Reiner would team up three additional times in the ’80s, for Dead Man Don’t Wear Plaid, The Man with Two Brains, and All of Me.
Though Martin has no problem showing off his sinister, cynical side (like in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and David Mamet’s The Spanish Prisoner, or as a memorably sadistic dentist in Little Shop of Horrors), it’s in sincerely reaching for audience sympathy where he’s produced some of his most memorable characters. You root for Navin Johnson, The Jerk‘s underdog idiot hero, just like you do for his characters in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Roxanne, and L.A. Story.
Martin’s last starring Certified Fresh film was 1999’s filmmaking send-up Bowfinger. With his recent output spotty at best (including a few remakes of The Pink Panther and Cheaper by the Dozen), he has maintained goodwill with a pivot to writing novels, recording bluegrass, and publicly maintaining his friendship with Martin Short through live shows. Whatever he pursues next, we’re looking back with all Steve Martin movies ranked by Tomatometer!
#37
Adjusted Score: 8.609%
Critics Consensus: A sequel to a remake, Cheaper 2 wastes its solid cast in scenes of over-the-top, predictable humor.
#36
Adjusted Score: 11.293%
Critics Consensus: Mixed Nuts may provoke strong allergic reactions in all but the most undemanding filmgoers -- and the most forgiving Steve Martin fans.
#35
Adjusted Score: 14.181%
Critics Consensus: I thought you might like to know that the Beatles (aka the act you've known for all these years) are ill-served by this kitschy, aggressively whimsical fantasy film that's most certainly not a thrill.
#34
Adjusted Score: 16.868%
Critics Consensus: Underutilizing its talented cast, The Pink Panther 2 is little more than a series of lame slapstick gags.
#33
Adjusted Score: 26.99%
Critics Consensus: In this family of twelve children, much chaos ensues, but little hilarity.
#32
Adjusted Score: 32.63%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#31
Adjusted Score: 38.029%
Critics Consensus: Though the cast shines, they can't save this comedy, which is overly contrived and filled with outdated and offensive racial jokes.
#30
Adjusted Score: 37.647%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#29
Adjusted Score: 41.119%
Critics Consensus: The quirky Novocaine flirts with both dark comedy and noir suspense, but the result is a jarring mix of tones which never quite mesh.
#28
Adjusted Score: 43.583%
Critics Consensus: Though made with care and affection for its characters, The Big Year plods along, rarely reaching any comedic heights.
#27
Adjusted Score: 43.605%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#26
Adjusted Score: 49.731%
Critics Consensus: Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk has noble goals, but lacks a strong enough screenplay to achieve them -- and its visual innovations are often merely distracting.
#25
Adjusted Score: 48.308%
Critics Consensus: Three Amigos! stars a trio of gifted comedians and has an agreeably silly sense of humor, but they're often adrift in a dawdling story with too few laugh-out-loud moments.
#24
Adjusted Score: 48.61%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#23
Adjusted Score: 48.965%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#22
Adjusted Score: 55.707%
Critics Consensus: Colorful, silly, and utterly benign, Home is a passable diversion, but there's no shortage of superior animated alternatives.
#21
Adjusted Score: 59.627%
Critics Consensus: The plot is a nonsensical, hyperactive jumble and the gags are relatively uninspired compared to the classic Looney Tunes cartoons.
#20
Adjusted Score: 63.575%
Critics Consensus: Despite fine work by an appealing cast, It's Complicated is predictable romantic comedy fare, going for broad laughs instead of subtlety and nuance.
#19
Adjusted Score: 64.912%
Critics Consensus: Shopgirl is precariously slight, but it has some intriguing moments, and Danes is luminous.
#18
Adjusted Score: 62.82%
Critics Consensus: Steve Martin's layered performance transcends the somewhat undercooked narrative of Leap of Faith.
#17
Adjusted Score: 72.76%
Critics Consensus: While it doesn't quite hit the heights of the original, this remake of the 1950 classic is pleasantly enjoyable, thanks in large part to winning performances from Steve Martin and Martin Short.
#16
Adjusted Score: 71.426%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#15
Adjusted Score: 77.184%
Critics Consensus: As spastically uneven as its zany title suggests, The Man with Two Brains isn't peak Steve Martin -- but it's still often close enough to enjoy.
#14
Adjusted Score: 79.061%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#13
Adjusted Score: 80.551%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#12
Adjusted Score: 84.678%
Critics Consensus: The Prince of Egypt's stunning visuals and first-rate voice cast more than compensate for the fact that it's better crafted than it is emotionally involving.
#11
Adjusted Score: 83.725%
Critics Consensus: Crude, crass, and oh so quotable, The Jerk is nothing short of an all-out comedic showcase for Steve Martin.
#10
Adjusted Score: 85.708%
Critics Consensus: A witty commentary on modern film-making, with enough jokes to keep it entertaining throughout.
#9
Adjusted Score: 83.635%
Critics Consensus: A complicated little musical, Pennies from Heaven is a dazzling, tragic spectacle.
#8
Adjusted Score: 87.837%
Critics Consensus: A high-concept farce carried by Carl Reiner's deft direction and the precise timing of its leads, All of Me is a body-swap comedy worth holding onto.
#7
Adjusted Score: 91.26%
Critics Consensus: A buoyant, clever update of the conman flick Bedtime Story, with plenty of comedic jousting resulting from a winning chemistry between Michael Caine and Steve Martin.
#6
Adjusted Score: 92.387%
Critics Consensus: The Spanish Prisoner delivers just what fans of writer-director David Mamet expect: a smart, solidly constructed drama that keeps viewers guessing... and entertained along the way.
#5
Adjusted Score: 92.689%
Critics Consensus: Though its sweetness borders on sappiness, Roxanne is an unabashedly romantic comedy that remains one of Steve Martin's funniest.
#4
Adjusted Score: 94.493%
Critics Consensus: Remixing Roger Corman's B-movie by way of the Off-Broadway musical, Little Shop of Horrors offers camp, horror and catchy tunes in equal measure -- plus some inspired cameos by the likes of Steve Martin and Bill Murray.
#3
Adjusted Score: 95.069%
Critics Consensus: Bolstered by a delightful cast, Parenthood is a funny and thoughtfully crafted look at the best and worst moments of family life that resonates broadly.
#2
Adjusted Score: 95.392%
Critics Consensus: Thanks to the impeccable chemistry between Steve Martin and John Candy, as well as a deft mix of humor and heart, Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a hilarious, heartfelt holiday classic.
#1
Adjusted Score: 96.061%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
August 15, 2020 at 01:43AM
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/all-steve-martin-movies-ranked/
All Steve Martin Movies Ranked - Rotten Tomatoes
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