'The Jerk' (1979)
Number 20
Number 20
Steve Martin has let us down recently -- "Cheaper By the Dozen" and "The Pink Panther" left something more to be desired from a comedic mind that was bulletproof in the '70s. When he was at his goofiest and most irreverent, Martin made "The Jerk," a rags to riches story about a confused white boy, raised poor and black, who gains incredible wealth and then loses it as quickly. Arguably, this is his greatest film.
(Nicole Cammorata and James Duffy, Boston.com correspondents)


