I remember having seen parts of this film from when I was a kid, but I didn’t remember much about it, other than it starred Steve Martin. So I decided to check it out on my free trial of Starz and I am glad I did. You see Steve Martin’s character, Navin, was born a poor black man. Really he was a white foster child, placed into a black family, completely out of place. When he came of age, he decided to go out into the real world and find his way. He seemed mentally handicapped or just painfully slow, in a very comedic way. It would be hard to imagine anyone else playing this part. He takes several odd jobs, and no matter how little he’s paid, he always sends something back to his family. One day he fixes someone’s glasses, in a unique way, and ends up becoming very wealthy off of the new “invention”. The premise sort of reminds me of the more current film “dumb and dumber”, starring Jim Carey. The newly founded wealth was not something Navin was accustomed to, which led to many very funny scenes, including a fight scene, and a dinner scene. The humor in the film holds up very well. The supporting cast, namely Bernadette Peters, were great. This is the type of film, best enjoyed with someone who has a great sense of humor. I cannot recommend it enough.
*****
