Six Definitive Films: The ultimate beginner’s guide to Steve Martin
Steve Martin is one of the biggest names in American comedy. As well as performing in some absolute classic comedy blockbuster hits, including Pink Panther, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, The Man with Two Brains and Bowfinger, Martin is also an acclaimed stand-up comic. With the star recently hinting that he may be about to retire, we thought there was no time like the present to reflect on his lasting impact on cinema.
He first came to the public’s attention in the 1960s when he was hired as a writer for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, an American comedy and variety show that explored political satire and featured live music from Cream, The Who and Buffalo Springfield.
The 1970s soon arrived, and Martin took off on regular tours that showcased his absurd and offbeat stand-up routines, with many theatres being packed to the brim. He would retire from stand-up in the late ’70s before embarking on a journey to stardom on the big screen.
Martin recently hinted at his retirement from acting altogether, with the actor saying after the success of Only Murder in the Building, “When this television show is done, I’m not going to seek others. I’m not going to seek other movies. I don’t want to do cameos. This is, weirdly, it”. So in anticipation of his potential retirement, we’re going to run through six of his must-see films. Here we go.
Steve Martin’s six definitive films:
The Jerk (Carl Reiner, 1979)
This was Martin’s first foray into starring as the leading man in a Hollywood blockbuster comedy. He co-wrote the script with Michael Elias and Carl Gottlieb.
Martin played Navin R. Johnson, a somewhat clueless adopted white son of a black family of sharecroppers. He enters into his adulthood utterly unaware of his evident adoption. When the family play blues music, he comically lacks the rhythm shared by his adopted relatives.
Pennies From Heaven (Herbert Ross, 1981)
Martin plays Arthur Parker, a sheet-music salesman in Chicago who wishes that the songs he sells were part of his real life. He begins an affair with a schoolteacher, hoping to start a new life together.
This film is a 1981 adaptation of Dennis Potter’s 1978 BBC television drama of the same name. Potter adapted his work for the American audience, shifting the London and Forest of Dean setting of the series to Chicago and the Illinois countryside.
Three Amigos (John Landis, 1986)
Martin performed in Three Amigos alongside Chevy Chase and Martin Short as a trio of on-screen cowboys who lose their jobs after their latest movie is a flop. In desperation to claw back their careers, they take on a gig in a Mexican village.
However, rather than merely perform as actors in the village, they eventually have to fulfil the roles of being real-life heroes when the villain El Guapo terrorises the village’s inhabitants.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (John Hughes, 1987)
A Thanksgiving classic, directed by the coming-of-age comedy legend John Hughes. Martin plays an uptight control freak embarking on a nightmare journey across the Midwest to get home for Thanksgiving.
During his Journey, he persistently bumps into the friendly yet irritating Del Griffith – played by John Candy – who just wants to accompany him and become his friend.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Frank Oz, 1988)
Martin and Michael Caine play a pair of con men who are battling one another in an attempt to defraud an heiress out of $50,000. However, the heiress has a shocking secret of her own, with many con artists in the area having recently died.
The film is a remake of the 1964 picture Bedtime Story, starring Marlon Brando and David Niven. Stanley Shapiro and Paul Henning wrote the screenplay for both films. A further remake arrived in 2019 in The Hustle, starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson.
L.A. Story (Mick Jackson, 1991)
Harris K. Telemacher is a weary Los Angeles weatherman who begins following hints given by freeway signs. These signs lead him to have affairs with several women, such as a spokesmodel and a journalist.
Telemacher – played by Martin – has a PhD and, as such, finds it stupefying that he is in such a tedious and unmotivating job. Wanting to find the spice of life, he decides to mix things up a little.
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