6. The Jerk – Old Wine
Carl Reiner’s 1979 movie tells the story of Steve Martin’s Navin, the jerk of the title. A complete simpleton of a man, it follows his life as he, inadvertently, makes a huge success of himself, before his inevitable downfall.
This scene is the perfect, and extreme, demonstration of what happens when imbeciles fall into money. In a fine restaurant, Navin is offered more wine by the posh waiter. ‘No more 1966, let’s splurge’, Navin tells him, ‘Bring us some fresh wine’… ‘No more of this old stuff’.
Further showing his ‘sophistication’, he goes on to complain about snails on his companion’s plate…
