Jerry Conlaine

"I have two of the best friends anyone could ever ask for."

- Jerry about Dan and Tom

Jerry Conlaine is a hero from the 2004 American teen comedy film Without a Paddle. He works with his friends Dr. Dan Mott and Tom Marshall to bust a drug ring, to subdue armed criminals, and to protect two hippie girls and their tree from danger.

Jerry is portrayed by Matthew Lillard.

Jerry is a Caucasian male in his early thirties. His physical appearance includes short black hair, blue eyes, and a muscular athletic build. He has a fun and easygoing personality. He constantly cracks jokes throughout the movie. His specialized wardrobe consists of a business suit (for work), surfer clothes (when he is surfing), and hiking clothes (when is out adventuring with his friends). He wears boxer shorts that have vertical stripes of alternating shades of purple for his underwear.

Unlike Tom and Dan, Jerry is in a relationship with a woman named Denise. Tom doesn't commit to any girl which gets him into problematic situations. Dan has no girlfriend but has a crush one of his co-workers.

Heroic acts
Jerry's first heroic act is defending Flower's and Butterfly's sacred tree named "Earth Child". As the criminals Elwood and Dennis start cutting into the tree, Jerry thinks up of a plan. The plan is for Jerry to rappel down the tree and distract the armed men to give everyone else the opportunity to get away. However, Tom stops Jerry and volunteers to rappel down instead. While Tom is rappelling down Jerry joins the rest of the gang by throwing bags of human poop to defend the tree. After Tom finishes creating a zipline, Jerry joins Dan and Tom on ground level. The trio ride a vehicle causing Elwood and Dennis to give chase and leading them away from the tree. The joyride ends when the three drive off a cliff and fall into a lake losing Elwood and Dennis in the process.

Jerry's second heroic act is brawling with Elwood and Dennis to incapacitate the lethal hunters. After the trio discover D.B. Cooper's corpse and loot in an underground cavern, they hear that Elwood and Dennis are nearby above ground. Dan is the only one small enough to climb through a tunnel that leads back to the surface. After Elwood & Dennis find Jerry & Tom in the cavern, Dan sneaks up between the two hunters and knocks them down into the cavern. Elwood & Dennis start fighting with Jerry & Tom. During the fight, Elwood pulls out his handgun. At one point in the fight, Jerry gains control of the gun but it is knocked out of his hand. The all-out brawl stops when the sheriff fires off a gunshot signaling everyone that the fight is over.

Jerry's third heroic act is the willingness to sacrifice himself to protect Dan and Tom from the sheriff and his henchmen. After everyone has been pulled out of the underground cavern, the sheriff reveals that he is the head of the drug ring and Elwood & Dennis work from him. The sheriff and his men draw their guns while backing Jerry and his friends to the edge of a cliff. Unknown to the sheriff and his men, Dan secretly gives a grenade to Jerry. Jerry plans to use the grenade to kill himself, the sheriff and his henchmen while Dan and Tom get away. Unfortunately, when Jerry shows the activated grenade to the sheriff and his men Tom and Dan stand firm with Jerry. Elwood manages to jab Jerry causing the grenade to fall to the ground. Everyone except Jerry starts to run away from the grenade. Jerry heroically grabs the live grenade and hurls it at the sheriff and his men. The grenade goes off causing a giant tree to come down on the sheriff and his men. Jerry's heroic act subdues the bad guys. The trio are praised as heroes by the town. Jerry proposes to his girlfriend at the end of the film.

Similar Heroes

 * Tom Marshall (Without a Paddle)