diff --git a/actionpack/lib/action_controller/base.rb b/actionpack/lib/action_controller/base.rb
index 34c3ed3a60..7dd449d8a5 100755
--- a/actionpack/lib/action_controller/base.rb
+++ b/actionpack/lib/action_controller/base.rb
@@ -834,14 +834,16 @@ def append_view_path(path)
       # All renders take the :status and :location options and turn them into headers. They can even be used together:
       #
       #   render :xml => post.to_xml, :status => :created, :location => post_url(post)
-      def render(options = nil, &block) #:doc:
+      def render(options = nil, extra_options = {}, &block) #:doc:
         raise DoubleRenderError, "Can only render or redirect once per action" if performed?
 
         if options.nil?
           return render_for_file(default_template_name, nil, true)
+        elsif !extra_options.is_a?(Hash)
+          raise RenderError, "You called render with invalid options : #{options}, #{extra_options}"
         else
           if options == :update
-            options = { :update => true }
+            options = extra_options.merge({ :update => true })
           elsif !options.is_a?(Hash)
             raise RenderError, "You called render with invalid options : #{options}"
           end
@@ -910,7 +912,7 @@ def render(options = nil, &block) #:doc:
 
             generator = ActionView::Helpers::PrototypeHelper::JavaScriptGenerator.new(@template, &block)
             response.content_type = Mime::JS
-            render_for_text(generator.to_s)
+            render_for_text(generator.to_s, options[:status])
 
           elsif options[:nothing]
             # Safari doesn't pass the headers of the return if the response is zero length
diff --git a/actionpack/lib/action_controller/benchmarking.rb b/actionpack/lib/action_controller/benchmarking.rb
index 5201d31b8b..6916e60e23 100644
--- a/actionpack/lib/action_controller/benchmarking.rb
+++ b/actionpack/lib/action_controller/benchmarking.rb
@@ -41,14 +41,14 @@ def silence
     end
 
     protected
-      def render_with_benchmark(options = nil, deprecated_status = nil, &block)
+      def render_with_benchmark(options = nil, extra_options = {}, &block)
         unless logger
-          render_without_benchmark(options, &block)
+          render_without_benchmark(options, extra_options, &block)
         else
           db_runtime = ActiveRecord::Base.connection.reset_runtime if Object.const_defined?("ActiveRecord") && ActiveRecord::Base.connected?
 
           render_output = nil
-          @rendering_runtime = Benchmark::measure{ render_output = render_without_benchmark(options, &block) }.real
+          @rendering_runtime = Benchmark::measure{ render_output = render_without_benchmark(options, extra_options, &block) }.real
 
           if Object.const_defined?("ActiveRecord") && ActiveRecord::Base.connected?
             @db_rt_before_render = db_runtime
diff --git a/actionpack/lib/action_controller/layout.rb b/actionpack/lib/action_controller/layout.rb
index 0fbbfa8b05..e1853ad131 100644
--- a/actionpack/lib/action_controller/layout.rb
+++ b/actionpack/lib/action_controller/layout.rb
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ def active_layout(passed_layout = nil)
     end
 
     protected
-      def render_with_a_layout(options = nil, &block) #:nodoc:
+      def render_with_a_layout(options = nil, extra_options = {}, &block) #:nodoc:
         template_with_options = options.is_a?(Hash)
         
         if apply_layout?(template_with_options, options) && (layout = pick_layout(template_with_options, options))
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ def render_with_a_layout(options = nil, &block) #:nodoc:
           options = options.merge :layout => false if template_with_options
           logger.info("Rendering template within #{layout}") if logger
 
-          content_for_layout = render_with_no_layout(options, &block)
+          content_for_layout = render_with_no_layout(options, extra_options, &block)
           erase_render_results
           add_variables_to_assigns
           @template.instance_variable_set("@content_for_layout", content_for_layout)
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ def render_with_a_layout(options = nil, &block) #:nodoc:
           status = template_with_options ? options[:status] : nil
           render_for_text(@template.render_file(layout, true), status)
         else
-          render_with_no_layout(options, &block)
+          render_with_no_layout(options, extra_options, &block)
         end
       end
 
diff --git a/actionpack/test/controller/render_test.rb b/actionpack/test/controller/render_test.rb
index 01a7ad6eec..7491f16a84 100644
--- a/actionpack/test/controller/render_test.rb
+++ b/actionpack/test/controller/render_test.rb
@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ def render_custom_code
     render :text => "hello world", :status => 404
   end
 
+  def render_custom_code_rjs
+    render :update, :status => 404 do |page|
+      page.replace :foo, :partial => 'partial'
+    end
+  end
+
   def render_text_with_nil
     render :text => nil
   end
@@ -288,6 +294,12 @@ def test_render_custom_code
     assert_equal 'hello world', @response.body
   end
 
+  def test_render_custom_code_rjs
+    get :render_custom_code_rjs
+    assert_response 404
+    assert_equal %(Element.replace("foo", "partial html");), @response.body
+  end
+
   def test_render_text_with_nil
     get :render_text_with_nil
     assert_response 200