Customer Reviews

The Cable Guy [VHS]

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Too, too bad that this marvelously wicked comedy didn't get the respect it deserves when it was originally released. Ben Stiller captured a unique modern nightmare: having the strained small talk we exchange with the cable guy, plumber or repairman inadvertantly turn into an invitation for a full-fledged friendship. Jim Carey's performance is a tour de force that works on multiple levels. Carey's notrious and spectacular over-the-top antics are beautifully combined with subtle emotional nuances. One moment it's so funny that you cry; the next it's so sad that you laugh. Carey conveys much more depth here than you've seen in his other roles without moderating his comic genius. Matthew Broderick plays the perfect straight man. Frequently the funniest moments are his horrified reactions to Carey's outrageousness. Look for hilarious cameos by Owen Wilson and the guy from "High Fidelity."

"The Cable Guy," as most know by now, was a major departure for Jim Carrey. The rubber-faced goofball of hits like "Dumb And Dumber" and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" was still present, but he was appearing in a radically different form. With Carrey playing a cable installer fixated on an unsuspecting customer, "The Cable Guy" is easily his darkest movie. However, I've got a soft spot for a good black comedy, and this one is about as black (and as good) as they come.

Although goofy behavior had been Carrey's trademark since his "In Living Color" days (remember Fire Marshal Bill?), "The Cable Guy" was the first movie in which his madcap antics hinted at something dark beneath the surface. Indeed, by playing such a twisted character, Carrey was finally able to let loose and reveal the full range of his comedic gifts (aren't bad guys always more fun?). In contrast to the likes of "Ace Ventura" and "Dumb And Dumber," which were basically just live-action cartoons (albeit amusing ones), "The Cable Guy" provides Carrey with a creepy, unsettling vehicle where he gets to show some real malevolence. When Carrey plays basketball prison-style while Filter's "Hey Man Nice Shot" plays in the background, it's both hilarious and disturbing at the same time. And even when Carrey hams it up, as when he does a vibrato-heavy rendition of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love" while a group of freaky friends dances around him, there's an undercurrent of the surreal.

In an equally dramatic departure from Carrey's norm, "The Cable Guy" even had a message mixed in with all its weirdness. It turns out Carrey's nameless cable installer, who gets his pseudonyms from old TV shows, was left by his mother to be raised by the TV, and has attachment issues stemming from his inability to relate to others. The plot is set against the backdrop of a former child star's trial for killing his twin brother, and director Ben Stiller (who also plays the murderous brother) takes several opportunities for pointed satire of our TV-addled culture. It's not until the end that the subject is addressed at length, but the pernicious effects of TV are a prominent theme of the movie. When the cable guy laments in his closing monologue that he learned about the facts of life from watching "The Facts Of Life," it's strangely poignant.

And how about a hand for Matthew Broderick as Steven Kovacs, the unfortunate object of Carrey's fixation? It's hard to believe this guy almost faded into obscurity in the five years or so after "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." If not for his classic turn in "Election," I'd say Steven was the role Broderick was born to play. At first Steven just regards the cable guy as a nuisance, but his annoyance over his new friend's increasingly creepy behavior grows as the film wears on until it turns to outright fear and desperation, and Broderick captures it perfectly. Few, if any actors, make a better hapless guy than Broderick, which is especially ironic given that he became a star playing the uber-cool Ferris Bueller.

Watching this movie, it's hard to believe it was such a letdown at the box office. I firmly believe entertainers should be rewarded for taking risks, but apparently Carrey's fans weren't quite ready for him to play such a troubled character in such a dark movie. That's too bad, because those who haven't seen this movie are really missing out. "The Cable Guy" doesn't go down as easy as Carrey's other comedies, but it's a lot more rewarding in the end.

I'm with most other Amazon reviewers -- I don't know why this movie got such a bum rap from most critics. I think it's because Carrey wasn't doing his usual Ace Ventura shtick which I personally don't care for (was not able to sit through either of the Ace Ventura movies). This movie was very funny, good dialogue, good characterization -- the Stephen character was very real and so was the Cable Guy even though he was nutty. My least favorite scene was the one where he beats up Robin's date. Not because it was violent but because it was pretty pointless, didn't contribute anything to the plot, just not very funny IMO (though I see that some other people disagree). I also thought the karaoke scene dragged on a bit. But the whole Medieval Times episode was a scream! Ditto for the Porno Password scene and the basketball game and the scene where the Cable Guy visits Steve in jail, as well as the Menendez brothers-like trial subplot with Ben Stiller. The way the Cable Guy kept modeling everything in his life on TV shows and movies was an inspired touch -- it may not be terribly profound or original social commentary but it was an interesting way of making the point. Finally, I thought the ending was just perfect. The Cable Guy is being airlifted to the hospital and the paramedic in the chopper says "Hang in there, buddy!." The Cable Guy asks, his eyes lighting up, "Hey! Am I really your buddy?" "Sure you are," replies the unsuspecting paramedic ... and we see the Cable Guy's face dissolve into a demented grin. Wow!

Directed by Ben Stiller, "The Cable Guy" is an underrated film with many layers. Matthew Broderick's cable-challenged character Steven, and his crazy friend Rick, played by Jack Black, are trying solve his problematic relationship with his girlfriend. Jim Carrey stars as Chip the not so mentally stable Cable Guy, who puts in one of the most incredible, gut-wrenching performances of his entire career. His uncanny performance of "Somebody To Love" is like watching John Belushi's SNL duet with Joe Cocker.

Jim Carrey is "The Cable Guy" in this dark comedy from director Ben Stiller. In one of his best (and underrated) performances, Carrey stars as a lonely, pathetic and very disturbed individual desperately in need of friendship and some very serious psychiatric care. Neglected by his mother as a child, and left in the care of the "babysitter" (the television) for nurturing, he has grown into adulthood as a man orbiting somewhere along the fringes of reality. Even his name is an enigma; using various aliases from the sitcoms he grew up with, he is "Chip Douglas" (My Three Sons) when he happens into the life of the unsuspecting Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick). Steven is coping with problems of his own; when he proposes to his girlfriend, Robin (Leslie Mann), she responds by kicking him out of their apartment. Steven rents a new place and, of course, has to get the cable hooked up. Enter the Cable Guy. Acting on the advice of his friend, Rick (Jack Black), Steven approaches Chip with the idea of setting him up with free movie channels for a fifty dollar gratuity. "Ever hear of anything like that?" he inquires. Chip responds with a feigned admonition about "Illegal cable," then readily agrees to "Juice him up." Unwittingly, Steven thereby forms a bond with Chip, who he later learns can be "His best friend, or his worst enemy." For comedy to work, it must be taken seriously; real laughs come from playing it straight, and Stiller is a master of this technic (As both actor and director). He is to be commended here for extracting a tempered performance from Carrey by reining in his natural tendency toward over exuberance (which has worked for him in other projects, but would have been detrimental here). There are some hilarious moments in this film: Chip throwing a Karaoke party for Steven; a scene that takes place at a Medieval Times restaurant (with a terrific cameo by Janeane Garofalo as their waitress); and a bit with ongoing news coverage of a murder trial in which Stiller plays twin brothers Stan and Sam Sweet. But there are just as many uncomfortable moments, which tend to leave the viewer somewhat uneasy, such as the scene in which Chip dupes Steven's family into playing "Porno Password." We feel Steven's discomfort as well as his frustration with his own inability to control what ultimately becomes an ugly situation. Or when Chip confronts Robin's date (Owen Wilson) in the restroom of a restaurant. There is an edgy humor to these scenes, but the underlying hostility has an unnerving effect. With a supporting cast that includes George Segal and Diane Baker (as Steven's parents), Andy Dick (as the Medieval Host), and Eric Roberts (as himself), "The Cable Guy" is a tense and entertaining film. Some Jim Carrey fans may be a bit put off by this one, though, for it is not the typical Carrey offering. This is a glimpse at the effects of a deranged mind. It is a dark and somewhat disturbing movie, and in the end, issues are left unresolved; but addressing Chip's psychoses was never intended here. This film was made, not to enlighten, but to entertain; and in that, it succeeds. If it is just laughs and light fare you're looking for, however, be advised: this is definitely not where you want to go.

If you are a the type of person that enjoys watching Jim Carrey comedies like Ace Ventura 2, go stick your head in the oven, don't bother seeing this movie you won't understand or appreciate it anyway. In my opinion this was Jim Carrey's finest and funniest acting performances of his life, way better than the baffling boring Truman Show. Under the directorial debut of the edgy Ben Stiller, The Cable Guy is one of those rare movies that can be viewed as a comedy or as a serious psychotic thriller, I see it somewhere in between. It is probably one of the funniest movies I have ever seen, I only wish "the masses" liked it so there would be a sequel.

It has been almost ten years since the theatrical release of The Cable Guy, a movie in which actor Jim Carrey plays a psychotically disturbed cable television installer. This movie was by no means a huge success in terms of box office sales or critical acclaim. It's one of those movies that people either tend to love or hate. At the time it was released, this movie must have been an unpleasant surprise to some of those who were familiar with Carrey's work up to this point. They may have felt let down by the fact that this film was not typical of what they had come to expect of Carrey. The audience may have been confused and disappointed because they were expecting another slapstick type movie, which is primarily what Carey was famous for at this point in time Instead, what they got was a much darker comedy about a brooding, maladjusted cable installer who not only has an outrageously disturbing sense of humor and irony, but who is also capable of doing some seriously deranged things when he doesn't get his way. While no actor can claim universal appeal, few would deny that over the past several years Carrey has gained a considerable amount of respect, from both critics and audiences worldwide. For any fan of Jim Carrey's recent work, The Cable Guy is definitely worth another look, for several noteworthy reasons.
In the early nineties, Jim Carrey made a huge splash on the comedy movie scene with several blockbuster hits, including Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, the Mask, and Dumb & Dumber. While these movies certainly showcased Carrey's seemingly effortless ability to play one-dimensional, slapstick, physical comedy type characters, there was very little depth or variance in any of these characters. It seemed that Carrey was definitely on the road to becoming typecast as an actor, destined to play the same stereotypical roles over and over again. Both the average American movie-goer and many film critics seemed to be content to have Carrey neatly categorized into such a limited role, and that may have been what led to the lack of commercial and critical success of The Cable Guy. The audience at that time simply did not seem to be ready to see Carrey play the role of a neurotic, potentially violent, and always unpredictable character. If only that original audience could have seen into the future, they certainly would have been able to understand the value of Carrey's ability to infuse so much diversity and depth into the characters he portrays.
Also, one of the most intriguing aspects of The Cable Guy is that both the plot and the sub-plot, while never straying from the primary goal of creating laughter, manage to make a disturbing critique of the role that television plays in modern American society. In the middle of the movie, a flashback scene is used to show how Carrey's character (who never had a proper name in the movie) was raised by his single mother. His mother, who was always either at work or out drinking and dating, did not spend very much time with her son. When Carey's character asked for a brother to play with, his mother's response was "Well, that's why mommy's goin' to happy hour! Now listen, you just sit there with Mr. Babysitter and he'll take real good care of you." In the absence of a real father, "Mr. Babysitter" (the television set) assumed the position of the dominant male role-model, sending the child years of mixed signals in the form of overly idealistic sitcoms, shocking and disturbing talk shows, and violent movies. This aspect of the movie sends the viewer a poignant message about the potential effects of the unsupervised and excessive viewing habits that are all too common among America's youth today. Also, closely related to the main theme and intricately woven into the script at strategic locations, there is an underlying sub-theme present in the film. This theme takes the form of a continuing news story about adult twin brothers who were child stars years earlier, before "Hollywood chewed them up and spit them out," as one of the newscasts put it. Apparently, one of the brothers had murdered his twin in a fit of rage, and the tragic story was made into a really lame television movie before the trial was even over. This fictional news story is somewhat reminiscent of the true story of the Menendez brothers, who brutally murdered their parents, and subsequently had their sensationalized story paraded all over the national news and tabloid media (the same type of made-for-T.V. movie aired during the Menendez trial). It is no coincidence that the Menendez trial was taking place the same year that this movie was filmed! The story in the movie is a satire of the way that the news media can sensationalize the horrific violence of real life and turn tragedies into entertainment, keeping millions of insatiable American viewers mesmerized.
Finally, The Cable Guy seemed to be a pivotal point in Carrey's career, paving the way for him to portray much more sophisticated characters. Some of the more notable movies in which Carrey plays deeper characters are: The Truman Show, Man on The Moon, and The Majestic. Few critics or movie-goers doubt Carrey's acting prowess these days. A lot of the intensity he is able to portray in these later films is clearly showcased in the climactic scene of The Cable Guy. In this scene, Carrey's character, hanging from a tower above the enormous satellite dish which receives cable television for the entire city, boldly declares, "It's too late for me. But there are a lot of little cable boys and girls out there who still have a chance...somebody has to kill the babysitter!" He then jumps from the tower in a suicidal attempt to land on the receiving mechanism of the dish, disrupting the cable service of the entire town. It is doubtful whether Chris Farley, who was originally intended to be cast as the Cable Guy, could have managed to convey even a fraction of the dramatic intensity Carrey pulled off in this crucial scene.
In conclusion, any fan of Jim Carrey's recent work should definitely take another look at The Cable Guy. It can be entertaining to see a retrospective of a currently successful actor like Jim Carrey. When The Cable Guy is viewed in the context of all of Carrey's leading roles, it can be more fully appreciated. Furthermore, it can also be refreshing to reevaluate the movie's content to see if its biting social commentary has withstood the test of time. Of course, one can always just watch this movie for the simple pleasure of being amused by the many over-the-top antics and crazy improvisations Carrey has always been renowned for!

This movie is near perfect in every way. Every actor delivers in this film, and the darkness in the comedy is amazing.

Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick make an amazing duo. I've never understood why this movie got passed over by so many people. I think because at the time Jim Carrey was the guy everyone wanted to be their buddy, and suddenly he came out as the bad guy and was brilliant at it, but no one wanted to see him that way.

The jabs this movie takes at our society as a whole and the way we are with television are also blatant and brilliant. The ending is quite obvious, but that's the whole point.

Plus, it has both Jack Black and Kyle Gass from Tenacious D, both David Cross and Bob Odenkirk from Mr. Show, Andy Dick, Janine Garafolo, and Ben Stiller as killer twins that everyone's obsessed with on the news.

Jim Carrey brings so much deep-down pain to his character and so much energy to the screen. When he sings "Somebody to Love" it's equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking... or am I just an obsessive fan? Oh well... check it out because this movie is awesome.

I really enjoyed this movie, even though it is not your typical comedy. Much of the humor is peculiar and off the wall. Actually, "The Cable Guy" is more of a black-comedy, with several serious themes. The storyline apparently isn't for everyone, judging by the mostly negative reviews it got from the professional movie critics. Jim Carrey is amazing as the hyperactive, overly aggressive "Cable Guy", and Matt Broderick does a good job portraying the harassed victim.

It's no ground-breaking movie. The Cable Guy, however, is absolutely hilarious. Jim Carrey plays a demented cable guy who installs cable for free to Matthew Broderick. At first, Broderick thinks this is great until he realizes this new friend of his is completely nuts and overly intrusive in his personal affairs. As you may have guessed, Carrey is a riot in this. One of my favorite parts is when Carrey puts Broderick on hold on the phone, only he's not really on hold. I use this trick at work all the time. If you've ever had a "friend" who borders more on stalker than true friend, this movie is for you. And even if not, you'll find plenty to laugh about in this silly little flick. Enjoy!