The Cable Guy (1996)

Many would say this film was ahead of it's time, released in the wrong decade even. Jim Carrey can always make you laugh with a simple frantic flailing of his limbs, but this time he's somehow out done himself. Out acted. Out crafted. Out witted. The dynamic between Jim and Matt Broderick mirrors perfection in every way possible. Also, It's the perfect movie to trip on acid or mushrooms to. It's hilarious at all the right moments, and settles down when you need to relax yourself and catch your breath... which, if you're tripping, you probably won't need to much. The amount of hate towards this movie is not only a crime, but a true tragedy.

Fmovies: Some people really hated the movie. I saw it, I'll note I saw it on video and frankly I loved it. I think this was the start of Carrey really coming out although it has a couple of crude jokes I could have done without. You really feel for Broderick who starts out having a slightly annoying friend and ends up dealing with a stalker! Somehow the stalker goes from being exceedingly annoying to outsiders gaining acceptance from everybody around his victim. He casts a spell having his victim believe that he is in danger of losing everything if he does not co-operate with his tomentor. Anyway, if you like a bit of light dark comedy and order a pizza, I think the movie is worth a watch.

Matthew Broderick asked his girl to marry him and she asked him to move out. The eccentric guy who shows up to install cable in his new pad arrives just at the right time to become his friend. Only The Cable Guy (Jim Carrey) wants to be a little closer than Broderick is comfortable with...

The Cable Guy is a brave and daring tragi-comedy, a rare sort of movie where you're laughing one minute and scared the next.

I'm not sure if we'll ever get another chance to see Jim Carrey go this far out on a limb: director Ben Stiller has seemingly given him total carte blanche, resulting in a seemingly completely over-the-top characterisation, yet not so over the top that we can't get involved in the plot and take what his character does as really happening.

Notice the way that the cable guy often mimics moments from his favourite movies and works them into his controlling of the plot of this movie - or how he starts humming movie-music along to certain scenes, while the actual music of the movie mirrors the music the cable guy is creating. This will clue you into the other subtle elements which add towards this movie's satire of the effect TV has had on the modern psyche.

Its worth the price of rental alone to see Carrey's rendition of "Don't You Want Somebody to Love" in the famous karaoke scene.

After repeated viewings since its initial release, its one of the most memorable Carrey comedies, and one of the most memorable flicks of the 90's. 4/5.

The Cable Guy fmovies. I divide movie fans into two types - those that love The Cable Guy, and those that don't. The latter I try and avoid.

Welcome to the most misunderstood, unjustly dissed movie of the 90s! Even Homer Simpson hates it! I'm not going waste time trying to change anybody's mind on this gem. If you don't see the sheer brilliance of this you're beyond hope. All I can say is that it ROCKS in every way. Jim Carrey has never been better as the creepy, psycho stalker "Chip Douglas", and Matthew Broderick is wonderfully likeable as Chip's unsuspecting customer. Add to that a tremendously cool supporting cast of cult legends including Charles Napier, Janeane Garofolo, Eric Roberts, Mr. Show's Bob and David, Sean Whalen,Owen Wilson, Andy Dick and BOTH members of Tenacious D, among others.

Full of memorable sequences - the Karaoke jam, the Medieval theme restaurant, director Ben Stiller's recurring duel role - The Cable Guy is smart-as-a-whip, black, surreal, FUNNY, FUNNY stuff!

To some people, movies are more than a passion. They are a way of life. For me, movies are not only one of my favorite hobbies, but I feel that all films express a certain reflection of the individual watching them. They say that you can tell a lot from a person by the way they act, talk, walk. I believe you can also tell a lot about a person from the sort of movies they like.

And I think that for Chip Douglas (Jim Carrey), movies and television are more than disposable entertainment. They are his entire life. He is consumed by film to such an extent that he creates multiple personas based on TV personalities. Many critics bashed Carrey's performance for being too sadistic. I think it's perfect because it's daring and hugely different than his other movies, and accurately reflects the mindset of a troubled individual who has grown up on his TV, rather than actually experiencing true life. Not many movies are like "The Cable Guy," and most of them don't have the guts to make a statement so bold and striking.

In "The Cable Guy" Carrey is the title character, his real name supposedly Chip Douglas, but towards the end we're not really sure what's true and false anymore. Chip works for a cable company and offers to hook up new apartment tenant Steven (Matthew Broderick) up with illegal cable. All Douglas asks for in return is a friendship, which Steven reluctantly agrees to. But what he doesn't realize is that Chip is an obsessive monster -- bred on films as a child and unable to separate celluloid from reality, he pursues a "Fatal Attraction" route and begins to stalk Steven. This is one of those movies, like "What About Bob?", where the hero is apparently the only one who realizes how crazy the "bad guy" is. Richard Dreyfuss went nuts trying to convince his family of Bill Murray's insanity in "Bob." In "The Cable Guy," Matthew Broderick has a tough time trying to expose Chip's sadistic side.

I am not Carrey's biggest fan. But I have to admit that over time the comedian has grown on me. And when I see him in "Dumb and Dumber" I can't picture anyone else taking on the role. Here he is in another role where I can see no one else portraying his character, and yet he still hasn't convinced me that he's a great talent. Strange.

I think Carrey's comedy is distinct and the reason his films have become more well-received over the years is because he has invented a certain area of modern-day comedy and thrived in that cubby hole for quite some time. I believe that humor is not existent; it is invented. Different forms of humor come and go. Right now, Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey are two of the highest-paid comedians the world, and yet in fifty years, where will they be?

Comedy is constantly changing. Humor is invented and re-invented to the point that what was once funny no longer is. That is why so many comedies from various eras of American history seem so outdated by today's standards. We are living in a world of Jim Carreys, Adam Sandlers, and Mike Myers. Although they still receive jobs, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray, and especially Dan Aykroyd -- some of the most popular comedians of the '80s -- have found themselves all stuck in ruts, filming kiddie movies for Disney and -- some of them (especially Murray and Aykroyd) -- departing comedy to pursue more serious careers in an area of film that will never become outdated: drama (for Murray, it is &

The Cable Guy has now all but been forgotten by the movie world. It was released when Jim Carrey was on his way to being the new A list comedian, and thus, was considered only a slightly funny version of 'Ace Venture'. or The Mask' Or whatever. Personally, I don't consider The Cable Guy a comedy at all. Sure, there are some side splitting moments - Carrey is hilarious alongside Matthew Broderick's by the numbers 'average Joe', but id suggest that anyone who was not taken in by this film to look at it a little differently...

This is a horror film. I swear!

For me, Chip Douglas does not come across to me as a harmless lisping clingy chump - HELL NO! The guy is a maniac. An obsessive, intelligent, controlling, stalking "Fatal Attraction" styled nutter!

Watch it again!

For me, this is Jim Carrey's career launching performance. He has a lisp right? after a while, you don't really notice it do you? Right. This is an incredibly difficult task for an actor - maintaining a speech impediment for an entire film, keeping it level, and not exaggerating it, its really something to take a look at. Carrey's character is sick, and very very creepy. With Broderick et al giving relatively standard performances, Carrey's performance is a stand out, and Ben Stiller should be proud of this film and what it lead to in terms of Jim Carrey's career.

Trust me, if you didn't like this, take another look, and prepare to be freaked out by a very not funny, very creepy Carrey performance...

8/10