The Cable Guy (1996)

Originally Reviewed 

Tuesday November 13, 2007

Whenever I hear anything about The Cable Guy it's usually in the context of "one the worst Jim Carrey films ever." Surprisingly there are a number of people out here in cyberspace who have the opposite opinion and claim this film is one of Carrey's best, to that I can only say... you must not have seen many Jim Carrey films, the majority is right on this one The Cable Guy is a pitiful attempt at comedy.

Steven (Matthew Broderick) is moving into a new apartment and the final thing he needs to get setup is the cable. His best friend informs him if he slips the cable guy $50 he'll be in for the whole package for free. $50 for free cable is a steal but Steven soon discovers that free cable comes with a steeper price. Jim Carrey plays "the cable guy" known as Chip through most of the film. Chip is a deranged psychopath, to put it lightly, he grew up alone and television was his only friend and family. So it goes without saying that Chip is a little needy, and when anyone shows any remote signs of friendship, Chip is quick to latch on to them and never let go.

So it's unfortunate for Steven that Chip happens to choose him has his new best friend. At first Chip seems relatively harmless, a little nutty but harmless, but when Steven attempts to distance himself from Chip's smothering friendship Chip goes from needy to neurotic. Now Chip's out to ruin Steven's life and it's all because he slipped the cable guy $50 for free cable!

It's safe to say Jim Carrey is one of the most talented physical comedians ever, but The Cable Guy fails miserably in comparison to some of Carrey's other classic films. His normal spastic hyper nature is taken out of control in this film to a point where his character is more annoying than funny. Carrey shines in a few scenes were it's pretty evident he was allowed to improvise such as the basketball court scene, medieval times and the karaoke party. Those three scenes were the film's highlights and the most humorous, each showcasing the true colors of Jim Carrey as he does what he does best.

Overall, The Cable Guy didn't impress me. I was bored rather quickly by a story that's been done in numerous variations on multiple occasions, a script that isn't very well written and a supporting cast that didn't mesh with Carrey at all.  Broderick doesn't even seem to be trying to act and his character is so wimpy and that it's hard to sympathize with his predicament.  Paired with an over zealous Carrey it was like watching two extreme opposites and never caring who blew their fuse first.  The problem is even Jim Carrey can't make everything hilarious, he has to be given something to work with and some descent characters (and actors) to play off of, that simply was not provided here.

4/10