The Cable Guy

Starring: Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, Leslie Mann, Jack Black, George Segal, Diane Baker, Ben Stiller, Eric Roberts, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick, David Cross, Owen Wilson
Directed by: Ben Stiller
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Thriller
1996

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Matthew Broderick) reluctantly becomes friends with his cable guy (Jim Carrey) but is horrified by his increasingly erratic behavior.

Review:

Tim: I don't know what to call The Cable Guy other than an epic misfire. The film is a comedy/drama/thriller, which is a combination you don't see all that often. That might be because it's pretty tough to pull those three things off at the same time. Ben Stiller does not achieve that here. The movie really isn't very funny at all. The drama never connects with the audience as we don't especially care about anyone or anything on screen. There's next to no thrills because it's a comedy and everything is safe and watered down. I hated this movie. I give Stiller a little credit for trying something very different, but I give him most of the blame for this terrible movie.

Even at only 96 minutes, it was hard for me to sit through this film. The basic heart of the story is the bizarre relationship between Matthew Broderick and his cable guy, Jim Carrey. Carrey is a psychotic, delusional man with very little social awareness. Carrey takes this to extreme lengths, giving an over-the-top performance that just felt like he was trying too hard. I like Carrey and he's certainly had some big hits over the years, but the tone just felt wrong here. He wasn't allowed to be his full goofy self, yet he never fully embraced the sheer madness of his character. It felt like a performance caught between different worlds, not really sure how to proceed. Broderick is better, but his character was easier. Just play him as a regular everyman, something Broderick is good at doing. Leslie Mann was fine in a supporting role. It was good seeing Jack Black, but he has nothing of substance to do. I loved seeing Owen Wilson here, but his performance was too short. The cast was decent but there were no standouts.

I also want to comment on Stiller including himself in the film. I'm generally a fan of directors putting themselves in their movies, but not in this case. It was kind of bizarre. Stiller only shows up in television clip about an infamous trial currently ongoing. It has no real relevance to the story, other than some tenuous connections about the role television and the media play in our lives. It added very, very little to the story and it just distracted from Broderick and Carrey. Every time I saw Stiller, I was wondering why he was on the television and if somehow the characters would meet up with him. It all felt completely pointless at the end. Stiller's presence hurt the movie and he never should have been in front of the camera.

The movie also features some absolutely absurd scenes that just drove me crazy. The worst had to be when Carrey infiltrates Broderick's family and for some crazy reason, gets everyone to turn against him. I just did not buy this for a second. Why would family members who know someone for decades be so quick to side with a total stranger, especially when that stranger was acting as crazy and weird as Carrey was. The scene was laughable and it made me lament for Stiller and his poor directing. There were a number of scenes that were similar (although not as bad) throughout the film.

I'm sure the film's defenders will say that critics like me just didn't get what Stiller was trying to do. I definitely understand his intent, I just believe it failed miserable. The Cable Guy is a comedy that wasn't funny, a drama I didn't care about, and a boring thriller. Stiller hits the trifecta of crap with this utter disappointment.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 4



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