Cable Guy - Die Nervensäge

Following a failed marriage proposal to his girlfriend, Robin (Leslie Mann), architect Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick) moves into an apartment to reluctantly setup his single existence. Dealing with movers and waiting for The Cable Guy, he finally arrives in the form of eccentric Ernie "Chip" Douglas (Jim Carrey). On the advice of his best friend Rick (Jack Black), Steven asks Chip about a deal of slipping him $40 in exchange for full cable access which Chip agrees. Chip initiates friendship with Steven, who reluctantly accepts but as Chip ingrains himself more and more in Steven's life Steven gives him an ultimatum to leave him alone which doesn't go over well with Chip.

Written as a spec script by first (and one time) screenwriter Lou Holtz Jr., the project imitated as a What About Bob? Style "annoying friend" comedy inspired by Holtz seeing a cable guy at his mother's apartment building late at night. The script caused a bidding war which was eventually won by Columbia pictures for $750,000 plus an additional $250,000 if the movie got made. After failed attempts to get the script filmed with the likes of Chris Farley and Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey then came on board receiving an unprecedented $20 million salary for the role. Producer Judd Apatow was then hired and soon Ben Stiller as director marking the film as Stiller's sophomore directorial effort having previously 1994 dramedy Reality Bites. When Carrey, Apatow, and Stiller came aboard they liked the setup of someone tech savvy invading someone's life and opted to add more slapstick and darker tones making the film a satire of the various stalker thrillers of the 90s such as Cape Fear and The hand that Rocks the Cradle. When the movie was released in June of 1996, critical and audience reaction was mixed and the movie opened at Number 2 behind Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible. While some critics such as Gene Siskel appreciated the dark edge, others like Roger Ebert hated the film and even included it on the "worst of" year end lists. The movie is often thought to be a bomb and it really wasn't. While the movie didn't reach the heights of The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, or Batman Forever, it still made $102.8 million against its $47 million budget but depending on the marketing budget that could've definitely skewed the numbers. While the film is still as divisive today as it was back then, it has gone on to accumulate appreciation for its dark edge and off kilter sense of humor as well as its service as a "gateway" for Carrey to tackle more edgy material such as in Truman Show or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

What makes The Cable Guy work for me is the fact that its filmmaking style is near indistinguishable from how a 90s stalker thriller would be filmed. From the camera angles, the performances, to the various tropes incorporated, the entire cast and crew are treating this material as you would a contemporary stalker thriller of the time which serves as a counterpoint to the sillier and more outrageous antics that happen in the movie. Carrey is delightfully sinister in the role of "The Cable Guy" as he is this character of isolation whose mind has been poisoned by television and loneliness and now gravitates for any kind of human interaction to a ridiculous degree. Matthew Broderick makes a solid straight man to the antics of the movie as he's a very flawed character who like The Cable Guy also has emotional hang-ups such as his emotional neediness regarding his ex-girlfriend Robin. The fact Steven is flawed and not super likable makes it easier for us to laugh at The Cable Guy's antics that befall him whilst still fitting within the framework you'd expect from a thriller of this type. The movie features some truly inspired set pieces such as a sequence set at the restaurant Medieval Times that is quotable as all get out and features some solid work from Janeane Garofalo as the waitress and we also get a great karaoke sequence with Carrey's rendition of Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love" brilliantly coordinated and crosscut with an unnerving seduction sequence that works as both dark comedy and part of the thriller setup.

The Cable Guy was unfairly maligned by audiences of the time and I'm happy it's gone on to gain some appreciation for the uniquely dark comedy that it is and not for failing to fall in line with the mold people expected of a Carrey film. Carrey would be unaffected by the disappointment of this movie scoring a monster hit the following year with Liar Liar and stretching his dramatic chops with the Peter Weir dramedy The Truman Show. There's a lot to appreciate in The Cable Guy and its undeniably a bold and uncompromising comedy that wasn't afraid to unnerve its audience.

Jim Carrey has only been better than this in two movies, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind", and "Man on the Moon", but both were more or less dramatic roles. Aside from the classic "Dumb and Dumber", none of his comedy roles can even begin to compare to his superb, electric performance here. Most people I know don't really enjoy this, but that's because they can't really relate, or they don't want to. Carrey plays 'Chip Douglas' (which might be his real name, or it might not), a Cable Guy brought up on TV and movies. His performance works so well because he normally goes too far with his antics, making himself seem annoying on occasion, rather than funny. Here, he plays a lunatic, so there are no limits for him to adhere to, and where he would normally seem over the top (the Medieval Times sequence), he is genuinely hilarious.

Now, I might not be a cable guy, but I'd be lying if I said that I don't spew lines from random movies out of nowhere, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't have an obsession. Maybe it makes fellow fanatics a bit unsettled to see themselves compared to maniacs like Chip (which is probably why the critics assaulted this as well). Although this is by and large Carrey's movie, there is no doubt that Matthew Broderick, Jack Black, and Leslie Mann help elevate this film further with excellent performances. Ben Stiller has directed a few other films, but none of them even come close to matching this. He keeps a perfect balance between the dark and the funny, so "The Cable Guy" doesn't come across as too mean or sadistic. He also shows up in a running gag as a former child star from a cheesy old sitcom who shoots his own brother and goes to court, a trial whose verdict is highly anticipated by pretty much everyone. Owen Wilson has another great cameo as a cocky ass who takes Steven's (Broderick) girlfriend (Mann) on a date and gets assaulted by Chip when he goes to the washroom.

I have never seen a movie like "The Cable Guy", and chances are you haven't either. This is a great movie and one of my personal favorites. It's important you don't watch this expecting a cheery slapstick comedy. If you know what to expect, this will be a fun time.

8/10

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.

This is the first comment I've ever written, so I thought I'd right it about my favorite movie. This is one of the only two 10's I've ever given, and not just because it's underrated, which it is. This is one of the most hilarious movies I've ever seen, and easily the best dark comedy ever conceived. Ben Stiller is a great director, Jim Carrey is amazing, and Broderick isn't as annoying as everyone says he is. The only possible reason this movie's rating is so low is that many people watched this thinking they were watching another dumb and silly Jim Carrey comedy. This movie is actually very smart. So, if you watch this movie knowing that it is not the usual Jim Carrey fare, you will probably love this movie as much as I did.