IMDb > The Cable Guy (1996)
The Cable Guy
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The Cable Guy (1996) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 4)
The Cable Guy (1996) -- A lonely and disturbed cable guy raised on television just wants a new friend, but his target, a designer, rejects him, with bad consequences.
The Cable Guy (1996) -- A lonely and disturbed cable guy raised on television just wants a new friend, but his target, a designer, rejects him, with bad consequences.
The Cable Guy (1996) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
5.8/10   46,695 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Lou Holtz Jr. (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Cable Guy on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 June 1996 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Once you let him into your house, you'll never get him out of your life! more
Plot:
A lonely and disturbed cable guy raised on television just wants a new friend, but his target, a designer, rejects him, with bad consequences. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
3 wins & 1 nomination more
User Comments:
One of Carrey's Best Performances more (296 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for dark thematic elements and crude humor.
Runtime:
96 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby | SDDS (8 channels)
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
During the fight at the theme restaurant "Medieval Times", Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick use weapons similar to those used in the "Star Trek" (1966) episode entitled "Amok Time". The music from that scene was also from "Amok Time". Director Ben Stiller is a huge Star Trek fan. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Steven returns to the office to find the desktop "movie" that the Cable Guy made showing Steven and Robin talking about Hal, Hal sees a different version of them on the couch than the original scene, right before Steven and Robin watched Sleepless in Seattle (1993). more
Quotes:
Chip Douglas: [on answering machine] I was just blow drying my hair, thought I heard the phone ring. Ah... has that ever happened to you? Anyway... call me, we'll talk about it. more
Movie Connections:
References "Spider-Man" (1967) more
Soundtrack:
The Ancient Battle/2nd Kroykah more

FAQ

What are the differences between the British BBFC 12 version and the uncut version?
more
55 out of 67 people found the following comment useful.
One of Carrey's Best Performances, 29 August 2000
8/10
Author: Josh (darkjosh333@yahoo.com) from Los Angeles, CA

When first released, Cable Guy was such an unusual departure for Jim Carrey and his usual slapstick, manic, goofy comedies that people just didn't understand it or like it. When word of Carrey's enormous $20 million paycheck for this film spread, hopes were high that Cable Guy would be smothered in Carrey's slice of hilarious dementia to the extreme.

Carrey certainly brought an air of craziness to Chip Douglas, a lonely, TV-addicted, and creepy cable installer who befriends the unwilling Matthew Broderick (here, looking just nervous and bewildered for the entire film). But something was missing from this Carrey vehicle from the others: he was not all fun and games. In fact, he was downright funny weird, not funny haha.

So here lies one of the major problems people have with this film: it veers from dark comedy into darkness, period. Carrey isn't making an ass of himself in every scene. No. Instead, Carrey's Chip Douglas is an obsessive, extreme, two-faced sociopath. The result? What would be Jim Carrey's best performance to date, surpassed only by his Truman Burbank in The Truman Show.

Sure, it's got a story that's been done to death: normal guy meets psycho and is stalked. But oh, what fun it is to see Jim drag Matthew Broderick into such uncomfortable situations as playing Porno Password with his parents (Carrey whispering "Nipple" into Broderick's ear is absolute brilliance).

Cable Guy is definitely not for fans who want to see Jim Carrey do what created his career; that is, silly, goofy, and flailing comedy. However, avid fans of black comedies will love seeing Carrey's first step in his evolution as a gifted, serious, and undeniably interesting actor.

8 out of 10.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Cable Guy (1996)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Why does everyone hate this movie so much? MrPink08
What do you think? Was Sam Sweet found Guilty? OocatherineOo
Steven was mean to the Cable Guy whitecp2
watching it now and just had a thought ***SPOILER*** Shteve3
Bathroom scene -Gweedup!! coocumonga
Other tragicomic characters? grismath
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