The Cable Guy (1996)

A lonely and mentally disturbed cable guy raised on television just wants a new friend, but his target, a designer, rejects him, with bad consequences.

Director:

Ben Stiller

Writer:

Lou Holtz Jr.

Stars:

Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, Leslie Mann

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jim Carrey	...	The Cable Guy
Matthew Broderick	...	Steven M. Kovacs
Leslie Mann	...	Robin Harris
Jack Black	...	Rick
George Segal	...	Steven's Father
Diane Baker	...	Steven's Mother
Ben Stiller	...	Sam Sweet / Stan Sweet
Eric Roberts	...	Eric Roberts
Janeane Garofalo	...	Medieval Times Waitress
Andy Dick	...	Medieval Times Host
Harry O'Reilly	...	Steven's Boss
David Cross	...	Sales Manager
Amy Stiller	...	Steven's Secretary
Owen Wilson	...	Robin's Date
Keith Gibbs	...	Basketball Player

Storyline

Steven Kovak has been kicked out of his apartment by his girlfriend. Steven has a new apartment, and decides to slip the cable guy (Chip) $50 for free cable. Steven then fakes an interest in Chip's line of work. However Chip takes this to heart trying to become Steven's best bud. When Steven no longer wants to be Chips friend the man who can do it all goes on an all out assault to ruin Steven's life. In the backdrop is the delicate sub-plot of the trial of a former kid star for murdering his brother.

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Plot Keywords:

television | obsession | revenge | friendship | hostage | 

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Taglines:

Are you ready to get wired?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for dark thematic elements and crude humor

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director/star Ben Stiller played the dual roles of Sam and Stan Sweet. Their last names all start with an S.

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Goofs

The Hell's Angels stabbed Meredith Hunter while The Rolling Stones were on stage, not Jefferson Airplane. They were performing "Sympathy for the Devil".

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Quotes

[the Cable Guy is speaking to Steven in prison over the phone; he puts his hand on the glass that is separating them]
The Cable Guy: I'm just here to comfort you. Touch it. You need human contact.
Steven: I will not touch it.
[the Cable Guy sets the phone down and begins unbuttoning his shirt]
Steven: What are you doing?
The Cable Guy: [shouting] I know how you're feeling right now!
Steven: [realizing what he's about to do] Don't do that.
The Cable Guy: [continuing to shout] I'm here for you!
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The Columbia logo at the beginning of the movie segues into static from Steven's cable TV.

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Alternate Versions

In order to qualify for a 12 certificate, all UK versions of this film were cut by 4 seconds to remove some imitable violence. The cut occurs towards the end, when Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick are fighting on top of the TV satellite. A shot of Carrey headbutting Broderick has been removed as well as a brief ear-clap. The cuts were waived in July 2017, and the uncut version appears on the film's Blu-ray release.

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Connections

References The Jerry Springer Show (1991)

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Soundtracks

Mod Squad Theme
Written by Earle Hagen

User Reviews

Hidden Comedy

Regardless of what people say, this movie has some very funny moments scattered throughout. When I first saw this movie, I will admit I didn't find it that funny. But it's one of those movies that grows on you with time. Even if you don't like it at first, give it some time. You have to accept this movie for what it is. A dark comedy aimed at poking fun of the lighter things in life. Jim Carrey obviously carries the movie with his infamous quirkiness, but Matthew Broderick holds his own as the anal retentive guy which he is great at playing. Whether you are talking about the Midevil Times restaurant scene or the karaoke scene, this movie is a gem. Highly recommended.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

14 June 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Cable Guy

Filming Locations:

Buena Park, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$47,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,806,226, 16 June 1996

Gross USA:

$60,240,295

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$102,825,796

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, Licht/Mueller Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) Dolby Digital DTS Dolby SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1