The Cable Guy
Tags: comedy, boring, stupid, bleak, cult, insanity, humor, satire

Plot synopsis:
Steven Kovacs has just moved into a new apartment after his girlfriend kicked him out. While waiting for the cable guy to arrive, a friend suggests that Steven slip the man $50 as a bribe to receive all the pay channels for free.Finally, Chip Douglas, the cable guy, shows up. He is very strange but obviously an expert cable installer. Chip tries to strike up a personal conversation with Steven, who is uninterested. Before Chip leaves, Steven nervously offers him $50 for free cable. At first Chip acts furious, but then bursts into laughter, happily declaring "I'll juice you up." Steven is very thankful, but then Chip asks Steven to visit the cable company satellite with him. Steven tries to politely say no, but Chip insists.The next day, we see Steven at work. He's an architect with a boss who is a huge jerk. Later that day, Chip shows up at Steven's apartment and the two go to the satellite. They have a heart to heart talk, ending with Chip giving Steven useful advice (originally from The Jerry Springer Show) on how to get his girlfriend back.Steven meets Robin, his estranged girlfriend, the next day. He takes Chip's advice and invites her over to watch Sleepless In Seattle. Steven goes to the gym to play basketball with some friends, and Chip awkwardly shows up. Chip inserts himself into the game, and plays in a very aggressive manner, knocking down other plays and eventually breaking the basketball board. Steven is obviously mad at Chip and walks off.Steven returns home for his date with Robin only to find that Chip has left a huge number of messages on his machine. Robin arrives and the two chat about how much Steven hates his boss before turning on the TV. The TV is blank, so Steven calls the "preferred customer" number that Chip gave him earlier. After one ring, he hears a knock at his door. He opens it to find Chip with a severed cable wire in hand, angry that Steven wouldn't get back to him. Steven promises to hang out with Chip the next day if Chip will turn his cable back on. Chip does so, gives more advice about Robin, and leaves.The next evening Chip takes Steven to Medieval Times, a restaurant where the patrons watch knights engage in mock battle. Throughout dinner, Steven politely tries to break off his friendship with Chip, but the two are suddenly called into the fighting pit. Chip confesses that he gave all of the knights free cable and that they are allowing him to bring Steven out to fight one another. As both men are fit with armor and weapons, Steven asks if they're just going to mock fight, but Chip seems deadly serious about their upcoming battle.The two begin to fight, with Chip knocking his opponent around until Steven gets angry and launches into him. The crowd goes wild, but Chip frequently takes dangerous swings at Steven, eventually knocking him down. Both men are put on horses and made to joust, with Steven blasting Chip off his horse. Steven gets off to see if Chip is okay, and Chip giddily declares that they will meet again before holding Steven's hand up in celebration of his victory.The two go back to Steven's place. Steven now seems happy with his odd new friend. He then sees that Chip broke into his apartment and placed a big screen TV with massive speakers in his living room. Steven tells Chip that he appreciates the gesture but that he has to take everything back. Chip says that he will, but that they should have a karaoke party first. Steven agrees.The next evening, there is a big party at Steven's house, mostly with Chip's "preferred customers," who happen to be a mixture of old men, weidos, and even two police officers. Steven talks to Robin on the phone, who is going out on a date with another man. Steven is upset, but Chip comforts him. Steven then gives Chip a small gift, a speech thearpy tape designed to help Chip's lisp. Chip is very moved.Steven notices a gorgeous woman at the party, and Chip insists that Steven talk to her. As Chip sings a karaoke song, Steven and the woman begin making out. Chip playfully takes a picture before leaving Steven and Heather alone.The next morning, Chip is cooking eggs and Steven wakes up. He is thrilled with the night before, and the two begin to eat breakfast. Chip says "it was my treat." When Steven asks what he means, Chip says that the woman was a prostitute that he bought for his lovelorn friend. Steven is horrified and kicks an apologetic Chip out of his apartment.The next day we see Chip at a restaurant, wearing a big fake mustache that alters his appearence. Robin is on a date with a total jerk. Chip poses as a restroom attendant, and when Robin's date comes to the restroom, Chip beats him within an inch of his life, telling him to stay away from Robin.Later, Chip shows up at Robin's apartment, claiming that Steven has paid to upgrade her cable. After upgrading it, Chip tells Robin that the two are best friends, and tells her that Steven loves her very much and wants her back. She is very moved by this, and calls Steven to thank him. Steven realizes what has happened but takes credit for the cable upgrade. Steven runs into Chip on the way home, who tells him that this was his way of making the incident with the prostitute up to him. Steven tells Chip that although his intentions are good, he does not want to be friends with him. Chip is crushed.The next day, Steven is at work, only to find himself arrested by the two "preferred customer" cops that were at his party the other evening. The charge is accepting stolen goods, which turns out to be the TV system Chip put in his apartment. Steven tells his lawyer the story, but the lawyer responds that no one named Chip Douglas works for the cable company. Chip comes to visist Steven in jail, where Chip tells him his name is really Larry Tate. He tells Steven that they could have been best friends, but now they are worst enemies.Steven is released from jail and goes back to work, only to find that a video of him telling Robin how much he hates his boss is circulating throughout the office. Steven is fired, and harassed by Chip on the way to his car. At home, he finds a hidden camera planted underneath his table.Steven takes Robin to dinner at his parent's house, only to find Chip at the door. Steven threatens to call the police on Chip, but Chip shows him a copy of the picture of him with the prostitute. Chip tells Steven to relax and have a good time. At dinner, Chip tells the story of the Medieval Times show, only reveresing their positions so that Steven sounds like the aggressive maniac.After dinner, Chip encourages everyone to play "Porno Password," an adult verison of the TV game show. Tensions are high, and Steven eventually snaps, punching Chip in the face. Chip leaves, and everyone is angry with Steven.Steven talks to his friend that originally suggested he bribe Chip. The friend does background checks and figures out that Chip's names (such as Larry Tate) are all actually classic TV characters. Chip was fired for stalking customers.Steven gets a call from Chip, who appears to be getting ever more crazy. Chip tells him that he and Robin are going to hang out. Steven is terrified, and races to Robin's house. Robin's landlady tells Steven that she overheard them saying they were going to the cable satellite.At the satellite, Chip explains how the satellite works to Robin, his creepy demeanor beginning to scare her. Steven arrives shortly afterwards to find that Robin has been tied up. A rainstorm pours down as Chip and Steven fight. Steven gets in some good blows, but Chip knocks him out.When he wakes, the storm has calmed down. Chip has taken Robin to the top of the satellite. Steven climbs up and asks Chip to let Robin go. Chip breaks down, telling Steven that he is sorry he screwed up their friendship.Chip curses his mother for never paying attention to him as a child and letting him get so screwed up. Chip looks down and decides to kill himself by throwing his body into the center of the satellite, blowing out the cable. Steven grabs Chip's arm as he jumps, trying to save him, but Chip just smiles and lets go.Meanwhile, the result of a major celebrity murder trial is seconds away from being broadcast. As the whole world watches, Chip's body hits the satellite, cutting out the cable before the verdict is read. Chip, however, has survived the fall.An emergency helicopter is taking Chip away. Steven asks Chip his name one last time, to which Chip replies "Ricky. Ricky Ricardo." The helicopter takes off while Steven and Robin kiss. In the helicopter, the EMT tells Chip "You're gonna make it, buddy." Chip asks "Am I really your buddy?" The EMT shrugs and says "Yeah, sure you are." Chip gives a devious smile and the film cuts to black.

Review: He takes the film from what would have been a run-of-the-mill comedy, to levels of greatness, and anyone that thinks I'm being too kind either doesn't like Carrey (it was the film that made me do a complete turn around), or needs to see the film again.The overall tone of the film is a bit of a mix, it gets darker as the story goes along, but the jokes never mollify.
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.
Not just another Jim Carrey "stupid humour" movie as it was unfortuanately promoted as, the cable guy was an entirely different genre; a comedy so dark it bordered on horror/thriller.
and it is utterly brilliant.to watch this movie a second time is highly recommended, as is an open mind to the dark web that Ben Stiller weaves masterfully.
The actors fill their roles extremely well; Broderick perhaps a little underwhelming, but Carrey's astonishingly dark and eerie portrayal of his character carries the film.
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).
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.
With Broderick et al giving relatively standard performances, Carrey's performance is a stand out, and Ben Stiller should be proud of this film and what it lead to in terms of Jim Carrey's career.Trust me, if you didn't like this, take another look, and prepare to be freaked out by a very not funny, very creepy Carrey performance...8/10.
Add to that a tremendously cool supporting cast of cult legends including Charles Napier, Janeane Garofolo, Eric Roberts, Mr. Show's Bob and David, Sean Whalen,Owen Wilson, Andy Dick and BOTH members of Tenacious D, among others.Full of memorable sequences - the Karaoke jam, the Medieval theme restaurant, director Ben Stiller's recurring duel role - The Cable Guy is smart-as-a-whip, black, surreal, FUNNY, FUNNY stuff!.
And I think that for Chip Douglas (Jim Carrey), movies and television are more than disposable entertainment.
Not many movies are like "The Cable Guy," and most of them don't have the guts to make a statement so bold and striking.In "The Cable Guy" Carrey is the title character, his real name supposedly Chip Douglas, but towards the end we're not really sure what's true and false anymore.
Richard Dreyfuss went nuts trying to convince his family of Bill Murray's insanity in "Bob." In "The Cable Guy," Matthew Broderick has a tough time trying to expose Chip's sadistic side.I am not Carrey's biggest fan.
Anyway, if you like a bit of light dark comedy and order a pizza, I think the movie is worth a watch..
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.
they played a very good comedic team, and Jim Carrey really shined as the film's antagonistic cable guy who just needs a friend.
Carrey plays 'Chip Douglas' (which might be his real name, or it might not), a Cable Guy brought up on TV and movies.
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.
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.
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.
jim carrey passes of as a cable guy desperate for a friend who stalks a customer steve covacks (matthew broderick), who also plays a fine performance.
When the cable guy (Jim Carrey) sang "Somebody To Love," I laughed really hard.
Also, find out if your cable guy is really a cable guy." Now, in conclusion, I highly recommend this laugh-out-loud, on-the-floor hilarious film to all you Jim Carrey fans who have not seen it..
Jim Carrey really pulls the weight in this movie and Matthew Broderick could have honestly being played by anyone.
Okay, I like Jim Carrey but in almost every movie he does he seems to portray that character from "The Mask".
I loved that film, but in "The Cable Guy" it seems he's trying to see how many different ways he can do that character again.
As for the rest, it looked as if Matthew Broderick couldn't wait to finish the film just to get away from Carrey's ever expanding ego, never mind getting rid of Chip.One thing that bugged me in this movie was that if Chip was sacked from the cable company ages before, how did he know when to come and conduct the installation?
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.
The Cable Guy looked like it might be a funny movie, but it was a disappointment.
Matthew Broderick is a normal guy who moves into a new apartment and Jim Carey is the Cable Guy. He gives him a good (and illegal) hookup.
I appreciate Carrey's work now much more in retrospect and Stiller seems stale to me.This movie is a very dark film, bordering on horror-suspense.
'The Cable Guy', Ben Stiller's 1996 bizarre take on comedy, is a very in-your-face kind of movie that has widely provoked mixed responses.
Starring Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick, the film, on one level, takes a multi-genre look at just how valued the unspoken rules of society are, and how violently disrupted life can be when these rules are ignored.
When what should've been a simple "hello, goodbye" interaction with cable guy Chip Douglas (Carrey) is forcibly extended by Chip into what he perceives to be a firm friendship, Steven finds himself stuck with this strange man he barely knows and whom he can't seem to give the hint to that he doesn't want to be friends.Although the film begins as somewhat of a flimsy comedy in which audiences may chuckle occasionally at Chip's eccentric behavior and unhealthy obsession with television and film and at poor Steven's unusual predicament, around halfway through it breaks through the predictable elements and becomes an almost semi-horror.
Feeling as though Steven has betrayed their non-existent friendship, Chip slowly turns Steven's life into a nightmare, and Steven suddenly realizes that he and the people he loves are in very real danger and he is the only one who can see it.The problem to be had with this film is that so much time is focused on Carrey acting crazy that interest can soon be lost.
The essential plot can very easily get misplaced in Chip's antics then the movie is nothing more than one of the 'Ace Ventura' films, which were entertaining for children but served as little else.However, the performances in 'The Cable Guy' are surprisingly impressive.
Jim Carrey, as the infamous cable guy, has actually begun to put his insanely comic behavior to good use in this film.
Even Stiller's long-time friend Owen Wilson pops up.The concept of 'The Cable Guy' is a gem, and it has a lot of potential to be a great film.
Although following a pretty straight forward structure, the script provides enough background to Jim Carey's character to make of him a lot more than just a run-of-the-mill weirdo while Matthew Broderick aptly counterbalance the excessive title role by a fair performance of the without-a-glitch nice guy of the piece.
In Jim Carey's work this is certainly darker than anything he had done up to that point but if this was also supposed to be a thriller then it felt a little bland, the star's antics sometimes overshadowing the actual depth of the story.Still, don't let this put you off for "The Cable Guy", playfully directed by Ben Stiller, is one of these misunderstood films that are really worth watching for its clever take on the media in general and the hidden harm you find it does to people's mind once stripped off the apparent sense of comfort it is supposed to bring.
This could have been a good movie if someone other than Jim Carrey had been playing the lead.
Janeane Garofalo's turn as the bitter, p*****-off waitress was the best part of the movie, IMNSHO.I like Broderick and Carrey, generally, but The Cable Guy just didn't do it for me..
Seen that one?The redemption, if any, of this movie is in that it is not a "black comedy" nor any type of comedy; if anything it is a thought-provoker for the audience, as in "what in the world were they thinking," or "what do they want us to think?"The direction and editing are sloppy and hard to follow, and the undeniably talented Carrey appears to be trying too hard while Matthew Broderick is irritatingly listless.Had they all abandoned the pretense of "comedy" and gone for a true "dark drama," then the potential is there, but the result we have in the movie as it was done is in-between everything, and thus it achieves nothing but a waste of time..
Jim Carrey brilliantly plays his performance as the enstranged cable guy.
a flock of sheep/followers decide they too can be smart around the water-cooler by bashing a movie this is how good movies get a bad rap and end up getting a 5.6/10 scorewhy can't people see this movie for what it is -- dark humour it's supposed to be strange, and jim carrey does an amazing job he is purposely acting over the top because that's what his character is -- mentally deranged there are countless scenes in this movie that are hilarious, yet not stupid (even though many people will label them as such) the protagonist struggles so much against his new 'friend' but ends up only making everyone who loves him drift closer to his enemypeople are quick to overlook the little nuances of the film and call it crap as quick as possible so that they don't appear stupid in front of their peers.
Black comedy, sloppily directed by Ben Stiller, hopes to get by on the leeringly obnoxious lead performance by Jim Carrey alone.
This movie was a first for some popular comedians including Ben Stiller as a twin actor who killed his brother, Owen Wilson as a cheap boyfriend, Jack Black in the supporting character best friend role and Janeane Garafalo as a waitress.
Carrey is at his best when doing comedy supported by the most funny script, and in Jim's other movies all his characters are likeable.
That's another problem with this film the character study of Carrey's cable guy is unclear first we think of him as a possible serial killer type then I get the impression that he could be a homosexual by the way he hounds Broderick's character.
Jim is much better in comedy films his performance takes a step down in a dark satire like this.
I do like Jim Carrey, just not in this movie.
If you are in the mood to see Jim Carrey act as an annoying, physco cable man, then this is the movie for you.
It had hardly any funny moments in it, and it is a movie I will not see again.Jim Carrey has done better films, i.e. Bruce Almighty to mention one.
The plot of course has bummed-out everyman Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick) getting cable installed by a TV-raised cable guy (Jim Carrey).
Jim Carrey of course went on to star in another TV-centered movie, "The Truman Show".All in all, you should check out "The Cable Guy".
Jim Carrey gives a thrilling performance as cable guy, Chip Douglas who soon turns the life of one of his customers (Matthew Broderick) up-side-down.
Carrey plays a Cable guy (guess his real name and win a prize) who starts to try and make a friendship with one of his customers (Matthew Broderick), but it flails.
I can honestly say that while I do like him in that movie, I think his performance here is funnier and better than his performance as The Riddler.The story was straight forward and clever, Ben Stiller did a great job directing the movie Matthew Broderick was a good co-star in the flick, and it was a nice (and underrated in my opinion) dark comedy..
Provides a good offering of ridiculous comedy (see the hilarious intensity at the basketball game) and stalker creepiness (sometimes at the same time), thanks to Carrey's great turn as The Cable Guy. He's a great character but the direction goes back and forth between playing him up for laughs and thrills and digging into the more sympathetic and compelling side of his character, even veering into odd-couple dramedy at points.
"Cable Guy" is a rare misstep for Jim Carrey when he was at his most popular, thanks to movies "Ace Ventura", "The Mask", "Dumb And Dumber" and his scene stealing turn as the Riddler in "Batman Forever" in the 1990s.
When The Cable Guy (Jim Carrey) arrives Steven fakes an interest in his work, which The Cable Guy takes to heart, and he sets out to make Steven his new best friend.It starts off well with Carrey playing his usual wacky off the wall type of character, but then it all becomes very dark and there are not too many laughs to be had.
Jack isn't even part of any of the laughs, playing more of a concerned friend overall whilst Wilson, who I am no particular fan of anyway, only appears in one scene.'The Cable Guy' is an early example of Jim Carrey trying to develop himself as an actor and whilst it isn't too far from his quirky roles like 'Ace Ventura' or 'The Mask', it showed his potential and how he could try to distance himself slightly from his average goofy portrayals prior to him being involved in later films such as 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' or the less successful 'Number 23′.
Jim Carrey is one of the masters of slapstick comedy and he has made some really funny movies.
In this movie, The Cable Guy, played by Jim Carrey is a lonely character who has a lisp and is only looking for friendship.
I will give credit to Jim Carrey that he did have me feel The Cable Guy WAS annoying.
That would be more interesting to see.The Cable Guy has its funny moments due to Carrey's forte in slapstick, but there might not be as many laughs as expected.
This movie does nothing, but provide boredom, and try and make you dislike two very talented stars in Jim Carrey and Ben Stiller.
Both Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick gave great performances.Watch this movie.
Cable guy, Chip to his friends (Jim Carrey) is a crazy wackjob desperate for friends.What went wrong with this movie?
And in my opinion it's Jim Carrey's best movie.
Jim Carrey does a great job acting in character has a freak psycho and that does put some interest in the movie.
I have heard non stop things about this movie and how funny it is, not to mention how many people praised Jim Carrey's performance.
While The Cable Guy has a couple moments that were pretty funny, I was so upset because I normally find Jim Carrey very hilarious, he was kind of annoying in this role.