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from ace ventura to truman burbank , jim carrey has run the whole gamut of comic , yet sympathetic , characters .
1996 's the cable guy was supposed to be his big " breakthrough " role from zany humor into darker , more dramatic acting .
as most everyone knows , the results were , well , less - than - stellar .
not only did the film not do so hot at the box office , but it was also panned by critics . as far as i know , gene siskel
and i are the only ones willing to admit that we dug it .
the first time i saw the cable guy , in theatres , i was in super critic - mode , and did n't really like it .
however , due to the fact that hbo shows the movie every single day , i 've had time to lean back , relax , and take in the film .
and to my surprise , it grew on me .
the plot is rather simple : broderick plays a guy named steven who befriends his cable guy , played by carrey , then is stalked by him when steven tries to break off the relationship .
see , steven 's been having some problems with his girlfriend , robin ( leslie mann ) , and he does n't think he has any more room in his life for a new friend .
also , some of the cable guy 's antics have been creeping him out .
carrey , as the cable guy , gives steven various aliases , which later we find out are all tv characters :
larry tate , chip douglas , ricky ricardo , etc .
he apparently lives in his cable van , and while many critics did n't enjoy this newer , darker , less - manic performance from carrey ,
i thought it was interesting and rather well - done
.
for me , its not the movie as a whole that 's enjoyable , but rather several individual scenes :
a karaoke jam at steven 's apartment , a medieval fight at a theme restaurant , and a bathroom beating ( a la liar , liar ) , just to name a few .
perhaps the fact that more of carrey 's humorous side comes out during these scenes is what makes them so funny .
and if you really want to see something , you 've got to hear his version of jefferson airplane 's " somebody to love " , sung at the aformentioned karaoke jam .
the cable guy has its bad spots , like most any movie .
i did n't particularly like steven 's girlfriend , and i felt that more focus should have been used on the relationship between steven and his best friend .
also , the ending , while having you fooled for a moment , is rather contrived , and somewhat dissapointing .
still , i found the cable guy to be a worthwhile venture ; if you 're at the video store and ca n't think of anything to rent , i suggest you try it out .
or if you have hbo , just wait till it comes on
( you wo n't have to wait long . )
hell , that 's what i do every day .
i suggest you try it out just wait till it comes on it grew on me i found the cable guy to be a worthwhile venture i thought it was interesting and rather well - done gene siskel and i are the only ones willing to admit that we dug it