Among the more interesting (as opposed to good) 1990s 
Hollywood comedies was this attempt at complexity from director Ben Stiller and star Jim Carrey. The latter was at the height of his popularity, having scored monster hits with ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE, THE MASK and DUMB AND DUMBER (all 1994). Carrey was also demonstrating a penchant for the uncommercial (which he’d increase in later, even more outré film choices like THE MAN IN THE MOON, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND and THE BAD BATCH), although he nonetheless commanded a then-record $20 million payday. Stiller, by contrast, was an unproven commodity in the mid-nineties, with his only feature directorial credit, 1994’s REALITY BITES, being a box office flop.
THE CABLE GUY was itself a critical and financial disappointment (if not quite the “flop” it’s been proclaimed). Intended as a spoof of the popular nineties staking movie trope (of CAPE FEAR, SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE and UNLAWFUL ENTRY), the film apparently did its job a little too well. It has, however, garnered a cult following, with Carrey reprising the title role in a Verizon commercial that ran during the 2021 Super Bowl.
Beyond that THE CABLE GUY is noteworthy these days as an early producing credit for Judd Apatow (who reportedly wanted to direct and get a screenwriting credit, but was rebuffed by Columbia and the WGA), and featured early roles by Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Bob Odenkirk, Janeane Garofalo, Leslie Mann and Andy Dick, as well as more seasoned players like Matthew Broderick, George Segal and Eric Roberts. Stiller himself also appears, as a pair of Menendez brothers inspired twins turned tabloid stars.
Broderick plays Steven Kovacs, an architect having trouble with his cable. His call to the cable company is answered by Chip Douglas (Carrey), a seriously weird guy who gives Steven free movie channels and proclaims him a “preferred customer.” Chip, who was raised by television due to a flighty single mother, mistakenly believes the two are best friends. He quickly insinuates himself into Steven’s life, crashing a basketball game between him and his pals, conning Steven into throwing a party in which he bangs a Chip-hired prostitute and, worst of all, hosting a dinner at Medieval Times, where Steven is challenged to a duel by his “friend.”
Steven decides to end the relationship, at which point the harassment turns increasingly dark. Chip uses his cable guy status to get in touch with Steven’s girlfriend Robin (Mann) and alter their relationship, and get Steven jailed for possession of stolen property. Clearly this “friendship” has gone sour and a violent (though not too much so) confrontation is in store.
The film is well made. Ben Stiller is, whatever his faults as a performer (in which guise I’ve always found him pretty obnoxious), a skilled filmmaker, and turns out a reasonably satisfying time-passer with nineties fashions and décor that aren’t too distracting; furthermore, certain portions of this comedy are actually funny. The problems appear to have emerged, as they so often do, with the studio backers.
Stiller claims that with every scene he shot “a dark version and a light version.” I think you can guess which version the suits allowed to win out most of the time, hence the film’s biggest problem: it never goes far enough. Certainly it’s dark, but never dark enough, with the preternatural (read: gay) aspects of Chip’s attraction to Steven never fully owned up to (an aspect the 2009 Carrey vehicle I LOVE YOU PHILIP MORRIS remedied with a vengeance).
Another problem: the Matthew Broderick essayed protagonist is a cypher, with all the character shading lavished on the Cable Guy (a similar issue dogged SINGLE WHITE FEMALE and THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE). Yet another: the pretentious nature of the screenplay, which despite its shallow and derivative nature insists on presenting itself as a NETWORK-like commentary on media saturation (with references to GOLDENEYE, THE JERRY SPRINGER SHOW, MIDNIGHT EXPRESS and the STAR TREK episode “Amok Time”—Stiller being an admitted Trekkie). As Carrey has said of his role, “That character is all of us: we were all raised by the TV.” The second part of that statement may be accurate, but the first? Not quite.
Vital Statistics
THE CABLE GUY
Columbia Pictures
Director: Ben Stiller
Producers: Judd Apatow, Andrew Licht, Jeffrey A. Mueller
Screenplay: Lou Holtz, Jr.
Cinematography: Robert Brinkmann
Editing: Steven Weisberg
Cast: Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, Leslie Mann, Jack Black, George Segal, Diane Baker, Ben Stiller, Eric Roberts, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick, harry O’Reilly, David Cross, Amy Stiller, Owen Wilson, Keith Gibbs, Tommy Hinkley, Shawn Michael Howard, Jeff Kahn