The Cable Guy [P&S/WS]

Director: Ben Stiller Ben Stiller

Overview

Comedy superstar Jim Carrey takes a risky leap into darker territory in The Cable Guy, a black comedy that featured the charismatic comic at his least likable. Matthew Broderick plays Steven Kovacs, who moves into a bachelor pad when his girlfriend (Leslie Mann) turns down his marriage proposal. Kovacs orders cable service and is greeted by Carrey's Chip Douglas, a manic, troubled geek with a lisp and an oddly menacing air. Chip insinuates himself into Kovacs' life, at first helping him win back his girlfriend, then becoming obsessively attached to his new friend to the point of becoming an ultimately relentless stalker. The film's uneven blend of humor, satire, and homoeroticism, as well as Carrey's departure from his usual goofy performances, received a lukewarm response from audiences.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/15/1997
UPC:	0043396824294
Original Release:	1996
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Sony Pictures
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono, Dolby Digital Surround, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:35:00
Sales rank:	29,916

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jim Carrey	Chip Douglas,Chip Douglas
Matthew Broderick	Steven Kovacs,Steven Kovacs
Leslie Mann	Robin Harris,Robin Harris
Jack Black	Rick,Rick
George Segal	Earl Kovacs,Earl Kovacs
Diane Baker	Mrs. Kovacs,Mrs. Kovacs,Actor,Actor
Ben Stiller	Sam Sweet,Sam Sweet,Steven's Secretary,Steven's Secretary
Harry O'Reilly	Hal,Hal
Janeane Garofalo	Medieval Waitress,Medieval Waitress
Andy Dick	Medieval Host,Medieval Host
David Cross	Sales Manager,Sales Manager
Owen Wilson	Robin's Date,Robin's Date
Eric Roberts	Himself,Himself
Misa Koprova	Heather,Heather
Keith Gibbs	Basketball Player,Basketball Player
Tommy Hinkley	Basketball Player,Basketball Player
Shawn Michael Howard	Basketball Player,Basketball Player
Jeff Kahn	Basketball Player,Basketball Player
Suli McCullough	Basketball Player,Basketball Player
Jeff Michalski	Basketball Player,Basketball Player
Joel Murray	Basketball Player,Basketball Player
Andrew Shaifer	Basketball Player,Basketball Player
Cameron Starman	Cable Boy,Cable Boy
Kathy Griffin	Cable Boy's Mother,Cable Boy's Mother
Jeremy Applegate	Medieval Times Serf,Medieval Times Serf
Adam Consolo	Medieval Times Serf,Medieval Times Serf
Michael Fossat	Medieval Times Serf,Medieval Times Serf
Kennedy Kabasares	Medieval Times Serf,Medieval Times Serf
Robert L. Rasner	Medieval Times Serf,Medieval Times Serf
Paul Greco	Raul,Raul
Aki Aleong	Karaoke Party Guest,Karaoke Party Guest
Dona Hardy	Karaoke Party Guest,Karaoke Party Guest,Karaoke Party Guest,Karaoke Party Guest
Lloyd Kino	Karaoke Party Guest,Karaoke Party Guest
Sara Lowell	Karaoke Party Guest,Karaoke Party Guest
Cynthia Mason	Karaoke Party Guest,Karaoke Party Guest
Michael Rivkin	Karaoke Party Guest,Karaoke Party Guest
Harper Roisman	Karaoke Party Guest,Karaoke Party Guest
Sandra Thigpen	Karaoke Party Guest,Karaoke Party Guest
Sean Whalen	Karaoke Party Guest,Karaoke Party Guest
Marty Zagon	Karaoke Party Guest,Karaoke Party Guest
Staci Flood	Karaoke Video Dancer,Karaoke Video Dancer
Mary Lee	Karaoke Video Dancer,Karaoke Video Dancer
Raydeen Revilla	Karaoke Video Dancer,Karaoke Video Dancer
Darlene Worley	Karaoke Video Dancer,Karaoke Video Dancer
Cynthia Lamontagne	Restaurant Hostess,Restaurant Hostess
James O'Connell	Bathroom Attendant,Bathroom Attendant
Douglas Robert Jackson	Bathroom Patron,Bathroom Patron
Charles Napier	Arresting Officer,Arresting Officer
Christopher Michael	Arresting Officer,Arresting Officer
Charles Knox Robinson III	Steven's Lawyer,Steven's Lawyer
John O'Donohue	Prison Guard,Prison Guard
Lydell M. Cheshier	Jail Inmate,Jail Inmate
Jason Larimore	Jail Inmate,Jail Inmate
Ahmad Reese	Jail Inmate,Jail Inmate
Emilio Rivera	Jail Inmate,Jail Inmate
Bob Odenkirk	Steven's Brother,Steven's Brother
Julie Hayden	Steven's Sister,Steven's Sister
Annabelle Gurwitch	Steven's Sister-in-Law,Steven's Sister-in-Law
Blake Boyd	Steven's Brother-in-Law,Steven's Brother-in-Law
Lisa D'Agostino	Newsroom Researcher,Newsroom Researcher,Newsroom Researcher,Newsroom Researcher
Tabitha Soren	Herself,Herself
Rikki Klieman	Herself,Herself
Robert Simels	Himself,Himself
Leonard Turner	Sam Sweet Judge,Sam Sweet Judge
Carlo Allen	Sam Sweet Court Judge,Sam Sweet Court Judge
Conrad Janis	Father `Double Trouble',Father `Double Trouble'
Thomas Scott	Sam at 8 years,Sam at 8 years,Stan at 8 years,Stan at 8 years
Christine Devine	Anchor Woman,Anchor Woman
Mark Thompson	Newsroom Reporter,Newsroom Reporter
Wendy Walsh	Reporter Outside Courtroom,Reporter Outside Courtroom
Marion Dugan	Robin's Neighbor,Robin's Neighbor
Bill Beasley	Nuclear Dad,Nuclear Dad,Nuclear Mom,Nuclear Mom,Nuclear Kid,Nuclear Kid,Nuclear Kid,Nuclear Kid
Barbara Babbin	Bar Patron,Bar Patron
Frank Davis	Bar Patron,Bar Patron
Julian Reyes	Bar Patron,Bar Patron
Kyle Gass	Couch Potato,Couch Potato
David Bowe	Helicopter Paramedic,Helicopter Paramedic
Robert "Bobby Z" Zajonc	Pilot,Pilot
John Ottman	Composer,Composer

Technical Credits

Lou Holtz Jr.

Lou Holtz

Ben Stiller	Director,Director
Judd Apatow	Producer,Producer
Juel Bestrop	Casting,Casting
Bernie Brillstein	Executive Producer,Executive Producer
Lou Holtz Jr.	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Brad Grey	Executive Producer,Executive Producer
Marc Gurvitz	Executive Producer,Executive Producer
Freddie Hice	Stunts,Stunts
Andrew Licht	Producer,Producer
Jeffrey A. Mueller	Producer,Producer,Producer,Producer
Matt Sweeney	Special Effects,Special Effects
Yann Delpuech	Sound Effects,Sound Effects
Nelson Stoll	Sound/Sound Designer,Sound/Sound Designer
Lou Holtz	Screenwriter,Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

A vastly underappreciated film and the target of much critical scorn, Ben Stiller's The Cable Guy might have been better understood were it not both Jim Carrey's first $20 million payday and a major departure from the lighthearted outings that brought him huge box-office success. Carrey is brilliant as a lonely cable installer who overstays his welcome, pathologically latching onto customers to breed companionship from brief encounters. But the movie wouldn't be such a compelling study of the complexity of ending an unwanted friendship were it not for the subtle performance by Matthew Broderick, who balances out the hyperactive Carrey and struggles with how to handle this enthusiastic pest. With a savvy media critic like Stiller at the helm, The Cable Guy is actually more of a wicked satire of popular culture than a Jim Carrey vehicle. Lou Holtz's screenplay is a succession of dynamite set pieces: a testosterone-laden basketball game, a creepy game of "Porno Password" at a family dinner, a gonzo karaoke jam, and a duel with real weapons at a Medieval Times theme restaurant, which is the film's most memorable scene. The key is that each represents the increasingly unbalanced Carrey's attempt to mimic something he's seen on TV, which serves as his only behavioral guideline and standard for how his life should be. Stiller's own turn as a famous child actor involved in a televised murder trial lends backbone to the film's biting satirical thread. A supporting cast that includes Jack Black, George Segal, Leslie Mann, and Andy Dick adds humor and depth to the dark commentary, and Stiller's inventive camerawork elevates the film further. The Cable Guy may one day earn the reputation of an overlooked gem in the rich careers of both Carrey and Stiller.