Cable Guy, The (1996)

After Jim Carrey’s bumper year of 1994 – when he burst onto cinema screens like a one-man circus in Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber. The following year, Carrey was in fizzing form as the Riddler in Batman Forever, easily stealing the show from Val Kilmer and Tommy Lee Jones.

Carrey was afforded the opportunity to do something different in this jet-black satire on the power of television, and he responded with a performance that brings a dark edge to his wacky, man-of-the-people persona.

Carrey is on top form as lisping, manic cable-television engineer Ernie “Chip” Douglas, who takes a special interest in his new customer, jilted architect Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick), who is nursing a bruised ego after his girlfriend not only turned down his marriage proposal but also kicked him out.

Although merely overfriendly at first, Chip turns psycho-stalker and invades every aspect of Kovacs’ life with both hilarious and sobering results.

Director Ben Stiller effectively lines up his targets, and Carrey hits them effortlessly. Though the film suffers at times from dull patches, it’s much better than you may have heard.

For Carrey, it proved a stepping stone on his way to acclaim and box-office success with The Truman Show (1998).

Ernie “Chip” Douglas
Jim Carrey
Steven Kovacs
Matthew Broderick
Robin
Leslie Mann
Rick
Jack Black
Steven’s father
George Segal
Steven’s mother
Diane Baker
Sam Sweet
Ben Stiller
Eric Roberts
Eric Roberts
Waitress
Janeane Garofalo

Director
Ben Stiller

Video