By Robert Scucci
| Published
Every conversation I’ve ever had about The Cable Guy ends the same way – with somebody telling me that the Matthew Broderick and Jim Carrey-starring satire is some kind of misunderstood masterpiece about male loneliness that continues to be slept on to this day. While I initially agreed with this sentiment, I had a change of heart after streaming the title on Max for the first time as an adult because its messaging always seemed clear to me. I was eight years old when this film came out, and even as a child I understood how Jim Carrey’s Ernie “Chip” Douglas was a deeply disturbed and lonely sociopath – though I couldn’t articulate what a sociopath was at the time – who didn’t know how to form any real human connections because he was raised by his television instead of a suitable mother or father figure.
I’m not throwing any shade at The Cable Guy by any means because it’s still one of Jim Carrey’s best comedic performances, but I don’t think the film was as misunderstood as people thought it was when looking back at it in hindsight. However, a fresh look at the original official trailer (which I overlooked at the time) offers a reasonable explanation as to why it was such a polarizing film upon its release – this film was framed as a zany, wacky, slapstick effort about an unhinged cable guy as if it were a comedy of errors, but plays out like a dark satire that makes an earnest attempt to unpack Chip’s desperation, and resulting unhinged behavior.
The True Cost Of Free Cable
The Cable Guy centers on Matthew Broderick’s Steven Kovacs, a newly single man moving into his new apartment after his girlfriend, Robin (Leslie Mann), rejects his marriage proposal. Steven’s best friend, Rick (Jack Black), tells him that if he slips the cable guy $50, he can get every movie channel (even the dirty ones) for free. When Steven decides to follow through with Rick’s idea, Chip obliges, but under the condition that they become friends; an arrangement that Steven reluctantly agrees to.
It doesn’t take long for Chip to force himself into Steven’s life as the best friend he never had (or wanted), resulting in a number of hilarious sequences like a botched pickup basketball game, a trip to a Medieval Times restaurant where Chip’s friends, or “preferred customers,” allow them to duke it out with real weapons for the fun of it, and a karaoke party at Steven’s apartment that eventually leads to blackmail when Steven realizes that he’s had enough with Chip’s increasingly intrusive behavior and ends their friendship in on uncertain terms.
As The Cable Guy progresses, Steven’s personal and professional life gets completely turned upside down by Chip, who, in his mind, is just trying to make a real friend in a world where he has none.
Not A Misunderstood Masterpiece, But A Victim Of Its Own Marketing
After having his legendary 1994 run with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber, Jim Carrey rightfully became a household name for his over-the-top physical humor and commitment to eccentric, larger-than-life characters. The Cable Guy, which saw its 1996 release after the success of 1995’s Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (a prime example of a perfect sequel), had marketing ahead of its release that primed audiences to expect another crazy Jim Carrey movie that the whole family could enjoy. I could only imagine the look of horror on parent’s faces when they took their kids to a PG-13 rated Jim Carrey movie, only to find out that his character hired a prostitute to seduce Steven midway through the movie.
I’m not mentioning this scene as an indictment of The Cable Guy, but it’s also foolish to assume that a scene like that would go over well with audiences who thought they were taking their family to the movies to see something they assumed would be a little more light-hearted.
Streaming The Cable Guy
Those who went into watching The Cable Guy blind, with no preconceived notions, always saw the movie for exactly what it was: a dark satire about a lonely cable guy who wears out his welcome because he has a serious screw loose. In other words, I don’t think The Cable Guy was necessarily misunderstood, but audiences were most certainly duped by the promotional content ahead of its theatrical release.
That is all to say that The Cable Guy is a solid black comedy that definitely deserves its cult status, but it’s not exactly subtle in its delivery either. If you want to enjoy The Cable Guy for what it is, and what it always has been, you can stream it on Max as of this writing.