The Cable Guy
with Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, George Segal
Written by Lou Holtz Jr.
Directed by Ben Stiller (Columbia)
by Mark Phinney
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Ben Stiller is a genius, one of the most significant contributors to the world of twisted comedy of this decade, and also one of the most unjustly neglected. His Fox show (recently exhumed by Comedy Central) was canceled for not pandering to the shallow expectations of ever-dysfunctional Neilsen families, and while I am the first to admit that Reality Bites (1993) was a mistake punishable only by crucifixion, Stiller has redeemed himself with his latest film, at least in my eyes, and hell, isn’t that all that matters?
The Cable Guy is a fiercely crafted dark comedy, a nasty yank at the wires of our video-saturated culture and my favorite film of 1996 thus far. I’m sure you know the story by now (the old lonely-cable-installer-makes-hapless-customer’s-life-hell routine) – this film came swaddled in so much hype that even I was a bit queasy – but it’s so tightly woven with so many different layers that it’s a pure joy to watch. Stiller deserves mucho kudos for investing such time and care into plotting every move that Jim Carrey makes in the title role. Allow me to insult for a moment here: The majority of filmgoers who’ve seen The Cable Guy have said “Oh, kid, that shit wasn’t funny.” You know why these boobs don’t think so? Because they’re so used to seeing Carrey slip on banana peels, contort his face and (literally) talk out his ass that they can’t tell when someone is actually acting. In this offering, he does just that. The beauty of Carrey is that he took this role and built it up scene-by-scene. Every line, look, and spasm is superbly detailed. The man is a perfectionist and I must say I envy him the power and control he has over his comedy. At the same time, I can not leave out Matthew Broderick, who, as the unfortunate victim, excels in the straight-man role just as he has in the past (see The Freshman). The highlights of this flick (and there are many) are some of the funniest and best-directed of recent years. The Cable Guy may not win nominations, but it’s walked away with the gold as far as I’m concerned, and like I’ve said before, that’s all that matters. Right?
