‘Cable Guy’ Weirdly Funny
“The Cable Guy,” a Jim Carrey vehicle directed by Ben Stiller, will offer more of the same laughs to fans of “Ace Ventura” and “The Mask.” Though not as silly as he was in “Ace,” Carrey comes through with a hilarious, if frightening character.
“The Cable Guy” opens as a guy names Steven (Matthew Broderick) moves into a new apartment. The cable installer is late, and when he finally does show up, he’s unusual. Carrey is perfectly annoying as the diction-impaired cable guy with a dramatic flair. He reminds us of nerds we’ve all known.
The cable guy makes some subtle and not-so-subtle attempts to become friends with Steven, who relents because he’s lonely after being kicked out of his girlfriend Robin’s apartment. The way that Steven gradually gets drawn into the world of the cable guy is one of the movie’s stronger points. You can actually see how it could happen to you.
Pretty soon, Steven finds out the cable guy, who calls himself Chip Douglas, was raised by the TV and is far from a normal guy.
As Chip’s antics get harder to deal with, Steven finally tells him off. That’s when things turn ugly. Chip tries to ruin Steven’s life and seduce Robin. Eventually, Steven and Chip have to fight it out high above a huge satellite dish, and the audience sees how pathetic, and tenacious, the cable guy really is.
The best parts of “The Cable Guy,” besides the soundtrack, are the places Carrey gets to cut loose and Stiller focuses in on the cable guy in all his twisted glory.
In one especially memorable scene, Steven and his friends are playing basketball at the gym when Chip walks in and replaces an injured player. The camera sees the poor cable guy as he would see himself - as a pro. Chip careens around the court, living out a TV-induced fantasy, but when he breaks the backboard by climbing on top of another player, Steven and his friends leave in disgust.
The climactic last scene of “The Cable Guy” feigns interest in a social issue. Chip jumps from a great height toward the huge satellite dish, screaming, “someone has to kill the babysitter!” The psychotic cable guy appears to be a victim of a mother who never cared about him and left him in front of the tube too long.
But when it’s all over and the satellite dish is slightly cracked, Chip is still alive and fixing his adoring grin on an emergency medical technician who makes the unfortunate mistake of calling him “buddy.”
The makers of “The Cable Guy” chose the right subject in making a movie about clinging, needy people, because so many viewers have had them in their lives. And Jim Carrey does his job of taking the concept of his character to a funny extreme.
“The Cable Guy” may not be Oscar material, but it will satisfy Carrey fans and those seeking a good laugh.
Grade: B+