The Cable Guy

1996

Directed by Ben Stiller

Welcome to Movie Monday, my dedicated readers! We’re continuing our journey through my meticulously compiled list of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Today, we’re tackling number 63: the 1996 satirical black comedy thriller, The Cable Guy. As always, remember that this list is based solely on my opinion, so something I hate may be something you love. And based on this film’s cult following, many of you apparently do love it. You’re wrong, of course, but I respect your right to be wrong.

The Great Jim Carrey Disappointment of ’96

If you were a moviegoer in the mid-90s, you likely witnessed the meteoric rise of Jim Carrey. After years of working in television and stand-up comedy, Carrey exploded onto the film scene with an incredible trifecta of comedic performances: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber – all released in 1994. Each film showcased Carrey’s unique brand of physical comedy, elastic facial expressions, and manic energy that had audiences howling with laughter.

So when The Cable Guy hit theaters in 1996, expectations were understandably high. I remember walking into the theater, popcorn in hand, ready for another dose of Carrey’s signature comedy. What I got instead was… well, something entirely different.

What Went Wrong: The Plot

For the uninitiated, The Cable Guy follows Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick), an architect who has just broken up with his girlfriend. When cable installer Ernie “Chip” Douglas (Jim Carrey) arrives to hook up his service, Steven bribes him for free premium channels. This seemingly innocent transaction starts a downward spiral as Chip becomes increasingly obsessed with Steven, inserting himself into every aspect of Steven’s life and eventually turning menacing.

On paper, this could work as either a straight comedy (with Carrey playing an annoying but harmless goofball) or as a genuine thriller (with a truly menacing stalker). Instead, the film tries to walk a tightrope between these genres and ends up falling flat on both counts.

The $20 Million Question: What Happened to Jim Carrey?

The Cable Guy marked a significant milestone in Hollywood: it was the first time an actor commanded a $20 million salary. Jim Carrey, riding high on his previous successes, became the highest-paid actor in the industry with this film. Unfortunately, the performance that came with this hefty price tag was… peculiar, to say the least.

Gone was the lovable goofball from Ace Ventura or the sweet-natured Lloyd from Dumb and Dumber. Instead, we got a performance that can only be described as “Jim Carrey, but make it creepy.” His character speaks with an odd lisp, displays erratic behavior that shifts from pathetic to threatening, and lacks the charm that made his previous characters endearing despite their eccentricities.

To be fair to Carrey, he was clearly trying to stretch his acting muscles and demonstrate range beyond just silly faces and catchphrases. And in retrospect, this performance does foreshadow some of his later, more nuanced work in films like The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But as a transitional piece, it’s jarring and uncomfortable – neither funny enough to work as comedy nor convincing enough to work as drama.

Ben Stiller’s Directorial Vision: Too Dark for Comfort

Behind the camera for The Cable Guy was Ben Stiller, making just his second feature film as director after Reality Bites. Stiller, along with producer Judd Apatow, took what was originally conceptualized as a lighter comedy (described as a “What About Bob? annoying friend movie”) and transformed it into something much darker.

The screenplay by Lou Holtz Jr. underwent significant changes during development, with each draft reportedly becoming darker than the previous. The final product draws inspiration from psychological thrillers like Cape Fear and Single White Female, but filters these influences through a satirical lens that never quite comes into focus.

Stiller’s direction leans heavily into the film’s darker elements, creating an atmosphere of dread and discomfort that feels at odds with what audiences expected from a Jim Carrey vehicle in 1996. While this subversion of expectations can sometimes lead to interesting cinema, here it simply leads to tonal whiplash.

Supporting Cast: Talent Trapped in a Messy Film

One of the frustrating aspects of The Cable Guy is that it wastes a genuinely talented supporting cast. Matthew Broderick, coming off a string of successful films in the late 80s and early 90s, is relegated to playing the straight man opposite Carrey’s manic energy. His character is so passive and reactive that it’s difficult to invest in his predicament.

The film also features early appearances by Jack Black, Leslie Mann, Owen Wilson, and Bob Odenkirk – all of whom would go on to have successful careers but are given little to do here. Even George Segal and Diane Baker, playing Steven’s parents, can’t elevate the material they’re given.

Media Satire: Ahead of Its Time?

To give The Cable Guy some credit, its satirical take on television addiction and media obsession was somewhat prescient. Chip’s character, raised by television because his parents were largely absent, represents an extreme version of how media can shape (or warp) one’s understanding of human relationships. His dialogue is peppered with TV references, and he views life through the lens of the shows he watched growing up.

In the era of social media addiction and online parasocial relationships, some of these themes resonate even more strongly today than they did in 1996. The film’s climactic scene at a satellite dish, where Chip declares he must “kill the babysitter” (television) to prevent others from becoming like him, contains a kernel of social commentary that feels relevant to contemporary discussions about media influence.

However, this potentially interesting social critique is buried beneath the film’s tonal inconsistencies and over-the-top execution. What could have been a sharp satire ends up feeling like a muddled mess.

Box Office and Critical Reception: A Financial Success, But at What Cost?

Despite my personal disappointment and the mixed critical reception, The Cable Guy wasn’t exactly a financial disaster. With a production budget of $47 million and a worldwide gross of approximately $102 million, the film technically turned a profit. However, given Carrey’s star power at the time and the success of his previous films, these numbers were considered underwhelming.

Critics at the time were divided. Roger Ebert included it in his “worst of the year” list for 1996, while his colleague Gene Siskel defended it as “a very good film” and “[Carrey’s] best since The Mask.” The film currently holds a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes – the very definition of mixed reviews.

The Cult Following: I Don’t Get It, But You Do You

In the years since its release, The Cable Guy has developed a dedicated cult following. Many viewers who were initially put off by its dark tone have come to appreciate it as an ambitious, if flawed, attempt to blend comedy with psychological thriller elements. Some see it as ahead of its time, arguing that audiences in 1996 simply weren’t ready for Jim Carrey to deviate from his established comedic persona.

Carrey himself has named it as one of his favorite films that he worked on, stating: “I think Ben Stiller did an amazing job, and it’s populated with the greatest comedy actors of our day when they were just coming into their power. I love that character. That character is all of us: we were all raised by the TV.”

Ben Stiller has called it the “most educational and spirit-building” failure of his career, noting that despite its initial flop, “the making of it was a pure creative experience” thanks to Carrey’s boldness.

And to those fans who have embraced this film, I say: more power to you. Art is subjective, and sometimes works that initially fail to connect find their audience over time. That said, I’m standing firm on my assessment that this film deserves its spot on my worst movies list. The cult can have their strange little film – I’ll stick with Ace Ventura, thank you very much.

Legacy: A Stepping Stone to Greater Things

While The Cable Guy might have missed the mark, it did serve as an important stepping stone for many of the talents involved. For Jim Carrey, it represented an early attempt to branch out beyond pure comedy, paving the way for his more dramatic work in films like The Truman Show (1998) and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004).

For Ben Stiller, the experience of directing a high-profile studio film with a major star provided valuable lessons that would inform his later directorial efforts. And for Judd Apatow, then a relatively unknown producer and uncredited writer, it was an early Hollywood credit that contributed to his eventual rise as one of comedy’s most influential figures.

The film also features early work from cinematographer Robert Brinkmann and composer John Ottman, both of whom would go on to have successful careers in Hollywood.

Final Verdict: A Noble Failure, But Still a Failure

Looking back at The Cable Guy from the vantage point of 2025, it’s easier to see what Stiller, Carrey, and team were attempting to accomplish. They were trying to subvert expectations, push boundaries, and create something that blended genres in a way that mainstream Hollywood rarely attempted at the time.

But noble intentions don’t always result in good films. The Cable Guy remains a tonal mess, a film that never quite figures out what it wants to be or how to achieve its goals. Its attempts at dark comedy often come across as simply dark, without the comedy to balance things out. Its social commentary, while occasionally insightful, gets lost in the shuffle of its uneven execution.

For these reasons, The Cable Guy secures its place at number 63 on my worst movies list – not because it’s incompetently made or because it lacks ambition, but because it fails to deliver on its promises and leaves the viewer with a sense of disappointment rather than satisfaction.

Coming Next Week: The Apple Dumpling Gang

Thanks for joining me for this dive into one of Jim Carrey’s most divisive films. Next Monday, we’ll be tackling another entry on my worst movies list: The Apple Dumpling Gang. Yes, we’re going from Jim Carrey’s dark turn to Disney’s 1975 western comedy starring Don Knotts and Tim Conway. Stay tuned to find out why this family-friendly film earned a spot on my cinematic hall of shame!

Until then, keep watching movies – preferably better ones than The Cable Guy.