THE CABLE GUY (1996)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
(Originally reviewed in 1996)
Real-life stalkers are no laughing matter (I was stalked once. Trust me, no laughs were to be found). Naturally, I've never been stalked by a cable guy, especially one that looks like Jim Carrey. Ben Stiller's "The Cable Guy" is an attempt to make a dark comedy about a serious matter. No subjects should be taboo when it comes to skewering with a comedic bent. But when a film that pretends to skewer takes itself seriously then you know what you are in for: a truly uneven black comedy.
Consider the following for a moment. Jim Carrey plays a truly nutty cable guy named Chip, who becomes obsessed with his latest customer, Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick). Chip not only brings top-notch cable to Steven's living room, he also furnishes him with a spankingly expensive stereo system complete with built-in karaoke. Chip also takes Steven to a medieval restaurant where they are randomly chosen to joust. He also helps Steven get back with his ex-girlfriend, Robin (Leslie Mann), but not before Chip supplies him with a sexy prostitute. And the movie goes on and on with these predicaments, some of which are very funny. It is clear that Steven wants nothing to do with Chip, since Chip is too obsessive and clearly lonely. Steven almost loses his own best friend, wonderfully played by Jack Black.
It is here where the movie takes a drastic turn into heavy, murky waters. Chip is so upset that Steven has dumped him that he does everything he can to win Steven back. This includes giving a heavy beating to one of Robin's suitors (Owen Wilson), a scene that will make you cringe, not laugh. Then there is a prison sequence that pokes fun at "Midnight Express" but it will mostly make you feel unclean. And a kidnapping follows. And more beatings.
Subjects like stalking and kidnapping can be skewered for laughs, but it can fall flat on its face when the writer and director lose focus. Despite a decent, swiftly paced forty minutes, the movie switches gears and assumes that the very nature of stalking is funny. It is not, especially when it falls into "Fatal Attraction" waters. Despite one funny sequence at Steven's parents' house where they play Porno Password, "The Cable Guy" aims to be more sinister and less comedic in the second half. Beating up somebody to a bloody pulp is not funny. A jousting tournament turns vicious when Chip really tries to hurt Steven. And a kidnapping held inside a satellite dish is just not funny when the tone is not far off from the usual thriller.
Jim Carrey is often hysterical and sometimes scary, but his pitch is set way to high when a minimum of exaggeration would've been preferred. Matthew Broderick has some fine understated moments, though he looks confused as to what kind of movie he's in. Leslie Mann plays yet another token ex-girlfriend thrown into the mix for no real purpose except to be used as a pawn.
"The Cable Guy" pokes fun at everything from "Goldeneye" to "Waterworld" to high-profile court cases, but it neglects to tickle the funny bone. It never dwells into Chip's personality (despite a contrived ending that assumes he's not as bad as he seems) and since the conflict is only in seeing how far Chip will go to harass and control Steven's life, we never sense there is anything to be engaged by. Sinister goings-on and dark humor are not mutually inclusive.
