I’ll do you a solid, 80s kids. We’ll cover a movie that isn’t turning 40.
How about one that just turned 30? That’ll make you feel better, no?
Oh… oh well…
The Cable Guy is a movie starring Jim Carrey as the titular Cable Guy, who often has one favorite customer (Matthew Broderick) whom he constantly visits and eventually torments. It’s that classic trope of someone who comes to your house, fixes your stuff every so often, get somewhat familiar, and eventually becomes part of the family whether you want them or not. The Cable Guy sort of takes that concept to the extreme; Carrey’s Cable Guy is a constant, obsessive presence in Broderick’s life to the point where he becomes a menace.
This is a movie that I recall watching once or twice back in the day and remember very little about it. There’s a scene in a medieval themed restaurant where Carrey and Broderick are play jousting and you’ve got the music from Star Trek where Kirk and Spock are fighting each other, which is the only real memorable bit because me likes the Trek. The only other thing I know of this movie is that there’s a guy at the flea market who specializes in cable boxes and has a huge ass poster of this film as a shop sign. Still in business today, by the way… in 2026. Go figure.
In rewatching it again… I find The Cable Guy to be a mixed bag of sorts. On the one hand, there are some funny moments here and there, Jim Carrey got to flex his acting muscles a bit by playing a much darker character than what audiences were used to before hand (Ace Ventura, The Mask, etc.), and I can appreciate the grimness in having that fellow in your life who’s just there to leach off you. I know those kinds of people.
On the other hand, though, the movie didn’t quite leave an impact. There’s a couple bits that are funny, but the rest of it is just… I don’t know. I’m just watching this thing as it goes along, having a couple chuckles here and there, getting into the story as much as I could, and appreciating as best as I could what they’re trying to convey, but it’s just one of those things that never really clicked. It remains a poster at some guy’s shop at the local flea market and not so much a memorable movie.
Still, I wouldn’t call this bad. There’s good performances, there’s some funny bits, and Carrey showing range here opened the door for further acting opportunities. The Cable Guy didn’t quite work for me, but it could be more to your liking. Worth a shot if nothing else.
