The Cable Guy

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2:21

The Cable Guy

PG-13

1996

1h 31m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

56%

Tomatometer

82 Reviews

51%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Oddball cable installer Chip Douglas (Jim Carrey) attempts to strike up a friendship with customer Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick) by offering him premium channels at no cost. When Steven rebuffs Chip's frequent need for companionship, Chip goes from a mildly eccentric acquaintance to a full-fledged psycho stalker. Though it's increasingly apparent to Steven that the cable guy is dangerous, convincing his friends, family and the authorities of that is another matter entirely.

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Critics Consensus

The Cable Guy's dark flashes of thought-provoking, subversive wit are often -- but not always -- enough to counter its frustratingly uneven storytelling approach.

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Patrick Z. McGavin

Chicago Reader

...on the whole The Cable Guy is about as subversive a mainstream comedy as you’ll find...

Rated: 2/4

Jun 14, 2022

Full Review

Dave Kehr

New York Daily News

The Cable Guy is a gutsy move on Carrey's part, suggesting a willingness to grow just where commercial good sense would say to stand pat.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 11, 2019

Full Review

Ryan Gilbey

Independent (UK)

It barely matters that The Cable Guy fails [to satirize TV], because it is crammed with other pleasures, not least Carrey, who lets us glimpse the human being behind the sociopath.

Dec 12, 2018

Full Review

Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

This is so crazy and nutty but it makes me laugh so much. Jim Carrey's out of his mind in this.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 23, 2025

Full Review

Brandon Collins

Medium Popcorn

I had a lot fun rewatching this. Jim Carrey's so insane but it's darkly hilarious. I wish we could've seen what Stiller would have done with the role, but I still laugh constantly when this is on.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 23, 2025

Full Review

Sheila Reid

Women in the Life

You'll be surprised when you find yourself laughing out loud.

May 31, 2022

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K W

A dark twisted tale that makes you laugh all along the way

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/12/25

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Dylan R

Jim Carrey’s hidden masterpiece. The weird dark movie everyone either loved or hated that’s why it’s so good. Haven’t laughed this hard in a movie in so long thank you Ben Stiller!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/25

Full Review

Jen W

My favourite Jim Carrey film by far. Along with wit, it' s a poignant masterpiece

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/18/25

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Julian S

THE CABLE GUY marks a bold shift for Carrey, transitioning from broad comedy to a chilling, isolated character. Yet, it’s not Carrey’s performance that leaves fans puzzled, but Stiller’s direction, which gets lost in its muddled intent.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/29/25

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Kevin P

A weird, funny dark comedy about how a normal person would react to one of Jim Carrey’s crazy characters. It’s surprisingly ahead of its time with its commentary on the future of media consumption and entitled stalker complexes. I’m not a huge Matthew Broderick fan, but he was the perfect straight-man for Jim Carrey’s creepy scene chewing. Not for everyone, but it was a pleasant surprise for me.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/24/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Seems like many people are put off by Jim Carry's sociopathic acting in this movie but I think he pulls off the character perfectly. To me Jim Carry grows as an actor in this movie, before this he always played the lovable clown. His on screen chemistry with Matthew Broderick is wonderful and I recommend this movie to anyone who can enjoy a truly dark comedy.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/22/25

Full Review

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Ben Stiller

Director

Jim Carrey

Cable Guy

Matthew Broderick

Steven M. Kovacs

Leslie Mann

Robin Harris

Jack Black

Rick

George Segal

Steven's Father

The Cable Guy: Official Clip - Cable Nightmare

2:12

The Cable Guy: Official Clip - Prison Visit

2:06

The Cable Guy: Official Clip - Satellite Fight

1:11

The Cable Guy: Official Clip - Porno Password

2:01

The Cable Guy: Official Clip - Cable Install Time

2:10

The Cable Guy: Official Clip - Welcome to Medieval Times

2:13

The Cable Guy: Official Clip - Roundball Warm-Up

0:58

The Cable Guy: Official Clip - Illegal Cable

1:01

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The Cable Guy: Trailer 1

2:21

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Synopsis

Oddball cable installer Chip Douglas (Jim Carrey) attempts to strike up a friendship with customer Steven Kovacs (Matthew Broderick) by offering him premium channels at no cost. When Steven rebuffs Chip's frequent need for companionship, Chip goes from a mildly eccentric acquaintance to a full-fledged psycho stalker. Though it's increasingly apparent to Steven that the cable guy is dangerous, convincing his friends, family and the authorities of that is another matter entirely.

Director: Ben Stiller
Producer: Andrew Licht, Jeffrey A. Mueller, Judd Apatow
Screenwriter: Lou Holtz Jr.
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $60.2M
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Surround

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