The Cable Guy

This was the one man.

Can you believe that? This movie above all others was the one that nearly tanked Jim Carrey's career and nearly also Ben Stiller's directing career. It's really not that bad! I really and truly wish I could have seen this as a kid just to see if I would have loved it or not, because I have seen movies where Jim is an absurd funny man but also an actor that can do other things beyond comedy. Obviously The Truman Show comes to mind, but I saw him do a romance movie with still plenty of comedy in Yes Man, so how would this have stacked up for me? Cause for a lot of people back then, they did not like it. At all. Why is Jim Carrey weird? Why is he creepy and awkward? He's not being himself on camera. And on one hand I can see why they thought that, his catalogue of films were very similar in tone and this pushed it somewhere far out and weird, but on the other hand and this is the bad part folks, human beings are creatures of habit and we don't like things that are different. To see Jim Carrey play a cable guy that stalks/befriends a client played by Matthew Broderick, and just be a socially awkward, over the top, and kinda weird dude (which to be perfectly honest ain't much different from his other roles) threw people off. Now I personally very much enjoy this film, and I don't think I have ever said this in a review before but this movie, for lack of a better term, was ahead of it's time. How many people do you know nowadays that are like Jim Carrey in this movie? The person who is socially weird, is obsessed with old TV shows, has an odd sense of humor that only he gets, and is generally an absurd personality. Now think about how many people you knew who were like that either when you were a kid or living in the 80s or 90s. To be fair, Jim Carrey is a riot in this movie for me, I was laughing a lot and I'm not sure what this says about me as a person but I identify with this guy. I was babysitted by television, I do quote countless shows and movies just on a whim, I am a bit socially awkward granted not to this extent, but I really understood what character the writer and director was going for and watched Jim bring it to life. Matthew Broderick is a good lead, I'm always happy to see Leslie Mann in friggin' anything because that woman is an absolute treasure, Jack Black has a kinda fun role, and the supporting cast through different scenes do good work. The comedy was on a roll for me, I probably laughed more at this movie than any others this week! Hell the movie was ahead of it's time by flat out calling how the future was going to be, usually in movies or shows when people talk about or show the future they are way off, not this movie! Jim has a bit of dialogue where he talks about how television, computers, and phones will work hand in hand with the ability to watch two things at the same time, that you can do your shopping at home, and you can play Mortal Kombat with a friend halfway across the world. Damn. If that ain't serendipitous, I don't know what is. Honestly if this movie got a modern retelling, it probably would get recieved well and have a good run in theaters and on video. Jim Carrey is a versatile actor and not just in a comedy sense, which is what really aggravates the living daylights out of me because people just wanted the same shit. They wanted more dumb fun, goofy, wild haired comedy and wasn't willing to see an actor try something similar but different, cause God forbid an actor wants to break from a certain role and do something totally different and show they have further and better acting talents. Now you may be saying "Well Dude why are you so upset in this instance?", well because Jim's other movies worked! Truman Show was funny but could pull off strong drama with good characters and a great setup and got almost glowing reviews and audiences loved it, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind was way darker than this and won an Academy Award and is regarded as some of his best work. So I urge and beg people to watch this movie again and re-evaluate it, which is why I said I wish I watched it when I was younger. Would I have had the same reaction? Would it have scared me when I see Jim Carrey with glowing green eyes (Probably yes, but let's not dwell on that.)? Would I have adored it just as much as The Mask and Ace Ventura? I'll never know. But damn it, I think this is a really good movie, 4 stars, 8/10! It is well worth the time and money and I seriously hope it gets a bigger cult following and more appreciation.