--- title: "The Cable Guy" year: 1996 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-cable-guy" fi1m_id: "the-cable-guy" imdb_id: "tt0115798" tmdb_id: 9894 wikidata_id: "Q824133" fi1m_score: 66 critics_score: 52 critics_reviews: 8 published: "2026-10-03T08:04:01.126265+00:00" updated: "2026-10-03T08:04:01.712318+00:00" region: "NL" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Cable Guy (1996) Directed by Ben Stiller · 1h 36m · Kijkwijzer 12 · Comedy, Drama, Thriller ## Identity The Cable Guy - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-cable-guy - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** the-cable-guy - **IMDb ID:** tt0115798 - **TMDB ID:** 9894 - **Wikidata ID:** Q824133 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115798/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/9894, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q824133 **Fi1m score: 66** · Critics 52 from 8 reviews *In a sentence:* Free channels, unlimited Jim Carrey and no obvious way to cancel > Jim Carrey makes an unwanted friendship funny and uncomfortable, but Ben Stiller’s dark comedy gives its people too little substance. Worth considering for the performance, provided thin characters do not spoil the joke. ## Synopsis Steven (Matthew Broderick) is a suburbanite whose cable technician, the Cable Guy (Jim Carrey), offers him extra television channels for free. The technician is eager to help, but his interest in Steven does not stop with the television. Steven wants the channels without the constant attention, while the Cable Guy wants to be welcomed into his customer’s life. Robin (Leslie Mann) and Rick (Jack Black) are among the other people in Steven’s life. Steven has to work out how to discourage an acquaintance who treats friendliness as permission to keep coming back. ## Review Ben Stiller’s *The Cable Guy* is an uneven black comedy worth considering for Jim Carrey, whose friendliness is almost as alarming as his aggression. A cable technician offers Steven extra channels for free, then becomes far too interested in his customer. The joke depends on how difficult it can be to reject somebody who insists he is helping. The discomfort is clear enough, but the screenplay by Lou Holtz Jr. gives the people involved too little substance to sustain it. The Cable Guy’s eagerness makes ordinary courtesy feel risky. A little encouragement seems liable to be taken as a lasting commitment, and the physical comedy has the same pushy quality: he is funny without being easy company. We laughed at his eagerness, then wanted him to leave. The offer of free channels comes with so much unwanted attention that Steven’s discomfort becomes ours. Matthew Broderick is useful as Steven because he does not try to match Jim Carrey’s energy. His restraint makes the technician seem more intrusive, although it also exposes how little Lou Holtz Jr. has written beyond the situation. Leslie Mann’s Robin and Jack Black’s Rick supply more people, but not enough reason to care about the disruption. For a comedy about somebody forcing his way into another person’s life, the film takes surprisingly little interest in that life. Ben Stiller is more assured when directing the physical comedy. Robert Brinkmann’s camera gives Jim Carrey room to overdo things, and Steven Weisberg’s cuts keep the physical jokes moving. The trouble comes when another intrusion has to stand in for something new about either man. Individual passages are brisk and well handled, but at 96 minutes the film still has stretches where we are waiting for Steven to establish a boundary and for the script to move on. Sharon Seymour’s production design is effective at giving the comedy an ordinary suburban setting for the technician to disturb. John Ottman’s music contributes to the unease, though the performance scarcely needs another nudge towards menace. The film has to let the inconvenience grow without losing the comedy of an unwanted visitor, and the strain becomes increasingly apparent. When the thriller becomes more emphatic, the nuisance becomes less funny, without Steven becoming much more interesting. There is room here for a sharper comedy about television and the people who depend on it, but too much rests on Jim Carrey making the technician’s desperate need for company seem funny and alarming at the same time. The better black comedies make selfish or foolish people worth following without asking us to like them. Here, Jim Carrey provides most of that interest himself. Try it if an evening with an intrusive stranger sounds more promising than a comfortable comedy. *Fi1m score 66, published 3 October 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews lean mixed, with praise clustering around Jim Carrey’s unsettling performance and the risks of taking his comedy into darker territory. The more receptive critics find humour in the cable technician’s obsessive behaviour, even when it becomes uncomfortable. Empire also praises Matthew Broderick, while Radio Times sees the film as both funny and sobering. There is less agreement that the writing gives the performances enough support, and two inaccessible reviews limit what can be said about the full set of responses. The spread is wide. Slant Magazine offers the strongest support, finding the dark comedy prophetic and praising Ben Stiller’s handling of physical humour. Empire’s reservation is that the ending retreats from the film’s convictions. Variety finds the screenplay thin and the characters difficult to care about. The Los Angeles Times is harsher still, judging the film increasingly sour and unfunny, though it singles out Stiller’s murder-trial parody for praise. ## Straight answers **Is The Cable Guy worth watching?** *The Cable Guy* is worth considering for Jim Carrey’s funny, alarming performance, but its thin characters and repetitive intrusions limit our score to 66. We recommend it chiefly to viewers who enjoy uncomfortable black comedy; anyone hoping for an easy laugh may find the unwanted friendship more wearing than entertaining. **How long is The Cable Guy, and what is it rated?** *The Cable Guy* runs 1h 36m and is rated 12 by the Kijkwijzer in the Netherlands. It is a comedy and drama film. **Where can I watch The Cable Guy in the Netherlands?** *The Cable Guy* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from €3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is The Cable Guy, and is it suitable for children?** *The Cable Guy* carries a UK 12 certificate, and its intrusive friendship, aggression and growing thriller menace make it an uncomfortable comedy rather than a reassuring choice for younger children. We find Carrey’s pushy physical comedy funny and alarming; the age guidance is the clearest basis for judging suitability, rather than any promise of mild violence or scares. **How does The Cable Guy compare to The King of Comedy?** *The Cable Guy* is the less convincing choice beside [*The King of Comedy*](https://film.one/film/the-king-of-comedy), which we recommend more firmly for its painfully funny treatment of unwanted attention. Both involve someone mistaking persistence for intimacy, but Carrey’s pushy physical comedy carries too much of the thinner film; De Niro and Lewis offer a sourer alternative, with repeated humiliations that can also become wearing. **What should I watch after The Cable Guy?** After *The Cable Guy*, try [*The King of Comedy*](https://film.one/film/the-king-of-comedy) (1982, Fi1m 88): Another unwanted admirer mistakes persistence for intimacy, with painfully funny results. Then [*The Servant*](https://film.one/film/the-servant) (1963, Fi1m 89): A household arrangement becomes a struggle over who gets to control it; and [*Withnail and I*](https://film.one/film/withnail-and-i) (1987, Fi1m 88): Another exhausting companion makes ordinary life difficult, though the jokes are gentler. ### Reviews we read (8) - **Slant Magazine**, Chris Cabin (3.5/5): Cabin argues that the film’s once-unpopular dark comedy now feels prophetic and ranks it as Stiller’s best directorial work. He especially praises Carrey’s daring performance and Stiller’s deft handling of the physical comedy. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-cable-guy/) - **Empire**, Neil Jeffries (65/100, inferred): The review finds the film an interesting, worthwhile departure for Jim Carrey, though its dark comedy can become uncomfortable and the ending backs away from its convictions. It singles out Carrey’s manic performance and obsessive details, along with Matthew Broderick’s performance, for praise. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/cable-guy-review/) - **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The page was inaccessible, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. The headline suggests a contrast between playful mischief and malice, but the review’s specific praise or complaint is unavailable. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/14/movies/film-review-trading-mischief-for-malice.html) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (63/100, inferred): The article text was unavailable, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. The page’s review URL identifies the 1996 film, but provides no accessible review content. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-cable-guy-1996) - **Time Out**, NF (62/100, inferred): The available description characterizes the film as a twisted, often nasty black comedy. It describes the cable guy’s over-eager offer to get a suburbanite extra channels for free. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-cable-guy) - **Radio Times**, Alan Jones (3/5): Jones finds the film a hilarious yet sobering dark satire, driven by Jim Carrey’s unsettling performance. He singles out Carrey’s shift from friendly cable technician to invasive stalker as the source of both comedy and unease. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-cfvgh7/the-cable-guy/) - **Variety**, Leonard Klady (20/100, inferred): Klady finds the film disconnected and ultimately unsatisfying. He faults its thin screenplay and says the characters fail to provide a compelling reason to care. [Read](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/the-cable-guy-2-1200446043/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (15/100, inferred): Turan finds the film a misguided, incoherent miscalculation that becomes increasingly sour and unfunny. He singles out Ben Stiller’s parody of high-profile murder-trial coverage as its funniest moment. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-14-ca-14754-story.html) ## Details - **Director:** Ben Stiller - **Director:** Ben Stiller - **Screenplay:** Lou Holtz Jr. - **Cinematography:** Robert Brinkmann - **Editor:** Steven Weisberg - **Music:** John Ottman - **Production design:** Sharon Seymour - **Costume design:** Erica Edell Phillips - **Producer:** Judd Apatow, Andrew Licht, Jeffrey A. Mueller - **Cast:** Jim Carrey as Cable Guy; Matthew Broderick as Steven; Leslie Mann as Robin; Jack Black as Rick; George Segal as Steven's Father; Diane Baker as Steven's Mother; Ben Stiller as Sam Sweet; Eric Roberts as Eric Roberts - **Runtime:** 1h 36m - **Certificate (Kijkwijzer):** 12 - **Release (the Netherlands):** 14 November 1996 - **Genres:** Comedy, Drama, Thriller - **Budget:** $47 million - **Box office:** $103 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhhI_qYOacw ## Where to watch in the Netherlands - Amazon Prime Video: rent €3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy €7.99, hd *Checked 2026-10-03.* Also available in: AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CL, CO, DE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HR, IE, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NZ, PL, PT, RS, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance 1997: MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance (won) - MTV Movie Award for Best Fight 1997: MTV Movie Award for Best Fight (nominated) - MTV Movie Award for Best Villain 1997: MTV Movie Award for Best Villain (won) ## If you liked this - *The King of Comedy* (1982), Fi1m 88: Another unwanted admirer mistakes persistence for intimacy, with painfully funny results. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-king-of-comedy.md) - *The Servant* (1963), Fi1m 89: A household arrangement becomes a struggle over who gets to control it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-servant.md) - *The Dinner Game* (1998): French farce in which an unwelcome guest makes social cruelty painfully inconvenient. - *Ingrid Goes West* (2017): Obsessive friendship meets social media, with affection and manipulation difficult to separate. - *Withnail and I* (1987), Fi1m 88: Another exhausting companion makes ordinary life difficult, though the jokes are gentler. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/withnail-and-i.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-cable-guy