---
title: "The Cable Guy: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-cable-guy/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-cable-guy"
critics_score: 52
critics_reviews: 8
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): what the critics said

Critics' score 52 from 8 reviews: 1 positive, 5 mixed, 2 negative.

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.

## Slant Magazine — Chris Cabin

Rating 3.5/5. 18 April 2011. 

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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-cable-guy/)

## Empire — Neil Jeffries

Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/cable-guy-review/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 

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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/14/movies/film-review-trading-mischief-for-malice.html)

## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert

Fi1m's normalised score 63/100 (inferred from the text). 14 June 1996. 

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 the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-cable-guy-1996)

## Time Out — NF

Fi1m's normalised score 62/100 (inferred from the text). 

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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-cable-guy)

## Radio Times — Alan Jones

Rating 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 the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-cfvgh7/the-cable-guy/)

## Variety — Leonard Klady

Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 10 June 1996. 

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 the review](https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/the-cable-guy-2-1200446043/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 15/100 (inferred from the text). 14 June 1996. 

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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-14-ca-14754-story.html)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-cable-guy.md