The Cable Guy

Ben Stiller is a highly success in the mainstream as a comic actor with a speciality in endearing but socially-awkward "outsider" characters. As director of The Cable Guy he gives a somewhat darker interpretation to that sensibility in what is an essentially tragic story of a stalker. Jim Carrey's edgily energetic performance leaves one unsure whether the character he plays is supposed to be so odd or whether the actor has exaggerated the oddities beyond all boundaries of human behaviour whilst Matthew Broderick is perfect doing what he does best, being the straight guy.

In the familiar style of American film, the elements of social commentary on the effects of television on human affections and sanity are anything but subtle (take for instance the character who picks up a book once he loses his cable connection) and in case you've been living under a stone, that's Stiller as Sam and Stan Sweet, the twin brothers whose murder trial appears on cable periodically whilst Eric Roberts, brother to Julia, plays the Sweet brothers in an upcoming film about the murders).

With its mix of black humour and unsettling behaviour, unsurprisingly, this did not do well at the box office but if you like your humour on the dark side it should please.

FYI: One of the clips seen on Steven’s television is from one of the best-known of all stalker films – Clint Eastwood’s Play Misty For Me (1971). The film also features an early big screen appearance by Jack Black.

 

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