The Cable Guy: Critic Reviews

Though this should have been an opportunity for Mr. Carrey to expand upon his runaway success and solidify long-term stardom, The Cable Guy instead offers the shocking sight of a volatile comic talent in free fall.

Ben Stiller can't distill the darkness, slapstick and fantasy into a consistent directorial tone, but the leads' expert give-and-take make the movie far from unbearable.

As it is, themovie goes in one direction and the cable guy goes in another, and by the end we aren't really looking forward to seeing Jim Carrey reappear on the screen.

It's a fairly interesting effort -- much more ambitious than most Carrey vehicles.

While some of its antic set pieces are genuinely funny, this fuzzy-focus outing is hopelessly disconnected and ultimately unsatisfying.

Stiller doesn't know where he wants the movie to go, and Broderick has nothing to do but look incredulous as Carrey wreaks havoc on his personal life.

Basically, it's not a whole lot of fun. There's no one to identify with -- Carrey's Cable Guy is a stalker, and Matthew Broderick's Steven is bland to the point of near-invisibility.

Aiming, perhaps, for a neat double helix of black humor and prankishness, they've ended up with a pretty ugly granny knot.

Carrey runs riot, and Stiller won't stop him.

A misguided attempt to extend [Carrey's] range by having him play someone who is demented and dangerous.

A twisted comedy about TV addiction. Teens OK.

One of the most underrated comedies of all time.

The writer and director can't keep pace with the dark places Carrey takes the script.

The Cable Guy is certainly a cautionary tale, but not about the dangers of TV.

As a follow up to hits Ace Ventura and The Mask, this black comedy curio bewildered Carrey's fans and failed at the box office. But its nervy sheen and strung-out comedy set pieces work well.

In all, about a third of the film (most of it contained in three extended sequences) is audaciously funny and genuinely disturbing. The rest will sorely test the devotion of Carrey's fans.

an underrated flick

Consistently funny (in an intensely uncomfortable way).

Stiller's film ranks as an honourable failure.

A misunderstood and misdirected movie.

The film brilliantly constructs awkward situations that neither character can find ways to get out of and deftly plays with the bizarre nature of human relationships. What makes two people click, and what happens when only one clicks?

A hilarious black comedy that proved too dark and too smart for its star's fan base.