Cable Guy, The: 30th Anniversary (4K UHD Review)
Director
Ben StillerRelease Date(s)
1996 (October 20, 2026)Studio(s)
Licht/Mueller Film Corporation/Columbia Pictures (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: C+
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B-
Review
The Cable Guy was definitely a left turn in the career of Jim Carrey when it was released in the summer of 1996, with Sony Pictures hoping for another Carrey-style blockbuster, but getting something entirely different. While he gives one of his usual over-the-top comedic performances, it’s for a much darker character and comedic situation than he had been taking part in up to this point. His portrayal of The Riddler in Batman Forever comes the closest to that beforehand, but most audiences were accustomed to his likeable and bombastically comedic characters in the Ace Ventura films, The Mask, and Dumb & Dumber. The Cable Guy was something almost antithetical to all of that, and although it was mildly successful, based solely upon Jim Carrey’s box office draw at the time, it wasn’t as well received or enjoyed as much by audiences.
Steven (Matthew Broderick) has recently broken up with his girlfriend Robin (Leslie Mann) after she rejects his marriage proposal. He moves into a new apartment and the man who has come install the cable, Chip (Jim Carrey), quickly befriends Steven, but at Steven’s complete reluctance since Chip is clearly an odd person. Over time they become friends, with Chip revealing that television was his babysitter and a way of escaping from his home problems. He becomes obsessed with earning Steven’s friendship and stalks him relentlessly, trying to insert himself into his life with family, his other friends, and his relationship with Robin. Steven tries to distance himself, which backfires and sends Chip into a downward spiral of petty revenge tactics, with Steven beginning to fear for his own safety, as well as Robin’s. Also appearing are Jack Black, George Segal, Diane Baker, Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick, Harry O’Reilly, David Cross, Owen Wilson, Kathy Griffin, Paul Greco, Charles Napier, Bob Odenkirk, Annabelle Gurwitch, Julie Hayden, and Blake Boyd.
Right off the bat, The Cable Guy sounds like a setup for a psychological thriller. In some ways, it is, but in the broadest terms since it’s mostly a vehicle for Jim Carrey’s comedic antics. Matthew Broderick is a complete flatline comparatively, coming across more as third or even fourth banana, but definitely not second. Even Jack Black, who doesn’t appear often, makes more of an impact and probably would have been a better fit for the role. Nevertheless, with Ben Stiller in the director’s chair, you get a cavalcade of 90s comedians and comediennes, as well as some respectable actors, all in minor roles. The film’s biggest and most memorable set piece is when Chip and Steven dine at a medieval-themed restaurant, whereupon they joust with each other as the music from the Amok Time episode of the original Star Trek plays in the background.
The Cable Guy also has some severe tonal swings that don’t jibe with Jim Carrey’s brand of comedy, never mind some of the character and plot inconsistencies. One of the issues with the film is the relationship between Steven and Robin, which comes across more as background fodder than something we’re meant to take seriously. We meet them at a time when they’ve separated from each other, but Steven stills pines for her, which is why it’s unsettling when he has sex with a total stranger, who turns out to be a prostitute hired by Chip for his benefit. Steven’s unaware of this at the time, of course, but it doesn’t matter. After that point, you have zero sympathy for his character since he apparently wants to have his cake and eat it too. Chip is also more of a caricature than an actual character by the end of the film. After his ordeal with Steven, you get the sense that he’s changed and will finally get the help that he needs, but it’s immediately washed away when he “befriends” someone else, smiling devilishly in a “here we go again” kind of way. It’s meant as a button, but it totally deflates the arc of his character.
On the positive side, The Cable Guy is a good-looking movie with a lot of creative ideas and fun visuals, including a nightmare sequence in which a neon green-eyed Chip chases Steven into his apartment. It’s tonally weird, but it’s interesting to look at, which is important. Producer Judd Apatow, who had also worked on The Ben Stiller Show, would go on to become a comedic powerhouse with the release of The 40-Year-Old Virgin in 2005, while Stiller would continue to find success as an actor and director on There’s Something About Mary, Zoolander, and the Meet the Parents franchise. Jim Carrey, meanwhile, would transform himself into a respected actor with The Truman Show and Man on the Moon, while occasionally still making absurd comedies. However, it’s fair to say that, as problematic as The Cable Guy is, it was a nexus of careers for some of Hollywood’s biggest talents, even if nobody realized it at the time.
Cinematographer Robert Brinkmann (Encino Man, The Beverly Hillbillies) shot The Cable Guy on 35mm film in the Super 35 “common top” format on Eastman EXR 100T 5248 and EXR 500T 5298 stocks, with Arriflex 535 and Moviecam Compact cameras and Zeiss Standard Speed lenses. The results were finished photochemically and framed theatrically at the aspect ratio of 2.40:1. For its 30th Anniversary, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment debuts the film on Ultra HD with a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded to a triple-layered BD-100 disc. This is a film that’s been in need of a decent upgrade visually, and this UHD presentation doesn’t disappoint with a sharper and more film-like appearance. Bitrates sit in 70 to 90Mbps territory most of the time with medium grain that resolves well, without any compression issues or other problems. Most sections of the film are somewhat muted, but the HDR really lends itself to improving the contrast with deep blacks and nuanced shadows, but also boosting key areas where saturation is more muscular. The image is clean and stable from beginning to end, making for strong upgrade.
Audio is included in English Dolby Atmos (7.1 Dolby TrueHD compatible) and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English and English SDH. The new Atmos track certainly spruces up some moments from the original multi-channel experience, which has also been included, adding some width and height while maintaining the original mix. Dialogue is fully discernible while the other elements, including John Ottman’s score, are given careful steering and placement around the room. This is also one of those 90s soundtracks with an eclectic selection of mainstream music, including Jerry Cantrell, Silverchair, Cracker, Porno for Pyros, Cypress Hill, Filter, and Toadies. The soundtrack’s biggest hits were Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand by Primitive Radio Gods and Jim Carrey’s rendition of Somebody to Love as seen in the film, both of which received their fair share of airplay on MTV. Additional audio options include French, German, Italian, and Spanish 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as Korean 5.1 Dolby Digital. Additional subtitles include Arabic, Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese (European), Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin American), Thai, and Turkish.
The Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 30th Anniversary 4K Ultra HD release of The Cable Guy sits in Steelbook packaging alongside a Digital Code on paper insert tucked inside. The following extras are included:
- Tribeca Film Festival 30th Anniversary Conversation with Ben Stiller and Matthew Broderick (HD – 26:07)
- Gag Reel (SD – 6:29)
- Deleted & Extended Scenes (SD – 23:57):
- Robin Turns Steven Down (SD – 1:42)
- Chip & Robin Lunch (SD – 3:07)
- Sam Sweet (SD – :53)
- Dinner (SD – 4:05)
- Steven & Robin After Dinner (SD – 1:33)
- The Terminator (SD – 2:01)
- My Three Sons (SD – :59)
- Nightmare – Alternate (SD – 2:20)
- Ending Part 1 – Alternate (SD – 7:48)
- Audio Commentary with Ben Stiller, Judd Apatow, and Jim Carrey
- HBO First Look: The Making of The Cable Guy (SD – 24:14)
- Rehearsals (SD – 17:11):
- Basketball (SD – 3:37)
- Medieval Times (SD – 3:55)
- Breakfast (SD – 4:32)
- Ending Mud Fight (SD – 2:49)
- Karaoke Alt. – Bust a Move (SD – 2:41)
- Nightmare Camera Test (SD – 1:14)
- Leslie Mann Audition (SD – 2:59)
- Leave Me Alone Music Video (SD – 4:34)
- Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:28)
New to this release is a post-screening 30th Anniversary Q&A with Ben Stiller and Matthew Broderick at the Tribeca Film Festival, hosted by People magazine’s Leah Wyar, which is a fun remembrance session between the two as Wyar asks them questions before an audience. The Gag Reel is a humorous set of outtakes while the Deleted & Extended Scenes show the process of attempting to get the film’s tone right (I personally don’t think they succeeded), while also filling in some blanks and showing some alternate ideas at play. There’s also an audio commentary featuring Ben Stiller, Judd Apatow, and Jim Carrey, which is a rocky track since Jim is always on and often sidetracks the other two from trying to come up with interesting stories about the production, as funny as he is, but they do get there eventually. It’s a decent track that drops out occasionally, but has some surprisingly, and refreshingly, off the cuff material. The HBO First Look making-of special is next, as is a set of Rehearsals for five scenes, including a scrapped idea of Chip dancing to Young M.C.’s Bust-a-Move, and a camera test for the “nightmare” scene. Leslie Mann’s audition tape then follows, which is sweet since Judd Apatow is filling in for Jim Carrey off camera, and it’s actually the first time the two met before becoming husband and wife the following year. Last is the music video for Leave Me Alone by Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell and the theatrical trailer.
The only item from the 15th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray release that hasn’t carried over is the Comedy Central Canned Ham Presents: The Cable Guy special, which is likely missing in action due to rights issues. Also not included are the music videos for Chip’s karaoke rendition of Somebody to Love, Hey Man Nice Shot by Filter, Oh! Sweet Nuthin’ by $10,000 Gold Chain, and Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand by Primitive Radio Gods.
Despite my misgivings about various aspects of the movie, The Cable Guy is still a well-made, fun comedy with a lot of style. Had they nailed down the characters and tone a bit more, it would have been that much better, but as is, it’s still decent. What’s truly great is Sony’s 4K release of the film, which is absolutely terrific. If you’re a fan, you won’t be disappointed with the quality. For that alone, it comes highly recommended.
- Tim Salmons
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