[Screen It]

 

"THE CABLE GUY"
(1996) (Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick) (PG-13)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Moderate Minor Moderate Mild Mild
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Moderate None Mild *Minor Mild
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Heavy Minor Minor Mild Moderate


QUICK TAKE:
Comedy: A man befriends a wacky cable TV installer and soon learns that he's his worst enemy.
PLOT:
Steven Kovacs (MATTHEW BRODERICK) has been kicked out by his girlfriend Robin (LESLIE MANN) and has moved into his own place. The Cable guy, "Chip Douglas" (JIM CARREY), arrives, installs the cable and latches onto Steven, who befriends the installer out of pity. Soon the Cable guy becomes a nuisance as he literally smothers Steven who eventually tries to get rid of him. Once he does that, however, things go from bad to worse as the Cable guy decides to make Steven slowly suffer for ending their "friendship."
WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Yes, especially those who love Carrey's previous films.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For dark thematic elements and crude humor.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • MATTHEW BRODERICK plays a character with several flaws. He has a one night stand, he bribes the installer to get free movie channels, and he lets things get out of control with the Cable guy. Other than that, he's a relatively normal character.
  • JIM CARREY plays a character who turns friendship into obsessive stalking, lies about everything, gives stolen property as gifts and uses violence as means to an end. He's a bad role model.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • A woman on a TV program states, "You were drinking and you thought you were making love to me."
  • The Cable guy jokingly tells Steven as they sit in the cable van, "I've had a few drinks. You might want to buckle up."
  • Steven and Robin drink wine.
  • A flashback scene shows the Cable guy's mother leaving to go to happy hour.
  • The Cable guy orders ale for Steven and himself at a restaurant.
  • At a party Steven, the Cable guy and others drink beer. Others are seen with mixed drinks and a woman asks Steven for tequila.
  • Steven and Robin drink wine during dinner.
  • At a family dinner, everyone drinks wine.
  • Steven's father asks him, "...are you taking ‘the pot?'"
  • Steven's father drinks a beer.
  • Steven (trying to prevent the Cable guy from jumping off the satellite dish) says, "Let's all go out together and have a Heineken."
  • BLOOD/ GORE
  • The Cable guy has a bloody lip after Steven slugs him.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • Steven's friend tells him that if he slips the cable guy fifty bucks, he'll get all of the movie channels free, and Steven finally does just that.
  • Referring to someone else Steven says, "He's an utterly useless person, and I think I hate him."
  • A flashback scene shows the Cable guy's mother leaving her son to be raised by watching TV.
  • Steven sleeps with another woman at a party (although earlier he stated he was still in love with his girlfriend even though she kicked him out).
  • The Cable guy tells Steven, "I can be your best friend or your worst enemy."
  • Early on the Cable guy gives Steven the gift of an entertainment system. Later it's found out the stuff is "hot" and Steven ends up going to jail because of it.
  • FRIGHTENING/TENSE SCENES
  • Steven has a weird dream where he's walking through a parking garage and all of the car alarm's start going off and the headlights flash on and off. When he wakes up, the Cable guy, looking very demonic with glowing green eyes, breaks into Steven's place and chases him around.
  • There is a final fight scene between Steven and the Cable guy on top of a huge satellite dish during a thunderstorm that younger kids might find intense.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Medieval weapons (swords, ball and chain, battle ax, etc...): Used by the Cable guy and Steven to battle each other in a medieval themed restaurant.
  • Shotgun: Used in a commercial for a made for TV movie about a twin hunting down his brother and firing the shotgun.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "Sucks the big one," "Screw it up," "Jerk off," "Wench," "Bastard," "I was just taking a whiz," "No sweat off my sac," and "I'm just jerking your chain."
  • Carrey makes weird sounds and faces throughout the film, and although they aren't overtly offensive, they will be irritating if continually imitated.
  • Kids may imitate the sword play that occurs during a competition at a Medieval themed restaurant.
  • The Cable guy places fried chicken skin on his face and imitates a scene from "The Silence of the Lambs."
  • Carrey does his trademark pelvic thrusting while singing along with a Karoke video.
  • Despondent, the Cable guy jumps to his "death" from the satellite dish. Everyone thinks he's dead for quite a while, but it turns out he survived the long fall and is taken off in an ambulance.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • Just some mild stuff during the dream and chase scenes and at the end of the movie.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • The Cable guy performs the Jefferson Airplane song (from the 1960's) "Don't you Want Somebody to Love?" which may or may not be objectionable to some.
  • PROFANITY
  • 2 "s" words, 7 "ass" words, 3 damns, 2 SOB's, 1 hell and 2 uses of "Jesus," and 1 use each of "God damn," and "Oh God," as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • Some "channel surfing" shows TV programs discussing: A husband stating that if his wife doesn't want to have sex, he'll find someone else, and a woman states "You were drinking and you thought you were making love to me."
  • Steven's girlfriend has kicked him out of her place which implies that they were living together.
  • As the Cable guy looks for a place to drill through the wall to install the cable wire, he spouts innuendo laced dialogue which includes but isn't limited to: "Is this what you want? Talk to me -- is this what you need? Is this the spot?"
  • A scene from "Sleepless in Seattle" shows the little boy telling his father about women always screaming and scratching guys' backs during sex.
  • A waitress states that she's the guys' "wench."
  • The phrase "Sucks the big one" is used.
  • The Cable guy states that "Knights get laid all of the time," and later refers to a sound system that would "...make George Lucas ‘cream' in his pants."
  • A karoke video shows women dancing around in skimpy bikinis.
  • The Cable guy says, (when referring to pursuing a woman at a party) "He who hesitates, masturbates."
  • Steven ends up sleeping with the above woman (she's seen kissing his neck and then crawling on top of him, but no nudity is seen). The next morning he discovers that the woman was a prostitute paid for by the Cable guy (who states that she was clean as he had checked her out earlier that week).
  • The Cable guy tells Steven that free cable is an aphrodisiac.
  • While meeting with Steven in jail (see "Disrespectful Attitude" for details), the Cable guy opens his shirt, presses his nipple up to the glass and passionately moans, "Oh Billy." This feigned gay action causes another prisoner to look over to Steven and blow him a kiss.
  • The Cable guy gets Robin, and Steven's family, to play "Porno Password," a lewd version of the TV game show. Words and phrases used include vagina, nipple, tit, penis, schlong and erection (the last to which the Cable guy responds, "No, but thanks for noticing").
  • The Cable guy says that he's seen Robin's birthmark and that is was luscious (implying that he's seen more).
  • SMOKING
  • A flashback scene shows the Cable guy's mother smoking a cigarette.
  • A cop smokes cigarettes at a party.
  • A man smokes a cigarette.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • Steven and the cable guy talk about how their fathers were absent during their childhood, and Steven says that although his father was there, he might as well not have been.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • A TV talk show guest makes the comment, "There's something I want to tell him. I'm really a man."
  • What prostitutes are (Steven unknowingly sleeps with one).
  • While meeting with Steven in jail (see "Disrespectful Attitude" for details), the Cable guy opens his shirt, presses his nipple up to the glass and passionately moans, "Oh Billy." This feigned gay action causes another prisoner to look over to Steven and blow him a kiss.
  • The Cable guy's actions and whether TV viewing will cause someone to grow up like him.
  • VIOLENCE
  • There are continuing references on TV to the story of a twin killing his brother including: a person saying, "I hope they fry the bastard"; a 911 recording where the brother frantically states that his brother's been shot; and a commercial for a made for TV movie where one brother stalks the other with a shotgun and we hear it fired.
  • The Cable guy plays basketball with Steven and is rough with the other players on the court. He then violently dunks the basketball and shatters the glass backboard.
  • There is brief TV footage of World War II combat.
  • The Cable guy takes Steven to a medieval themed restaurant where they then fight each other with swords and other medieval weapons. Steven merely tries to defend himself while the Cable guy appears to want to inflict harm upon Steven (such as when he slices open Steven's shirt, barely missing his body).
  • The Cable guy (upset that Robin is on a date with somebody other than Steven) ambushes the date in the restroom. He dunks his head in the toilet, twists his arm behind his back and throws him to the floor. There he pulls out his eyebrows, throws him into the wall, punches him in the back, knees him in the stomach and finally stuffs the guy's mouth on the hand dryer nozzle and turns it on.
  • Steven tells the Cable guy that if he goes near Robin he'll kill him.
  • Steven slugs the Cable guy in the face after he implies that he's seen quite a bit of Robin.
  • The Cable guy repeatedly tries to break down Steven's door and when he finally does he chases Steven around his apartment.
  • There is a final fight scene between Steven and the Cable guy on top of a huge satellite dish during a thunderstorm. The dish has filled with rain water and the Cable guy tries to drown Steven. Steven breaks free and punches the Cable guy several times in the face. The Cable guy then head butts Steven. All the while, Robin dangles from a rope above them, tied there by the Cable guy. Later, he holds a staple gun to Robin's head to ward off Steven's advances.
  • Despondent, the Cable guy jumps to his "death" from the satellite dish. Everyone thinks he's dead for quite a while, but it turns out he survived the long fall and is taken off in an ambulance.



  • Reviewed June 14, 1996

    Other new and recent reviews include:

    [Around the World in 80 Days] [Family Camp] [Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness]

    Privacy Statement and Terms of Use and Disclaimer
    By entering this site you acknowledge to having read and agreed to the above conditions.

    All Rights Reserved,
    ©1996-2022 Screen It, Inc.