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The Cable Guy
The Cable Guy is a 1996 American black comedy film directed by Ben Stiller and written by Lou Holtz Jr. It stars Jim Carrey as an eccentric cable installer who intrudes on the life of a customer (Matthew Broderick). Leslie Mann, George Segal, Diane Baker and Jack Black appear in supporting roles. It was released in the United States on June 14, 1996. The film was a box office success, grossing over $100 million, though not to the extent of many of Carrey's previous films. It received mixed reviews from critics, but attained a cult following.
After a failed marriage proposal to his girlfriend, Robin Harris, architect Steven Kovacs moves into an apartment. Following his friend Rick's advice, Steven bribes cable installer Chip Douglas to get free movie channels. Chip makes Steven one of his preferred customers and, in return for his services, asks if he can see Steven socially, which Steven begrudgingly agrees to.
On a visit to the city's central satellite dish, Chip confides to Steven that when he was young, his father was absent and his mother used television as a "babysitter". Chip starts to intrude more and more on Steven's life, alienating him from his friends. He begins leaving multiple messages on Steven's answering machine and installs an expensive home theater system as a gift, which Steven rejects.
Steven allows Chip to host a party for his preferred customers at his apartment. During the party, Steven has sex with a woman who turns out to be a prostitute hired by Chip. Learning this, Steven angrily ejects Chip from his apartment. To make amends, Chip tracks down and beats up Robin's date and warns him to stay away, then upgrades her cable, ostensibly as a gift from Steven. Robin gets back together with Steven as a result. However, when Steven finds out Chip's hand in their reunion, he politely ends his friendship with Chip.
Devastated, Chip sets out on a series of vengeful acts. He has Steven arrested for possession of stolen property, embarrasses him at a family gathering, and has him fired by transmitting a recording in which Steven insults his boss onto the company's computers. Chip also reveals that his name is Larry Tate. Rick investigates the name and finds that he was fired from the cable company for using fake names and stalking customers. Steven receives a phone call from the Tate, who tells him he is paying Robin a visit, making Steven rush to Robin's apartment. Finding it empty, Steven calls the police and tells them to hurry to where Tate has taken her: the central satellite dish.
Arriving at the satellite dish first, Steven rescues Robin from the Tate, who, as the police arrive, climbs to the top of the dish proclaiming that he must "kill the babysitter" to prevent others from becoming like him. He falls into the dish and cuts the television signal to the entire city, but survives. He apologizes to Steven for being a bad friend; Steven forgives him and asks for his real name, which he says is Ricky Ricardo. As he is airlifted away, one of the paramedics addresses him as "buddy"; when he asks if that's true and the paramedic confirms it, Ricky smiles deviously, thinking he has found a new "friend".
First-time screenwriter Lou Holtz Jr. conceived The Cable Guy while working as a prosecutor in Los Angeles, declaring that he once saw a cable company employee in the hallway of his mother's apartment building and started thinking, "What's he doing here so late?" The screenplay became the subject of a bidding war, won by Columbia Pictures at a price of $750,000, plus a $250,000 additional bonus if the movie got made. The role of the Cable Guy was originally sold with Chris Farley attached to star, but he later dropped out due to scheduling difficulties. Adam Sandler was also considered.
Jim Carrey received $20 million, then a record amount, to star. Following Carrey's signing, Columbia Pictures hired Judd Apatow to produce. Columbia rebuffed Apatow's interest in directing, but accepted his suggestion to invite Ben Stiller on whose Ben Stiller Show Apatow had worked. Stiller was considered to play the Steven Kovacs character before it was offered to Matthew Broderick.
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The Cable Guy
The Cable Guy is a 1996 American black comedy film directed by Ben Stiller and written by Lou Holtz Jr. It stars Jim Carrey as an eccentric cable installer who intrudes on the life of a customer (Matthew Broderick). Leslie Mann, George Segal, Diane Baker and Jack Black appear in supporting roles. It was released in the United States on June 14, 1996. The film was a box office success, grossing over $100 million, though not to the extent of many of Carrey's previous films. It received mixed reviews from critics, but attained a cult following.
After a failed marriage proposal to his girlfriend, Robin Harris, architect Steven Kovacs moves into an apartment. Following his friend Rick's advice, Steven bribes cable installer Chip Douglas to get free movie channels. Chip makes Steven one of his preferred customers and, in return for his services, asks if he can see Steven socially, which Steven begrudgingly agrees to.
On a visit to the city's central satellite dish, Chip confides to Steven that when he was young, his father was absent and his mother used television as a "babysitter". Chip starts to intrude more and more on Steven's life, alienating him from his friends. He begins leaving multiple messages on Steven's answering machine and installs an expensive home theater system as a gift, which Steven rejects.
Steven allows Chip to host a party for his preferred customers at his apartment. During the party, Steven has sex with a woman who turns out to be a prostitute hired by Chip. Learning this, Steven angrily ejects Chip from his apartment. To make amends, Chip tracks down and beats up Robin's date and warns him to stay away, then upgrades her cable, ostensibly as a gift from Steven. Robin gets back together with Steven as a result. However, when Steven finds out Chip's hand in their reunion, he politely ends his friendship with Chip.
Devastated, Chip sets out on a series of vengeful acts. He has Steven arrested for possession of stolen property, embarrasses him at a family gathering, and has him fired by transmitting a recording in which Steven insults his boss onto the company's computers. Chip also reveals that his name is Larry Tate. Rick investigates the name and finds that he was fired from the cable company for using fake names and stalking customers. Steven receives a phone call from the Tate, who tells him he is paying Robin a visit, making Steven rush to Robin's apartment. Finding it empty, Steven calls the police and tells them to hurry to where Tate has taken her: the central satellite dish.
Arriving at the satellite dish first, Steven rescues Robin from the Tate, who, as the police arrive, climbs to the top of the dish proclaiming that he must "kill the babysitter" to prevent others from becoming like him. He falls into the dish and cuts the television signal to the entire city, but survives. He apologizes to Steven for being a bad friend; Steven forgives him and asks for his real name, which he says is Ricky Ricardo. As he is airlifted away, one of the paramedics addresses him as "buddy"; when he asks if that's true and the paramedic confirms it, Ricky smiles deviously, thinking he has found a new "friend".
First-time screenwriter Lou Holtz Jr. conceived The Cable Guy while working as a prosecutor in Los Angeles, declaring that he once saw a cable company employee in the hallway of his mother's apartment building and started thinking, "What's he doing here so late?" The screenplay became the subject of a bidding war, won by Columbia Pictures at a price of $750,000, plus a $250,000 additional bonus if the movie got made. The role of the Cable Guy was originally sold with Chris Farley attached to star, but he later dropped out due to scheduling difficulties. Adam Sandler was also considered.
Jim Carrey received $20 million, then a record amount, to star. Following Carrey's signing, Columbia Pictures hired Judd Apatow to produce. Columbia rebuffed Apatow's interest in directing, but accepted his suggestion to invite Ben Stiller on whose Ben Stiller Show Apatow had worked. Stiller was considered to play the Steven Kovacs character before it was offered to Matthew Broderick.